BOSTON, MA — This August the ballot committee ‘Safer Tech at LastTreeLaws.com’ filed a comprehensive initiative petition with the attorney general in Boston to establish the advisory Office of Research and Technology Optimization (ORTO). The proposed independent office will establish an “As Safe As Reasonable and Achievable” (ASARAA) guideline for consumer and state technology, bridging a massive gap in independent public safety research.
While Massachusetts requires the petition to focus on a single subject—non-ionizing radiation like wireless, electricity, and artificial light—the office is intentionally designed to be advisory. This structure is a direct response to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling in Gilardi v. Board of Health of Pittsfield, which held that the federal Supremacy Clause preempts local boards from directly regulating or shutting down cell towers over non-ionizing radiation emissions. Because federal law blocks local bans, ORTO is built to investigate broader, overlapping societal impacts and provide the independent, expert advice that local communities currently lack. Its research will address urgent public questions such as wireless grid energy demands, cybersecurity, real-time data surveillance, autonomous robotics, electromagnetic weapons, public and environmental health.
“Across the Commonwealth, the public is constantly negotiating to allow guard rails on new technologies, often without access to expertise. In contrast, state legislators are accelerating advanced technologies without any independent, industry-free watchdog to ensure they are safe,” said ballot committee chair Kirstin Beatty. “The state’s massive economic development package authorizes hundreds of millions in long-term technology bonds—including $75 million for AI, $100 million for autonomous defense systems, and $25 million for robotics. We are funding the accelerator, but we completely forgot to fund the brakes.
“Clearly, new AI infrastructure increases energy demands and installation of residential 5G cell towers lowers property values, but these are just the visible problems. ORTO will serve as a common-sense expert resource for everyday citizens and the legislature, evaluating technologies and recommending guard rails to protect the public.”
The Attorney General’s office is currently reviewing the initiative for certification under state law, with a formal decision expected in early September to clear the petition for public signature gathering.
The ballot committee is actively seeking support from Massachusetts residents, businesses, and local organizations to help gather signatures and fund the initiative. A volunteer and donation sign-up form is available online at LastTreeLaws.com.