Issue Position: The Environment

Issue Position

Bill Straus has been at the forefront of efforts to protect the environment and the unique coastal areas of southeastern Massachusetts.

Bill introduced and won passage of new laws protecting drinking water supplies in Fairhaven, Marion and Mattapoisett as well as a model open space program for Marion. He has proposed new tax incentives statewide for the protection of open space. He secured state funding for the reconstruction of the Mattapoisett boat ramp and needed herring run repairs on the Mattapoisett River.

He worked with community leaders to make the Fairhaven bike path a reality and co-sponsored the $6,000 homeowners' tax credit for septic system repairs and sewer tie-in projects for West Island and Sconticut Neck in Fairhaven as well as Ned's Point, Crescent Beach and Park Street in Mattapoisett.

Bill was a founding member and participant in the citizens panel that worked with the EPA through the 1990′s to find alternative ways to clean the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site when the government was threatening to incinerate the waste and send dangerous emissions toward Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Marion.

When the disastrous Bouchard oil spill hit Buzzards Bay in 2003 Bill was immediately involved. He is a member of the special legislative commission that recommended tough new fines and navigation requirements on oil shipments through our local waters.

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