Catskill 3500 Club
Section: Leave no Trace
Governor Cuts Environmental Funds
In his 2008-09 Executive Budget, the NY Governor proposes putting $125 million of unspent Environmental Protection Funds (EPF) into the General Fund for non-environmental purposes. $75 million more would come from this fund over the next three years. The total amount “borrowed” from EPF would be more than half a billion dollars and not a penny has been paid back. 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!
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.
This budget also proposes reducing the land stewardship category from $22 million to $5 million, a 78% cut, which funds 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.
This item is archived as of 04/10/08 - No Action Needed
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