reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 21e § 22 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21e - Massachusetts Oil and Hazardous Material Release Prevention and Response Act|Section 22 - Liability for Presence, Release or Threat of Release of Oil or Any Hazardous Material Related to a Dam

Section 22. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, no municipality or public entity shall be liable under this chapter for, or related to, the presence, release or threat of release of oil or any hazardous material related to a dam, as defined in section 44 of chapter 253, that occurred prior to the date a dam was acquired by a municipality or public entity; provided, however, that an activity conducted by a municipality or public entity that involves the management or removal of oil or hazardous material in relation to the management, maintenance or removal of a dam shall be performed in accordance with applicable environmental laws and permits.
MA Gen L ch 21f § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21f - Coastal Facilities Improvement|Section 1 - Purposes

Section 1. The purposes of this chapter are:  (a) to ensure that adequate and well-maintained public facilities exist to support the commonwealth's fishing, marine, tourist, and recreational industry in the coastal zone;  (b) to provide flexible and affordable financial programs for the commonwealth's coastal cities and towns so that they can plan for, construct, reconstruct, maintain and improve public coastal facilities;  (c) to improve planning for coastal facilities consistent with the policies of the executive office of environmental affairs;  (d) to encourage greater cost sharing between the public and users of public facilities financed with public funds.
MA Gen L ch 21f § 2 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21f - Coastal Facilities Improvement|Section 2 - Definitions

Section 2. As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:—  ''Harbor facility'', any existing or proposed public dredged channel, spoil disposal area, bulkheads, ripraps, piers, wharves, fill, docks, floats, beaches or other structures used for fishing, marine industry, or commerce, marine recreations or public access purposes.  ''Harbor plan'', a document which analyses existing harbor and waterfront land uses and delineates future uses. Future land uses may be described through zoning ordinances, capital improvement plans, and building design guidelines and other methods. Planning for the management of the competing uses of harbor waters may include mooring plans, facilities maintenance plans, shellfish management plans or dredging needs assessments.  ''Waterfront facility'', public upland platforms, public buildings containing harbor related facilities or public spaces or structures used for fish or vessel and related equipment handling or storage, and parking facilities and walkways necessary for access to said waterfront facility.  ''Public'', any structure or land owned and maintained by a coastal city or town or by the commonwealth.  ''Improvements'', a project or undertaking involving the planning, engineering, repair, construction or reconstruction of harbor or waterfront facilities.  ''Card program'', the state Commercial Area Revitalization District program established under chapter forty D.  ''Substandard condition'', physical deterioration, faulty arrangement or design, overcrowding, lack of access, or other factors which cause the condition of a harbor or waterfront facility to be detrimental to the public safety, health, morals, welfare or sound growth of a coastal city or town.  ''Designated port area'', any port area suitable for maritime-industrial uses and so designated in accordance with the procedures established by the department of environmental protection under chapter ninety-one.  ''Special assistance development area'', an area identified by the Executive office of environmental affairs under chapter twenty-one A, having special development needs and significant resource areas which have development potential such as in ports, harbors and recreational areas.
MA Gen L ch 21f § 3 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21f - Coastal Facilities Improvement|Section 3 - Eligibility of Coastal Cities or Towns

Section 3. The executive office of environmental affairs shall define the terms ''coastal city or town'' and shall designate such cities and towns as so qualifying for the purpose of determining eligibility for project assistance.
MA Gen L ch 21f § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21f - Coastal Facilities Improvement|Section 4 - Harbor or Waterfront Improvement or Plan; Application for Assistance

