Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

No asphalt batching or liquid asphalt storage facility shall be located in an area which is less than one-half mile in linear distance from a hospital, nursing home, area of critical environmental concern as determined by the secretary of environmental affairs pursuant to 301 CMR 12.00, or area occupied by residential housing, in the cities of Chelsea, Malden and Revere. Said linear distance shall be measured from the outermost perimeter of such facility to the outermost point of the aforementioned zones; provided, however, that any such facility in operation as of December 1, 1996 shall not be subject to the provisions of this act.