THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, June 30, 2017
Page 12
Aggregate Industries commences reclamation project at Saugus Quarry
D
uring an open house on June 21, Aggregate Industries Northeast Region, Inc. in Saugus announced the start of a land reclamation project to fill more than 30 acres of its onsite rock quarry. Aggregate Industries, a member of the LafargeHolcim family, will continue its current operations dur-
ing the reclamation project, which will span over the next 15 years. “We take our leadership as an environmental steward very seriously and are committed to exploring ways to repurpose our land as appropriate. We’re excited about the opportunity to transform the Aggregate Indus-
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tries Saugus Quarry and to begin this reclamation project after years of planning,” said Brad Kohl, Aggregate Industries’ U.S. ACM Head of Northeast and Great Lakes West Regions. “As the project moves forward, we will continue working closely with the Town of Saugus to consider potential uses for the site, which could be an economic driver for the area.” Aggregate Industries has worked closely with Saugus’s Aggregate Post-Closure Committee for the past 10 years to develop plans and protocols for the reclamation project, and to develop a mutually beneficial reclamation plan. This partner-
ship has also included reviewing potential end uses for the filled quarry. To achieve this milestone, Aggregate Industries has also worked closely with and received approvals from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). Approvals and permits outline the specific fill materials that can be used throughout the process, including soils generated from both Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP)
and non-MCP disposal sites, out-of-state soils, dredged material and blasted rock. Per MassDEP requirements, any materials that arrive at the site must come from a known, tested source, with licensed site professionals overseeing both the generator’s soil and operations at the reclamation project. At the Saugus site, Aggregate Industries currently operates two asphalt plants, a readymix concrete plant, quarrying and crushing activities, maintenance and other related activities. These industrial operations at the site will remain in operation throughout the reclamation process.
Rep. Wong opposes 2018 ballot proposal to create a graduated state income tax B
OSTON –State Representative Donald H. Wong (R-Saugus) recently voted to oppose placing a graduated state income tax plan on the 2018 state ballot. Citing concerns about its constitutionality, uncertainty over how the money raised will actually be spent and the longterm impact the tax change will have on the state’s economy, Representative Wong voted against the “Millionaire Tax” proposal, which was approved on a 134-55 vote during a joint session of the House and Senate. “My main reason for voting against the ‘Millionaire Tax’ is because there is no way of guaranteeing that the money will go directly to education and transportation,” Representative Wong said. “Some people say that it’s unconstitutional to make specific appropriations of the money. But if you already broke the Constitution to have a ‘Millionaire Tax’, why can’t you then break the Constitution to appropriate the money?” The tax measure, which requires the support of at least 50 legislators in two successive legislative sessions, received initial approval during last year’s state Constitutional Convention, where it passed on a vote of 135-57. With today’s vote, the question will now advance to the November 2018 state ballot. Massachusetts currently assesses all residents’ personal
income at a uniform “flat tax” rate of 5.1 percent, and capital gains at a 12 percent rate. The ballot proposal would amend the state Constitution by creating a two-tier tax system imposing an additional 4 percent surtax on all income in excess of $1 million beginning January 1, 2019, with the revenues set aside for education and transportation. The Department of Revenue estimates the surtax will generate approximately $1.9 billion in its first year. Although the state Constitution explicitly prohibits any amendment that “makes a specific appropriation of money,” the ballot proposal attempts to circumvent this restriction by designating the money as “subject to appropriation” by the Legislature. All revenues collected through the surtax will be placed in the General Fund, where it will be up to the Legislature to determine how the money will be allocated. During last year’s Constitutional Convention, the House Republican Caucus tried unsuccessfully to amend the proposal to ensure that any funds raised through the surtax will be used “in addition to” and not “in lieu of” money currently being spent on education and transportation. Because the ballot proposal was not subject to further amendment this year, Representative Wong expressed concern that there are no protections in place to guarantee educa-
tion and transportation will actually see any net increase in funding. Leading business groups have labelled the tax proposal as anticompetitive, saying it will have a detrimental impact on small businesses and job creation, with the Massachusetts High Technology Council warning it “could cause irreparable harm to the state’s innovation economy.” Several of the state’s major business groups – including the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF), Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership – are now considering a legal challenge. In an analysis of the ballot question released on June 12, MTF indicated it is “unlikely” the full $1.9 billion in new tax revenue will ever materialize, due to two key factors: the ability of many of the state’s top earners to relocate to avoid the surtax; and the volatility of capital gains taxes, which are being counted on to provide about $500 million of the new tax revenues. MTF noted that capital gains tax collections dropped by $670 million in 2002, and by $1.65 billion during the last recession in 2008. Between 1962 and 1994, Massachusetts voters rejected a total of five graduated income tax ballot proposals. The most recent ballot initiative, in 1994, was defeated by a margin of more than 2-1.