Section 4. Any coastal city or town, acting by and through its mayor in the case of a city, the town manager in a town having a town council form of government and the board of selectmen in any other town, may apply to the secretary of environmental affairs for assistance to undertake a harbor or waterfront improvement or a harbor plan. An application for assistance pursuant to this chapter shall represent no more than fifty per cent of the estimated total cost of the improvement and in no case shall exceed two million dollars for improvements in designated port areas and one million five hundred thousand dollars in all other areas. The commonwealth shall reimburse no more than three million dollars to communities with designated port areas and at least one project within these areas or two million dollars total to a city or town applying for funding for more than one harbor or waterfront project. The secretary of environmental affairs is hereby authorized to utilize seventy per cent of the funding provided for in this chapter, for public facilities used primarily for commercial purposes.  Said secretary of environmental affairs is hereby authorized to utilize ten per cent of the funding in this chapter for grants to prepare harbor plans. An application for assistance in the preparation of a harbor plan shall represent no more than fifty per cent of the total cost of said plan. The secretary of environmental affairs is hereby authorized to approve applications for improvements and plans for up to thirty-three per cent of the funding provided for this chapter in any one year.  Said applicant must provide a cash or inkind match with a value equal to at least fifty per cent of the total cost of the improvement which may originate from any source including grants, bequests, gifts, or contribution by the federal, state or municipal government or by an individual, corporation or association.
MA Gen L ch 21f § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21f - Coastal Facilities Improvement|Section 5 - Qualifications for Assistance

Section 5. To qualify for assistance under this chapter, a city or town shall comply with the following conditions:  (a) the improvement will be public for the duration of any debt obligation incurred by the commonwealth relative to such assistance pursuant to regulations to be adopted pursuant to this chapter and shall be used principally for fishing, shellfishing, marine commerce or industry, or for marine recreation or public access purposes;  (b) the project site has been determined by the executive office of environmental affairs, to be in substandard conditions or is located within an approved Commercial Area Revitalization District or within a designated port area or an area designated as a special assistance development area by the Massachusetts coastal zone management program within the executive office of environmental affairs;  (c) that the city or town may seek to obtain reasonable fees from users of the improvement or related facilities, that this income will be committed to the operation, maintenance, management and, if required, the retirement of any debt incurred under the provisions of this chapter.
MA Gen L ch 21f § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21f - Coastal Facilities Improvement|Section 6 - Findings Required in Application

Section 6. In making applications for assistance under this chapter, the city or town shall follow the rules and procedures developed by the secretary of environmental affairs to implement this chapter which shall include, but not be limited to the following findings:  (a) the proposed improvement will serve the public interest and is consistent with community wide needs and priorities;  (b) the project will have a significant economic impact on the fishing, marine, commercial or industrial, recreation or tourist industry or provide significant public benefits;  (c) there is a clear need for the improvement;  (d) the improvement is consistent with the guidelines set by the executive office of environmental affairs and that all required local, state and federal permits, approvals and licenses, have been sought or obtained in the case of an improvement requiring such;  (e) the funds required to complete the total improvement are or will be secured;  (f) the application for assistance has been approved by the mayor in the case of a city, the town manager in a town having a town counsel form of government and the board of selectmen in any other town;  (g) funds shall not be used for dredging projects.
MA Gen L ch 21f § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21f - Coastal Facilities Improvement|Section 7 - Rules and Regulations

Section 7. In addition to the conditions and requirements set forth in this chapter, the executive office of environmental affairs shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are deemed necessary to effectuate the purpose of this chapter.
MA Gen L ch 21g § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21g - Massachusetts Water Management Act|Section 1 - Short Title

Section 1. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the ''Massachusetts Water Management Act''.
MA Gen L ch 21g § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21g - Massachusetts Water Management Act|Section 4 - Withdrawal Volume Threshold

Section 4. The withdrawal volume threshold to be applied pursuant to sections five and seven shall be one hundred thousand gallons per day. The department may, by regulation, raise or lower the threshold volume established in this section upon a finding that such different threshold is necessary and adequate to protect the public health, safety and welfare. The department shall not require any approval, other than that provided for in section thirty-nine C of chapter forty, for withdrawals less than such threshold volume.  The department may, by regulation, establish, for any particular water source, a lower threshold volume than that generally applicable in the commonwealth upon findings that such water source is in need of special protection because of the nature or volume of demands made upon it, and that the reduced threshold is therefore necessary and adequate to protect the public health, safety and welfare.  The department shall, no later than January first, nineteen hundred and ninety-one, and no less than every five years thereafter, initiate rulemaking procedures in accordance with chapter thirty A, to review and reassess the necessity and adequacy of the volume threshold in effect.  For the purposes of determining whether a withdrawal is in excess of the threshold volume, any withdrawal of water for a nonconsumptive use, as defined by regulation adopted by the department, shall not be counted in the volume of water withdrawn; provided, however, that any person withdrawing or proposing to withdraw water for a nonconsumptive use shall file, in accordance with regulations adopted by the department, a notification stating the amount being or to be withdrawn and demonstrating that the use is or will be nonconsumptive.
MA Gen L ch 21g § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21g - Massachusetts Water Management Act|Section 6 - Contents of Registration Statements

