Massachusetts Legislature End of Session Scorecard: One Good, One Bad

As the Massachusetts legislative session wound down, there was the usual last-minute scramble – heightened, this time, by the Legislature’s focus on casino gambling. Notwithstanding the preoccupation with gambling, the Legislature did manage to enact the Permit Extension Act, which developers have been pushing for some time. Briefly, permits in effect at any time between August 15, 2008 and August 15, 2010, will be extended for two years. To read more, check out our client alert.

The Legislature was not able to get wind siting legislation enacted. The House passed the bill at midnight on the last day, but it died in the Senate. Presumably, those legislators who will defend home rule with their dying breath think that the 8 years Cape Wind has spent in permitting (yes, I know that Cape Wind would not have been affected by the wind siting legislation) and the 7 years that the Hoosac wind project has spent in permitting demonstrate that our permitting system works well and needs no improvement.

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