Members of the Green Ribbon Commission this week were given their first assignment by Commission chairs Rep. Bill Adolph (R-Delaware) and Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Venango) — prioritize the programs they would like to see expanded under a new environmental funding initiative and propose a way to pay for it by October 20.

Rep. Adolph reiterated the Commission’s charge from the July 4 letter from Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill (R-Lebanon) and House Majority Sam Smith (R-Jefferson) to Gov. Rendell setting up the Commission—

“The Commission, working with the Administration, will study state programs impacting the environment, as well as various proposals for enhanced funding to address environmental problems, preserving farmland and open space, reducing abandoned mines, and cleaning hazardous sites.

“This Commission will develop recommendations for possible program consolidation and improvements, along with possible legislation and the identification of necessary funding for environmental initiatives. Along with consideration of a dedicated funding source, the Commission will evaluate the benefits of a bond issuance and other funding vehicles.”

Program Updates: Adolph and White started the first meeting of the 26-member Commission by giving the Rendell Administration the opportunity to update members on its own Growing Greener II initiative entertain questions from members.

DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty surprised the group by saying more recent numbers show the Recycling Fund and the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund will “run out of money” by the end of this fiscal year.

McGinty said the agency was making contingency plans like preparing furlough lists for the more than 300 employees funded from the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund and putting cleanup projects in mothballs.

This represented a change from September 16 when DEP gave the Recycling Fund Advisory Committee a spreadsheet showing the Recycling Fund could be in trouble starting in fiscal 06-07 because the $2 fee supporting the program was due to expire in 2008.

Previous estimates on the balance in the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund from the Governor’s Budget Office projected a $18 million balance at the end of this fiscal year.

McGinty also noted the DEP programs funded under Growing Greener were under pressure due to increasing operation and maintenance costs for mine drainage treatment projects, the decision last year to expand the Crop Reserve Enhancement Program to the Ohio River Basin and by the Administration’s decision to pay off all the costs of the watershed grants issued to date by the end of 2006 earlier than they would need to be paid.

Roy Kienitz, deputy chief of staff to the Governor, noted legislative action this year on items like the $250 million bond issue approved by voters in the Spring should be factored into changing the February Growing Greener proposal to eliminate any overlaps and reduce the impact of fees originally proposed by the Governor.

In February Gov. Rendell proposed $152 million in new fees on waste produced by households and businesses to pay for an $800 million bond issue and other environmental spending covering recycling, hazardous sites cleanup, farmland and open space preservation, brownfields redevelopment, infrastructure improvement, energy development and the existing Growing Greener program.

In her opening remarks, Sen. White also noted the General Assembly passed the sewer and water program as well as brownfields cleanup funding as part of the economic stimulus package, funded the Elm Street and Main Street programs to revitalize smaller communities and that the original Growing Greener Program is already set to spend over $700 million between now and when it expires in 2012.

White said both the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund and the farmland preservation funding due to expire this year from the original Growing Greener Program represented pressing priorities for many.

DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis acknowledged the original Growing Greener program was a huge step toward addressing the funding needs of DCNR and communities, but also noted the demand for open space preservation, State Park, State Forest and local recreation funding far exceeds the available funds.

Kientz promised to get the Commission members the latest information available on the status of the Recycling and Hazardous Waste Cleanup Funds as well as the latest cost projections for debt service on the proposed bond issue.

Sen. Ray Musto (D-Luzerne), Democratic Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said members of the Commission need to face their responsibility to provide for a cleaner environment in Pennsylvania, but noted the short calendar of legislative days may make it impossible to take action by the end of November.

Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery) noted the deadline for putting a bond issue question on the ballot was March 2005, if the General Assembly does not shorten the time period like it did for a $250 million sewer and water ballot question this year.

Rep. Bud George (D-Clearfield), Democratic Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, told the group Pennsylvania was not getting enough done with the Growing Greener Program as it exists now. More funding is needed without “raiding existing funds” to get where we need to be on the environment.

New Issue – Flooding: During the discussions several members of the Commission added an issue to the agenda suggesting they deal with flood recovery and prevention, noting recent property and stream damage caused by several hurricanes going through Pennsylvania.

Kientz said the Governor was convening a Flood Task Force within the Administration to look at flood recovery and prevention needs and how the state could maximize the use of federal dollars available through the Corps of Engineers and other sources.

In response to a question from Rep. George about the need to clean out streams to accommodate more flood waters, McGinty said there was a “need to dredge streams in a responsible way” and that work done by local watershed groups was helping to reduce the potential for flooding.

Both Sen. Robert Thompson (R-Chester) and Rep. David Argall (R-Schuylkill), chairs of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, noted the state budget will be under significant pressure next fiscal year. Several billion dollars in potential funding gaps for existing programs like Medicare will have to be filled and they anticipate a planned Administration initiative on higher education. Any new spending program will have to be looked at carefully against this backdrop.

Chairs Adolph and White said they would schedule the next meeting of the Commission after Oct. 20 when priorities were due from members. They also said they would work to solicit environmental funding priorities from all the members of the General Assembly to feed back into the Commission.

NewsClip: Governor’s Appointees Stress Environmental Needs

10/15/2004