Section 6. The regulations issued by the department shall specify the form and required contents of a registration statement and the terms under which an existing withdrawal may be continued by a person other than the original registrant. At a minimum, such regulations shall specify that the registration statement must contain the following:  (1) The use for which the water is being withdrawn;  (2) An identification of the water source from which the withdrawal is being made, in sufficient detail to describe the water source adequately;  (3) The location of the withdrawal;  (4) The existing withdrawal; provided, however, that persons whose volume of withdrawals varies seasonally according to a substantially established pattern shall describe that variation;  (5) Conservation measures instituted, or to be instituted, by the registrant; and  (6) The point or points at which the water is to be discharged after use.
MA Gen L ch 21g § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21g - Massachusetts Water Management Act|Section 7 - Issuance of Permits; Criteria and Standards

Section 7. The department shall, by regulation, specify, for each water source from which withdrawals are to be permitted, a date upon which its regulations establishing criteria, standards and procedures for issuing permits shall become effective. No person may, after the effective date thus specified, make a new withdrawal of more than the threshold volume of water from any water source, or construct any building or structure which may require that person to make such a new withdrawal of water unless such person obtains a permit in accordance with regulations adopted by the department.  In adopting regulations establishing criteria and standards for obtaining permits, the department shall assure, at a minimum, that the following factors are considered:—  (1) The impact of the proposed withdrawal on other water sources which are hydrologically interconnected with the water source from which the withdrawal is to be made;  (2) The anticipated times of year when withdrawals will be made;  (3) The water available within the safe yield of the water source from which the withdrawal is to be made;  (4) Reasonable protection of water uses, land values, investments and enterprises that are dependent on previously allowable withdrawals;  (5) The use to be made of the water proposed to be withdrawn and other existing, presently permitted or projected uses of the water source from which the withdrawal is to be made;  (6) Any water resources management plan for any city or town in which the affected water source is located;  (7) Any state water resources management plan adopted by the commission;  (8) Reasonable conservation practices and measures, consistent with efficient utilization of the water;  (9) Reasonable protection of public drinking water supplies, water quality, wastewater treatment capacity, waste assimilation capacity, groundwater recharge areas, navigation, hydropower resources, water-based recreation, wetland habitat, fish and wildlife, agriculture, and flood plains; and  (10) Reasonable economic development and the creation of jobs in the commonwealth.
MA Gen L ch 21g § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21g - Massachusetts Water Management Act|Section 8 - Permit Applications; Contents

Section 8. The regulations adopted by the department shall specify the form and required contents of a permit application. At a minimum, such regulations shall specify that the application must contain:—  (1) The need for the proposed withdrawal;  (2) The reasons for the withdrawal and the use of the water to be withdrawn;  (3) A description of the water source from which the withdrawal is proposed;  (4) The location of the withdrawal;  (5) The volume, frequency and rate of water the applicant proposes to withdraw;  (6) The length of time for which the permit is sought;  (7) The effect of the proposed withdrawal on public drinking water supplies, water quality, wastewater treatment, waste assimilation, groundwater recharge areas, navigation, hydropower resources, water-based recreation, wetland habitats, fish and wildlife, agriculture, and flood plains;  (8) The alternatives, if any, to the proposed withdrawal including a study of cost factors, feasibility and environmental effects of such alternatives; and  (9) Conservation measures instituted, or to be instituted, by the applicant.  The regulations adopted by the department shall allow the applicant to submit, in support of the permit application, a negotiated agreement with any other owner of property conveying by deed an easement restricting that property owner's right to withdraw from the water source from which the applicant proposes to make withdrawals. The department shall consider such easement in making its findings relative to the sufficiency of the water available within the safe yield of the water source from which the withdrawal is to be made.  The regulations issued by the department may specify the conditions under which the department will approve the transfer of a permit.
MA Gen L ch 21g § 10 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21g - Massachusetts Water Management Act|Section 10 - Recommendations

