Politics & Government

Lawmakers Say Growing Greener Should Be Funded

State budget drastically cut funding for environmental projects

The Renew Growing Greener Coalition this week called on state lawmakers to protect the commonwealth’s economy "by protecting its environment and restoring funding for the state Growing Greener program."

“Growing Greener has done more than preserve Pennsylvania’s land, water and air,” Andrew Heath, executive director of the Renew Growing Greener Coalition said in a statement. “It has contributed billions of dollars to the Pennsylvania economy by helping to boost tourism, create jobs and generate revenue.”

Heath made his remarks as the House Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing in Harrisburg on Marcellus Shale earlier this week.

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The coalition is urging lawmakers to allocate a portion of any severance tax or impact fee on natural gas drilling to help fund the bipartisan Growing Greener program, which was established in 1999 under Gov. Tom Ridge.

, said he is concerned about how the new budget will impact Growing Greener funding.

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“One of the many negatives about the recently passed state budget … is the fact that it did not address the inadequate funding for Growing Greener,” Smith said. “I firmly believe that revenue from a Marcellus Shale tax must at least be in part devoted to increasing funding for Growing Greener.”

, D-Canonsburg, said he thinks the concept is important.

"I think a great resource for this program can be a portion of an impact fee or severance tax enactment," he said. "I support its refunding and say that at least a third of the impact fee can be the funding source."

, D-Cecil, has 40 percent of funds going toward environmental projects, with 10 percent of that earmarked for the coalition.

Since its establishment, Growing Greener officials said it has created a "legacy of success," preserving more than 33,700 acres of Pennsylvania’s family farmland, conserving more than 42,300 acres of threatened open space, adding 26,000 acres to state parks and forests, and restoring more than 16,000 acres of abandoned mine lands.

But funding for Growing Greener projects and grants fell from an average of about $150 million a year for the last six years to $27.3 million in the new budget—an 82 percent cut, the group said.

“Now is the time we should be investing in our environment and our communities, not taking money away,” said Heath. “Not only are our natural resources at risk, our economy is at risk.”

This story originally appeared on Canon-Mac Patch


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