NYNJTC: NY State Budget and EPF Funding

We have an approved state budget and a fully funded Environmental Protection Fund with $250 million, representing last years and this years appropriations.

The amount that will be available for purchasing land and open space in 2002 will be $76 million, an increase of $ 10 million over the governor's original proposal. About $ 12.5 million will be available for DEC/OPRHP land and park stewardship for FY 2002-2003. This figure is equal to the FY 2000-2001 appropriation for land stewardship and $2 million more than the governor's original proposal, so we have protected the funding level for this key source of trail maintenance and backcountry projects money. We were able to eliminate $35 million of the proposed $46 million in General Fund offloads, freeing that money for land acquisition, farmland preservation and other EPF priorities.

The budget language does authorize a $235 million dollar loan from uncommitted EPF cash balances to the state's General Fund. Legislation included with the budget authorizes repayment of the EPF from the General Fund if the available funds in the EPF are insufficient to meet actual and anticipated cash needs for EPF authorized projects over the next 10 - 15 years.

I will be providing with a full report after I check some final negotiation details with Assembly senior staff and Lynette Stark of the Governor's office. But for now, key land acquisition and stewardship projects can go forward!!

WE'RE STILL ZEROED OUT OF THE STATE BUDGET!

Environmental Protection Fund is still left out of the budget.

Help ADK and the Trail Conference in this last push to get the EPF funded.

Yes, it's true. The Environmental Protection Fund, New York's landmark fund for the environment, is still not funded. The Governor and the Legislature failed to fund the EPF in the regular budget process for the 2001-2002 budget. In addition, the EPF was left out of the baseline budget passed in the fall of 2001 and the deficiency budget that was passed in March 2002. The EPF was the only fund zeroed out in last year's budget.

Right now, ADK and the Trail Conference are working with a broad coalition of environmental, farm and sportsman's groups to get the EPF funded for both last year (2001-2002) and this year (2002-2003). A prolonged absence of funding leaves many critical environmental needs unmet, including wilderness, state park and farm preservation, land stewardship, recycling, pesticide monitoring and water protection.

Please take a few minutes if you haven't already done so recently and write your Senator, Assembly member and the Governor and urge them to pass EPF funding as soon as possible to prevent lapses in funding and the loss of opportunities for important land projects. (See addresses, below.)

Here are ADK's and the Trail Conference's general principles on the state budget that you can incorporate into your letters.

ADK and the Trail Conference are asking for increases in both land acquisition funding and land stewardship. These two areas, in particular have seen major decreases in funding over the years in our state budgets.

($12 million needed for the 2001-02 budget and $12 million more needed for the 2002-03 budget)

ADK and the Trail Conference believe that stewardship funding is critical to effectively protecting and managing our state's wild lands. Supplemental stewardship funding is critical for natural resource inventories, land planning, ADA compliance, backcountry trail work and for providing facilities for newly acquired lands to ensure public access to trails, camping, campgrounds and canoe areas. These supplemental funds are essential to a state park system and Forest Preserve recreation program that is both environmentally sound and accessible to all New Yorkers.

($75 million is needed for the 2001-02 budget and $75 million more is needed for the 2002-03 budget)

As of this year the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act has been completely spent. The environmental community estimates that about $75 million a year is needed for Forest Preserve, conservation easement and state park acquisitions. More is needed for farmland preservation and working forests.

Governor George Pataki                          Your Assemblymember                     Your Senator
State Capitol                                            NYS Assembly                                 NYS Senate
Albany, NY 12224-0341                         Albany, NY 12248                           Albany, NY 12247

We ask you to write this time to your local Senators and Assembly members on this issue. Ask them to reach out to Assembly Speaker Silver and Majority Leader Bruno to get the EPF fully funded. To find out your representatives' names visit: www.elections.state.ny.us/sboemaps/maps.htm Or call the Senate:518-4545-2558 and Assembly:518-455-4218

Earth Day Lobby Day

Earth Day Lobby Day is an annual event that brings together hundreds of citizen advocates from across New York State to lobby our elected officials on important environmental issues. And with this year's Lobby Day falling on the nationally recognized Earth Day, there is even more opportunity for success. We hope you will join us on Monday, April 22nd at the State Capitol in Albany.

Earth Day Lobby Day is a day-long event. The morning session is traditionally spent hearing from legislative and environmental leaders and the afternoon is spent lobbying. This year we will hear from Senate Environmental Conservation Chair Carl Marcellino and new Assembly Environmental Conservation Chair Thomas DiNapoli among others.

The morning session also includes a how-to-lobby workshop and issue briefings on the day's agenda. After a noon rally, we will break into targeted lobby teams, with a concurrent program for those who are not lobbying.

EDLD Agenda
The Earth Day Lobby Day Steering Committee, made up of representatives from national, state and local environmental groups, has been working to develop a strong, representative agenda. This year we will be lobbying in support of legislation addressing issues like siting cleaner power plants, genetically modified organisms, Superfund/brownfields cleanups, healthy school environments, open space funding and an expanded bottle bill. It's an ambitious agenda that unites environmentalists from the state's largest cities to its most rural areas. The agenda is selected from a long list of bills and broad issue areas, with the hope that state lawmakers will take some real steps to protect New York's environment this year.

Now we need your help to build the strongest possible Earth Day Lobby Day.

Registration is only $5 and is free for students.
For more detailed information or to register, visit:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/pda8MI51jP-5/Earth_Day_Lobby_Day,
or contact Laura DiBetta at 518-462-5526 ext. 221,
or edld@eany.org.