Section 10. The department shall, by regulation, establish a procedure to be followed in obtaining recommendations from local officials or bodies, regional planning agencies, or others including any comments received by the water resources management official pursuant to section nine, for use by the department in making findings under section eleven; provided, however, that failure of any local official or body or regional planning agency to make timely recommendations in accordance with such procedures shall not bar the department from ruling on any application if it determines that it has an adequate basis for making the findings required by regulation.
MA Gen L ch 21g § 11 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21g - Massachusetts Water Management Act|Section 11 - Issuance of Permits; Conditions; Findings

Section 11. In accordance with rules adopted under section seven, the department may issue permits for any new withdrawal of water if it determines that the withdrawal will conform to the regulatory standards established. The department may attach to any permit whatever conditions it deems necessary to further the purposes of this chapter or to assure compliance with its regulations. If the department finds that the combined volume of existing, permitted and proposed withdrawals exceeds the safe yield of a water source or that existing, permitted or proposed water withdrawals are otherwise in conflict, it shall deny all applications for permits for withdrawals from that water source.  The department shall make written findings of fact in support of its decision and shall state with specificity the reasons for issuance or denial of the permit and for any conditions of approval imposed and may, in the case of any denial of a permit, advise the applicant in negotiating an agreement pursuant to section eight, so as to allow the permit to be granted. Every permit issued pursuant to this chapter may include provisions:—  (1) fixing the term of the permit;  (2) fixing the maximum allowable withdrawal expressed in terms of an average annual daily withdrawal;  (3) identifying and limiting the use or uses to which the water may be put;  (4) requiring the applicant to meter the water being withdrawn and report the amount and quantity of the water being withdrawn;  (5) governing the operation and maintenance of the specific facilities, equipment or premises;  (6) allowing the department to enter the applicant's facilities or property to inspect and monitor the withdrawal;  (7) permitting the department to modify, suspend or terminate the permit, after notice and hearing, for violations of its conditions, of this chapter, or of regulations adopted or orders issued by the department, and when deemed necessary for the promotion of the purposes of the chapter.  The department shall, by regulation, specify a schedule of expiration dates applicable to each water source from which withdrawals are to be permitted. All permits for withdrawals from that water source shall be valid until the next expiration date thus specified; provided that no permit issued under this section shall be valid for a term greater than twenty years. Each person to whom a permit has been issued pursuant to this section shall file an annual statement of withdrawal, in accordance with regulations adopted by the department.  No permit shall be issued under this section after January first, nineteen hundred and ninety-four unless the city or town in which the water is to be used has obtained approval from the commission of its water resources management plan.
MA Gen L ch 21g § 12 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 21g - Massachusetts Water Management Act|Section 12 - Adjudicatory Hearing; Judicial Review

Section 12. Any person aggrieved by a decision of the department with respect to a permit application or an addition to an existing withdrawal may request an adjudicatory hearing before the department under the provisions of chapter thirty A. Any such decision shall contain a notice of this right to request a hearing and shall specify a time limit of twenty-one days, within which aggrieved persons may request such a hearing. If no such request is timely made, the decision shall be deemed assented to. If a timely request is received, the department shall, within a reasonable time, act upon the request in accordance with the provisions of chapter thirty A. A person aggrieved by a final decision in an adjudicatory hearing held under the provisions of this section shall be entitled to judicial review thereof in the superior court, in accordance with chapter thirty A; provided, however, that in any action seeking judicial review pursuant to this section, the court in which such action is pending may appoint a master to investigate and report on any scientific or hydrological issue relevant to a question of law presented in the case.