The PA Fair Share for Clean Water Coalition this week announced the number of supporting organizations for the Pa Fair Share for Clean Water Plan has grown to 25.

The original groups: Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Pennsylvania Builders Association and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-- have grown to include the:

Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, PA Federation of Sportsmen Clubs, PA State Association of Township Supervisors, County Commissioners Assoc of PA, PA State Assoc. of Boroughs, PA Landscape and Nursery Association, Juniata Valley Audubon, American Farmland Trust, Environmental Defense Fund, Middletown Twp. Land Conservancy, Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, Northumberland Co. Conservation District, Brubaker Farms, Lancaster Farmland Trust, Tioga County Conservation District, Chester County Economic Development Council, Tioga County Concerned Citizens Committee, Inc., PA Project Grass, and the GreenTreks Network, Inc.

The Coalition also announced the opening of the www.PaFairSharePlan.org website where visitors can find background information on the proposal, a list of supporting organizations and a guide to upcoming meetings on infrastructure issues.

The website also shows how interested individuals can contact their House and Senate member as well as Gov. Rendell to urge them to support the Fair Share Plan.

The Pennsylvania Fair Share for Clean Water Plan proposes to invest $500 million to help finance the upgrades needed by wastewater plants to meet the new nutrient reduction standards and $390 million to help farmers install conservation practices over seven years. In both cases, local wastewater system ratepayers and farmers would shoulder half the costs of the upgrades and practices.

The proposal also calls for improvements to the state’s Nutrient Credit Trading Program that will help reduce the costs of complying with these new limits by promoting wastewater plant-farmer cooperation on projects to reduce nutrients and allow for future growth and development.

Specifically for the FY 2008-09 state budget year, the Fair Share Plan would invest $170 million in 2008-09 in several ways to reduce the financial burden on ratepayers and farms:

· $100 million to help wastewater plants finance required improvements;

· $50 million in direct cost share aid to farmers to install conservation practices ($35 for REAP farm tax credits and $15 million in cost share grants);

· $10 million to county conservation district to expand technical assistance to farmers;

· $10 million to restore cuts to the Department of Agriculture budget in farm programs; and

· Proposes reforms to the state’s nutrient credit trading program that will help to make it a viable alternative to provide for both environmental improvements to the Bay and sufficient future sewage capacity for new development.

For more information on the PA Fair Share for Clean Water Plan, visit www.PaFairSharePlan.org .

Video Blog: Remarks By Coalition Partners on the Fair Share Clean Water Plan

Video Blog: Sen. Brubaker’s Remarks on Fair Share Plan

Links: Coalition Proposes Fair Share Clean Water Funding Plan, Original Announcement

16,000 Miles of Polluted Streams Add Urgency to Call for Clean Water Funding

CBF, Other Groups Ask State to Be a Partner in Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan

40,000 More Acres of Corn, Soybeans Increase Conservation Needs

Brubaker, Musto Say Senate Infrastructure Bill Should Be Expanded

New Federal Farm Bill Promises Aid, But PA Farmers Need $600 M for Cleanup

Rep. Perry, 37 Co-Sponsors Introduce Chesapeake Bay Nutrient Reduction Plan

5/23/2008