Members of the bipartisan Green Ribbon Commission heard testimony this week from organizations involved in open space preservation, abandoned mine reclamation and on the infrastructure needs of the Fish and Boat and Game Commissions.

Molly Morrison, the President of Natural Lands Trust, a nonprofit land trust in southeastern Pennsylvania, spoke to the commission about open space preservation. In its 50-year history, her organization has helped preserve more than 110,000 acres of natural open lands. They directly own and manage 15,000 acres of preserved land and have easements on another 15,000.

Morrison supported efforts to protect open space, noting she thought the issue is a statewide problem. Without additional financial support, not only would vital lands not be preserved, but federal dollars now available for preservation would be left on the table.

Bruce Golden from the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation said acid mine drainage has left more than 4,000 miles of streams seriously polluted and unusable. However, because of the efforts of hundreds of watershed groups and thousands of volunteers, streams that have been dead for over 100 years are coming back to life.

Without adequate funding, these projects are going to be stopped. But more importantly the people involved in watershed groups need to be supported and encouraged to continue their good work. He recommended that any funding plan take advantage of the individuals and groups already doing cleanups.

Golden also pointed to the need to reauthorize the federal Abandoned Mine Reclamation fee that is due to expire in June to deal with safety problems caused by abandoned mines.

(See Golden’s full testimony is included in this Digest as an Opinion piece.)

Dr. Douglas Austen, Executive Director of the PA Fish and Boat Commission, spoke about the needs of the commission saying fishing and boating are a $2 billion industry in Pennsylvania.

He noted the Commission owned 18 dams now considered by DEP to be unsafe dams and 14 fish hatcheries that need upgrades to meet current environmental and operating standards. He estimated that the hatcheries alone would require $84 million for all necessary fixes and upgrades.

William Schultz, a Special Projects Manager with the PA Game Commission, spoke about the needs of the Game Commission that include unsafe dams and other improvements to the 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands owned by the Commission.

He also noted the Commission has helped to successfully implement the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program in the state to set aside farmland for stream buffers and habitat areas that have been a significant benefit to wildlife. For every $1 of state money invested, $5 dollars of federal money is attracted to the program.

With the House Republicans laying out a proposal to expand environment spending for open space, mine reclamation and the Hazardous Sites Clean Up Fund this week and the Senate Republicans set to propose their own initiative soon, the Commission will have lots to chew on in the coming weeks.

All parties are aiming to have a bond issue proposal ready in time for the May primary election.

NewsClip: Supporters of Growing Greener II Rally at Capitol

Groups Underscore Serious Environmental Challenges

1/28/2005