Montour Trail-Letter

Volume 13, Issue 3

May/June, 2002

The Governor's 2002-03 budget proposes cutting the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund in half, with a retroactive cut of 25 percent for the current fiscal year. The Governor has already cut Growing Greener funding by $50 million in the current fiscal year and calls for an additional $50 million cut in 2002-03.

What do the cuts mean?

Land trusts received $8 million in Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Keystone and Growing Greener grants last year. The proposed cuts will ultimately eliminate half of this funding. Land trusts could see funding drop to $4 million or lower while it is clear that demand is closer to $40 million.

Keystone and Growing Greener also fund DCNR grants for municipal park acquisition and development, trails, river conservation planning and implementation, as well as State Park and Forest rehabilitation. Growing Greener funds many Department of Environmental Protection programs. All of these programs would see cuts.

The Governor's proposals do more than slash environmental funding in the short-term. A successful attack on the dedicated Keystone funding stream would set a horrible precedent. Keystone would no longer be viewed by policymakers as dedicated and permanent. It would become an annual budget target.

Why single out conservation programs?

Very few programs received the depth of cutting that the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and Growing Greener did. It appears that the Administration judged that the conservation community would not put up much of a fight. Politically, it was an easy cut to make.

Here's your chance to prove the Administration wrong.

Background

First, some history. The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Act was signed into law in July. The Act directed 15 percent of the state's Real Estate Transfer Tax to the Keystone Fund, establishing a dedicated and permanent funding source for conservation and other programming. That November in a referendum, voters placed their own endorsement on the Keystone Fund, voting in favor of supplementing the newly created fund with $50 million in bond revenues. This makes the Keystone Fund one of the few if not the only state program to receive overwhelming support by both legislature and referendum.

Growing Greener was Governor Ridge's answer to Heritage 21, a coalition seeking dedicated funding for a bundle of environmental programs. Governor Ridge opposed dedicated funding but made a clear commitment to the legislature and the people to fully fund his proposed Growing Greener through its 5-year life.

Action Needed

Each of us -- individually and as organizations -- must remind our political leaders what the legislature and voters knew in 1993: Keystone was established as a dedicated funding stream so that conservation would be supported by the state. Keystone can only be undone with an act of the legislature. Our legislators must be told to protect the Keystone Act. Dedicated funding should also be continued for the state's Growing Greener program.

Please contact your state representatives and senators and ask them to:

• actively defend the Keystone Act and the Keystone Fund?s dedicated funding stream -- the 15% share of the Real Estate Transfer Tax.
• actively promote the creation of a permanent and dedicated funding source for Growing Greener.

We encourage you to meet face-to-face with your legislators. Go as an organization, go as individuals, but go. If you can't go in person, write or call and let your voice be heard.

If you have questions or concerns or need help identifying your local legislators, contact Andy Loza at (717) 230-8560 or palta@earthlink.net