Opinion ID: 202414
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Compliance with State Law

Text: 77 Finally, plaintiffs urge that the MBTA, in planning the Copley Station Project, violated Section 5(k) of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 161A. Subsection 5(k) directs the MBTA to issue regulations necessary and appropriate to provide the following parties the timely opportunity to participate in the development of major transportation projects . . . as defined by the directors . . . . Mass. Gen. Laws c. 161A, § 5(k). The relevant parties include state, regional and local agencies and authorities affected by said projects . . . [and] other public and private organizations, groups and persons who are affected by, and who have provided the board with reasonable notice of their desire to participate in the development of the design of [the] project. Id. Although regulations have not been issued under the statute, we assume that the statute itself requires timely opportunity to participate. 78 Although the MBTA urges that we decline to consider compliance with the Massachusetts statutes under Pennhurst State School & Hospital v. Halderman, 465 U.S. 89, 104 S.Ct. 900, 79 L.Ed.2d 67 (1984), we do not reach the immunity question. That question is not truly jurisdictional and thus need not be addressed before the merits of the state law claim. See Parella v. Retirement Bd. of Rhode Island Employees' Retirement System, 173 F.3d 46, 55 (1st Cir. 1999) (holding that immunity is not a true restriction on Article III jurisdiction and therefore need not be addressed before the merits). 79 Turning to the merits, we find no basis to conclude that the statutes were violated. The MBTA afforded public and private organizations the opportunity to comment and conducted several public meetings regarding the project. Furthermore, even assuming the plaintiffs had an individual right to participate and were affected by the project within the meaning of the statute, we agree with the district court that they were provided with sufficient opportunity to participate. The MBTA held a public meeting on July 21, 2003. Although the district court found that plaintiffs did not attend this meeting, the parties agree that they did. Plaintiff NABB also met with the MBTA twice more—once on August 5, 2003, when the design plans were 75 percent complete, and once on March 3, 2004, prior to final federal approval. 80 The plaintiffs contend that the plan was essentially complete when they met with MBTA on August 5, 2003. The plan had by then reached the 75 percent stage. But the record makes clear that the MBTA was still soliciting comments from the public at this stage, and final federal approval had not yet occurred. The July and August 5, 2003, meetings satisfy the statute's requirement that the participation occur early enough to permit comments to be considered prior to the final development of or commitment to any specific design for the project. Mass. Gen. Laws c. 161A, § 5(k). We conclude that plaintiffs have failed to establish a violation of the Massachusetts statute. Similarly, we find no merit to plaintiffs' contention that the federal regulations required earlier consultation with affected parties. See 36 C.F.R. § 800.1(a).