PA Environment Digest

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Two Growing Greener Proposals Now on the Table

Two proposals are now on the table to implement the $625 million Growing Greener bond issue passed by voters in May-- the Green PA Plan proposed by House Republicans that passed the House in February (House Bill 3) and a new proposal that was circulated by Gov. Rendell’s staff.

Both proposals follow the “no new taxes, no new fees” pledge for funding the new bond issue by using existing fees on waste to fund the debt service required by the new bond.

The Green PA Plan would use the existing $4.25 Growing Greener fee for debt service (starting in FY 2005-06) to fund the core Growing Greener Programs (mine reclamation, watershed restoration, farmland and open space preservation, State Park and recreation projects) as well as the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program. The recycling fee would not be used. (PaED 2/18/05)

The Rendell Administration’s proposal would use both the existing $4.25 fee and the $2 Recycling Fee to fund the same programs as the Green PA Plan and more after their scheduled expiration dates for the fees in 2012 and 2008 respectively, except that funding for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program would start in FY 2005-06 from a portion of the existing Growing Greener fees. In addition, the proposal would fund brownfields cleanup, advanced energy projects, Fish and Game Commission infrastructure projects, redevelopment and housing investments.

Members of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Restoration and Conservation (PARC) who worked for passage of the bond issue have laid out a series of principles they would like to see included in the implementing legislation—

· The new program must address critical needs to conserve dwindling open space and farmland, to restore land and water damaged by coal mining, to protect and restore watersheds, and to repair infrastructure maintained by the Fish & Boat Commission and the Game Commission;

· Funding for these purposes must not come at the expense of existing environmental programs such as recycling;

· The existing tipping fee should remain dedicated to its current purposes; and

· Funding to address Pennsylvania's environmental problems and to conserve natural resources must be in place for the long term to ensure a high quality of life in our communities and to establish the natural resource and recreational infrastructure to grow the economy.

Specifically members of PARC would like to see the funds spent in this manner—

· 42 percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), cleaning up rivers and streams, reclaiming abandoned mine lands and eliminating acid mine pollution, protecting watersheds, etc.:

· 40 percent to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for enhancing state parks, state forests, community parks, trails and greenways; and protecting open space, working forests and wildlife habitat:

· 10 percent to the Department of Agriculture for farmland preservation:

· 4.8 percent to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission for environmental infrastructure, habitat development and wildlife management; and

· 3.2 percent to the Pennsylvania Game Commission for environmental infrastructure, habitat development and wildlife management.

So far, neither Growing Greener plan put on the table satisfies these principles, according to PARC.

PARC believes that it is more important to get this done right rather than simply getting it done.

Members of the Senate, House, the Administration, environmental groups and other interests will be working to see if they can come to an agreement during the last week of session before the budget break.

Senate Republicans are also working on their plan to distribute some of the Growing Greener bond issue funds directly to counties. And, in a related action, Senate Bill 149 (MJ White-R-Venango) providing funding for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund from general revenues was reported from House Appropriations this week and is now on the House Calendar.

Stay tuned for more! This will be another issue in play as the General Assembly and the Governor finalize the budget.