The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) requires state agencies to study the environmental consequences of their actions (such as issuing a permit) and take measures to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate any environmental damage. MEPA review occurs in advance of permitting but is not a permitting process itself.
MEPA requires an analysis of the overall environmental consequences of the project as well as a public review. The MEPA environmental review will include a description of project alternatives and an analysis of the project’s impacts on air quality, noise, traffic, greenhouse gas, resiliency, and other subjects as directed by the MEPA Office.
The MEPA process itself does not determine whether a project is environmentally beneficial or whether a particular permit should be issued. Those decisions are left to the permitting agencies.
Permit documents and review:
- Environmental Notification Form submitted by MIT to the MEPA office, December 2015 [ENF document]
- MEPA Public meeting and consultation session, Thursday, January 14, 2016
- Interested persons were invited to provide comments to the MEPA office in writing up until January 22, 2016. Comments were sent to:
Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Attn: MEPA Office
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston MA 02114
Comments could also be sent by email. - Single Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) submitted by MIT to the MEPA office, May 2016, which includes MIT's responses to comments on the ENF. [SEIR document]. Interested persons were invited to provide comments to the MEPA office at the contact information above until June 24, 2016.
- Public notices: Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
- Certificate of Public Benefit Determination issued by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs on July 22, 2016 [Public Benefit document]