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Several state senators and representatives held a press conference this morning alongside the Growing Greener Coalition to support a $50 million funding investment into the Growing Greener III program.

Rep. Alex Charlton (R–Delaware) began by issuing his support for Growing Greener III and urging Rep. John Maher (R–Allegheny), the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chairman, to schedule a vote through his committee for SB 799, which was introduced by Sen. Rich Alloway (R–Franklin).

“Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air, pure water, and conservation of our natural resources,” said Rep. Charlton, who expressed that scheduling the SB 799 vote would secure those continued rights for future generations. Rep. Charlton noted that Growing Greener has helped Pennsylvania’s communities in addressing critical environmental priorities, which include conserving land and water resources, restoring damaged waterways and lands, and creating prosperous and sustainable communities. Rep. Charlton urged the General Assembly to commit $50 million annually to help support these priority initiatives and leverage federal matching dollars that Pennsylvania currently does not receive. Rep. Charlton made note of HB 2485, the companion bill to SB 799, which has 109 sponsors in the House, including himself.

Larry Williamson, chairman of the Growing Greener Coalition, expressed the efforts his group has been making for almost a decade to achieve a fully funded Growing Greener III program. A fully funded program would cost $300 million annually to address the conservation, recreation, and preservation projects and programs needed throughout Pennsylvania, said Williamson. While a fully funded program may not be currently possible within the budget, added Williamson, the $50 million down payment for this year would offer immediate support to the coalition’s programs. “With the down payment, the General Assembly will take an important step in improving the quality of life of all Pennsylvanians, especially future generations,” said Williamson.

Sen. Tom Killion (R–Delaware) recognized that the budget would not be able to include the full $300 million needed to fully fund the Growing Greener III program, but encouraged others to offer bipartisan support to fund the $50 million down payment investment along with his bill, SB 705. “There’s no argument, no argument at all about the success of Growing Greener I and Growing Greener II. The problem is they’re out of funds,” added Sen. Killion.

Rep. Rob Matzie (D–Beaver) opened, “safeguarding our land, our water, and natural resources is essential to maintaining a healthy and thriving economy.” Rep. Matzie noted that his focus is on three main areas of importance to western Pennsylvania, which includes abandoned mine restoration, brownfield reclamation, and historical preservation. “Growing Greener has proved that a smart, commonsense investment in our environment can yield economic benefits and spur job growth”, said Rep. Matzie.

Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R–Delaware) pushed that “Growing Greener is one of the greatest success stories to come out of this General Assembly,” while noting the bipartisan commitment involved in creating a better environment and economy because of this program. Sen. McGarrigle discussed how there has been a decline in Growing Greener funding, even though the need for clean water, parks, trails, and other recreational opportunities continues to increase.

Rep. Hal English (R–Allegheny) highlighted that his support for Growing Greener III stems from his family’s love and appreciation for Pennsylvania’s outdoors and precious resources that they developed when they first moved to the Commonwealth in 1991. “We just need to preserve it, and we need to protect it, and we need to work and start by getting some funding to continue Growing Greener III,” added Rep. English.

 

By Derek Snyder (Pennsylvania Legislative Services)

Pennsylvania House leaders have an opportunity to honor and advance the constitutional right of Pennsylvanians to clean air, pure water and the conservation of our public resources by scheduling a vote on Senate Bill 799, which, if appropriately funded, would reinvigorate the state’s successful Growing Greener program.

In 1999, the General Assembly passed the first Growing Greener program. This and subsequent initiatives have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in projects to restore polluted waterways, protect water supplies, conserve productive farmland and open space important to communities, improve community and state parks and forests and trails and other advancements.

While these investments have been tremendously effective and successful, new challenges threaten Pennsylvania’s natural resources. SB 799, if coupled with new state funding commitments to Growing Greener, would address these challenges. A renewed Growing Greener would deliver real, tangible, and lasting benefits to all Pennsylvanians.

Growing Greener has and will continue to empower our communities to address critical environmental priorities in three key areas:

•  Conserving land and water resources.
• Restoring damaged waterways and land.
• Creating prosperous and sustainable communities.

More than $300 million in annual Growing Greener project investments have been identified as needed to address Pennsylvania’s needs for environmental restoration and conservation. Although this number may not be attainable now, the General Assembly could make a reasonable down payment by committing $50 million more to Growing Greener annually — less than $4 for every resident of the commonwealth.

In making this down payment, the General Assembly would also leverage federal matching dollars, which Pennsylvania otherwise would miss out on.

The bill passed the Senate by a 47-2 vote at the end of January and now sits in the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chaired by Rep. John Maher. A companion to SB 799 in the General Assembly’s lower chamber has 109 sponsors representing more than one-half of the body’s 203 members.

Maher enjoys complete discretion over what legislation his committee considers. We hope that he and House Speaker Mike Turzai recognize the tremendous good that Growing Greener has done for Pennsylvania. They can lead the General Assembly in injecting new life into Growing Greener and do their part to uphold our state constitution, which affirms that Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come.

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This op-ed was published in The Times–Tribune on June 14. View it here.