Gov. Rendell offered his own assessment of his first two years in office highlighting three main accomplishments: increased funding for education, property tax relief through slots legislation and the economic stimulus package to rebuild communities.

In addition to increasing PACE/PACENET prescription drug coverage and reducing the cost of state government, Rendell highlighted the Advanced Energy Portfolio Standards passed in November first in his list of major environmental accomplishments.

Looking ahead to next year, Rendell told reporters he would push his Growing Greener II environmental spending initiatives that included more than $150 million in new fees on waste and emissions produced by households and businesses.

Other environmental accomplishments mentioned by Rendell included:

· Providing $5 million of Growing Greener funds to expand the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program to the Ohio River basin;

· Receiving a National Award of Merit from dam safety officials for advocating additional federal funding to fix unsafe and dangerous dams and forcing 256 dam owners to comply with DEP requirements to submit emergency plans;

· Successfully attracting Gamesa, a Spanish windmill manufacturing firm, to Pennsylvania with the potential of creating 1,000 jobs;

· Improved response to hazmat incidents through grants to 58 counties; and

· Preserving the 2,500th farm through Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program.

12/24/2004