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H5433 • 2025

An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet

An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Luddy, Hadley
Last action
2026-06-18
Official status
Referred to Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet

An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet By Representative Luddy of Orleans and Senator Cyr, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet By Representative Luddy of Orleans and Senator Cyr, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 5433) of Hadley Luddy (by vote of the town) for legislation to regulate the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet.
  • Environment and Natural Resources.
  • [Local Approval Received.] Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-18 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 07/01/2026 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM in B-1

  2. 2026-05-19 Senate

    Senate concurred

  3. 2026-05-18 House

    Referred to the committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Official Summary Text

An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet
By Representative Luddy of Orleans and Senator Cyr, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 5433) of Hadley Luddy (by vote of the town) for legislation to regulate the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet. Environment and Natural Resources. [Local Approval Received.]
Status:
Referred to Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Current Bill Text

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Bill H.5433

SECTION 1. There is sound scientific evidence to conclude that nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizers are contaminants that negatively affect fresh and salt waters when present in excessive amounts. These excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus contribute to undesirable algae and aquatic plant growth within all Wellfleet water bodies. This undesirable algae and aquatic plant growth has an adverse effect on public health through the degradation of waters used for drinking water, shell fishing, and recreational swimming and boating.

SECTION 2. It is necessary to prohibit the application of fertilizer that contains phosphorus and nitrogen so as to improve the water quality of the Town of Wellfleet. The soils of Wellfleet are unique insofar as Wellfleet has significant amounts of course, sandy soils that are subject to rapid water infiltration, percolation and leaching of nutrients, and such unique local conditions require that Wellfleet prohibit the application of nitrogen and phosphorus added to soils through the application of fertilizers. This Act should help Wellfleet to achieve compliance with the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) prescribed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for nitrogen and phosphorus in its waters.

SECTION 3. Notwithstanding any General or Special law to the contrary, including but not limited to any General or Special law conferring exclusive authority upon the Department of Agriculture to regulate and control the application of fertilizers elsewhere in the Commonwealth, the application of fertilizer containing nitrogen or phosphorus, or any other pollutants in the Town of Wellfleet is prohibited, except for the purposes of commercial agricultural and the residential use of organic fertilizer with low nitrogen and phosphorus for the use in growing fruits and vegetables.

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