The Senate and House are tentatively scheduled to return to session July 6 in hopes of finishing the FY 2022-23 state budget and pass what lots of people hope will be the Growing Greener III funding initiative!

The bipartisan group of Senate and House lawmakers continues to work hard with hunters, anglers, farm, environmental, recreation and conservation groups to the wire to bring home a win on Growing Greener III funding.

We can’t stop pushing!

NOW is the time to help them by contacting your state House and Senate members to tell them to set aside at least $500 million from federal American Rescue Fund monies the state already has to support watershed restoration, farm conservation, mine reclamation, protecting from flooding, recreation, State Park and Forest safety and maintenance projects.

This year is special because $1.7 billion in federal American Rescue Fund monies have yet to be allocated for any purpose.

In addition, state government finds itself in the position of collecting record state revenues as a result of an expanding economy. The Department of Revenue and Independent Fiscal Office reported an estimated FY 2021-22 surplus of between $5.6 billion and $6.22 billion on July 1.

There has never been a better time to invest in Pennsylvania’s environment, without going into debt.

These funds will not only work to support local jobs and businesses, but permanently improve Pennsylvania’s environment and recreational opportunities that are critical to the economic and physical wellbeing of Pennsylvanians.

Click Here to find your legislators.

What To Support

There is language in bipartisan legislation that would allocate $500 million from American Rescue Fund monies for these purposes and set up a special cost-share program for farm conservation installation--

-- $500 Million For Growing Greener Projects:  Senators John Gordner (R-Columbia), Bob Mensch (R-Montgomery), Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) and others have introduced bipartisan legislation proposing to allocate $500 million from the federal American Rescue Plan to fund Growing Greener watershed, farm conservation, mine reclamation, recreation projects, State Park and Forest safety and maintenance projects in Senate Bill 525.  Read more here.

            Companion legislation-- House Bill 2020-- is pending in the House sponsored by Reps. Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-Northumberland), Nancy Guenst (D-Montgomery) and many others.

-- Farm Conservation Cost-Share: Senate Bill 465 (Yaw-R-Lycoming, Comitta-D-Chester), another bipartisan bill, establishes a new program to pay for on-farm conservation measures administered by the State Conservation Commission. Read more here.

More Background

Visit the Growing Greener Coalition and PA Parks and Forests Foundation websites for more information on this critical budget issue.

Below are just a few of the recent articles from PA Environment Digest on the need for funding.

Check Your Own Streams

If you still question the need for making these investments, check DEP’s 2022 Water Quality Report.

You can zoom in on your own neighborhood to check the water quality in streams near you-- remember RED is bad, and there’s a lot of RED.

In fact, one-third of Pennsylvania’s streams-- 27,886 miles-- still don’t meet water quality standards.  Read more here.

We have an historic opportunity to really make a difference in Pennsylvania’s environment-- but only if you ACT NOW!

Click Here to find your legislators.

NewsClips:

-- AP: PA Heads Into Fiscal Year Without Budget In Place, Senate, House Return Tuesday

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Lawmakers Target Next Week To Complete State Budget

-- PA Capital-Star: House, Senate Cancel Holiday Weekend Sessions After Missing Budget Deadline

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports FY 2021-22 Revenues $5.6 Billion Above Estimates  

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports FY 2021-22 Revenues $6.22 Billion Above Estimates

Related Articles Supporting Growing Greener III:

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania's Lawmakers Must Invest More In Outdoor Recreation, Cleaning Up Polluted Waters, Restoring Habitat - By Alexandra Kozak, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

-- Governor's Adult, Youth Advisory Councils For Hunting, Fishing & Conservation Urge Lawmakers To Support Growing Greener III Environmental Funding

-- Bay Journal: EPA And Farm Bureau Find Common Ground In Pennsylvania - Urge State Lawmakers To Support Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Funding

--  Guest Essay: Funding Crucial For The Future Of Clean Water In Pennsylvania - By Hilary Falk, Chesapeake Bay Foundation & Allyson Gibson, Lancaster Clean Water Partners

-- Guest Essay: PA Farmers, Communities And Chesapeake Bay Will Benefit From Significant Investment Of Federal American Rescue Plan Funding In Cleaning Up Our Waterways - By House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) and Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster)

-- Growing Greener Coalition: Action Needed On Bipartisan Growing Greener III Proposals To Address Critical Water Quality, Recreation, Green Infrastructure Needs

-- Lawmakers From Both Parties, Advocates, DCNR Secretary Highlight Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity To Fund Local Water Cleanup, Recreation, State Park & Forest Safety & Maintenance Projects

-- DCNR Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council Urges Lawmakers To Support Growing Greener III Funding

--  WeConservePA Urges General Assembly, Gov. Wolf To Boost Conservation Investments - There Has Never Been A Better Time

-- Bicycle Coalition Of Greater Philadelphia: Call To Action - Advocate For Growing Greener III Funding

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: How To Fund Public Parks And Wild Places In PA [Growing Greener III Funding] - By Suzanne Biemiller, Audubon Mid-Atlantic

-- LancasterOnline Guest Essay: It’s Time For Historic Investments In PA Parks, Trails, Forests, Clean Water - By Steve Stroman

Related Articles:

-- New Poll Shows 90% Of PA Voters Want Senate, House Members To Address Environmental, Conservation Priorities, Provide More Funding For Critical Programs

-- Two-Thirds Of Pennsylvanians Support Increased Funding For PA State Parks, Forests

-- New Poll: 86% Say Parks, Trails, Outdoors Are Essential To Their Physical, Mental Health During Pandemic; State Parks Saw 26.6% Increase In Visitors

[Posted: July 2, 2022]

7/4/2022