Catskill 3500 Club
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ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION AFTER PASSAGE OF THE ’08-’09 BUDGET – A MIXED BAG
1. The 2008-2009 state budget sets the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) at $255 million, a $5 million increase over last year’s funding level. Environmental groups had advocated $275 million for EPF, but given the economic downturn and tightening budgets, an increase in environmental funding is welcome.
2. The Catskill 3500 Club, the Adirondack Mountain Club, and other environmental groups strongly opposed the former Governor’s proposal to “borrow” $125 million of unspent Environmental Protection Fund money for use in the General Fund. The EPF was created in 1993 to ensure that the state has money for important environmental projects even during economic downturns—it is not meant to be a slush fund! But the state budget does borrow this $125 million, which brings the total amount borrowed from the EPF to $447 million and not a penny has been paid back. The Senate and Assembly budget bills would have required the state to repay all swept EPF funds in a timely manner, but neither repayment plan made it into the final budget.
3. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation need $300 million for land acquisition projects in the next two years—including the Big Indian Plateau tract in the Catskills. The land acquisition category of the EPF was increased to $66 million, an $11 million increase over last year’s funding level. ADK had advocated $100 million in land acquisition funds, but says that the $11 million increase is a significant step forward to ensure that important land acquisition opportunities throughout the state are not lost.
4. The public access and stewardship category of the EPF provides funds for ADK’s professional trail crews who do a great deal of work in the Catskills—as well as the Summit Steward program and other trail building and maintenance initiatives. A 78% cut had been proposed, from $22.5 million to $5 million; ADK’s lobbying managed to restore about $1 million to the $5 million. The state argued the sharp reduction was justified because it is making a major capital investment of $95 million in the state park system, which includes $8 million for improvements to DEC-operated campgrounds in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks.
Thank you for responding to EPF Action Alerts and sending e-mails and letters to lawmakers. Your efforts made a difference.
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