Massachusetts § 35HH - Ocean Resources and Waterways Trust Fund

§ 35HH. Ocean Resources and Waterways Trust Fund

Section 35HH. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be administered by the secretary of energy and environmental affairs, as trustee, in consultation with the department of environmental protection, to be known as the Ocean Resources and Waterways Trust Fund. There shall be credited to the fund any revenue from appropriations or other monies authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund, any appropriation or grant explicitly made to the fund and any income derived from the investment of amounts credited to the fund and the proceeds from any ocean development mitigation fees established pursuant to section 18 of chapter 132A. The priority for use of funds derived from compensation or mitigation for ocean development projects shall be to restore or enhance marine habitat and resources impacted by the project for which the compensation or mitigation shall have been received. The funds derived from compensation or mitigation related to public navigational impacts shall be dedicated to public navigational improvements; provided, however, that any funds for the enhancement of fisheries resources shall be directed to conduct fisheries restoration and management programs. Any other amounts credited to the fund shall be used, without further appropriation, only for the purposes of environmental enhancement, restoration and management of ocean resources by the secretary pursuant to section 4C of chapter 21A. No expenditure from the fund shall cause the fund to be in deficiency at the close of a fiscal year. Monies deposited in the fund that are unexpended at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in the subsequent fiscal year.