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For Immediate Release
April 21, 1999
White Chairs Hearing on Administration’s Environmental Initiative
Harrisburg – Municipal planners, property owner representatives and
environmental activists testified today before the Senate Environmental
Resources and Energy Committee on Gov. Tom Ridge’s "Growing Greener" proposal,
said committee chair Sen. Mary Jo White (R-21).
The $1.3 billion plan would redirect existing funds into programs that
promote "sound land use" and planning. Under the proposal, funding would
come from accounts currently dedicated to local recycling efforts, landfill
closure and sewage treatment – accounts the administration claims are underused.
White co-chaired a public hearing last month that focused on the initiatives
to be funded by Growing Greener. Today’s hearing looked at the sources
of funding for the proposal.
"There is general agreement about what Pennsylvania’s environmental
needs are," said White. "But, there is some uneasiness over the source
of funding.
Each of the seven groups who testified brought a unique perspective
to the administration’s initiative.
Thomas Sexton of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy said his group supported
the redirection of excess funds from existing programs. However, he added
that the plan should include transportation planning in its effort to promote
sound land use.
Instead of diverting funds, government should borrow money through bonds
to meet the goals of Growing Greener, said Robert Wendelgass, of Clean
Water Action. His 80,000-member group supports the goals of the plan, he
said. But he questioned whether the "excess funds" wouldn’t be needed in
future years.
A group representing municipal planners also supports the environmental
goals of the initiative, but wants more resources for local planning. Fred
Wilder of the
Pennsylvania Planning Association said the plan should include more
funding for county planning agencies.
Representing property owners, Keith Klingler of the Pennsylvania Landowners
Association expressed concern over the lack of limits placed on the ability
of state government to buy up local property.
Some counties are already more than 50 percent government-owned, he
said. Klingler proposed a "no net loss" provision for communities: if state
government purchases land for conservation, it must sell another, less
necessary parcel to the community.
White closed the hearing by saying an agreement on the scope and funding
of Growing Greener could be months away.
"We need to come to some sense of agreement on the appropriate sources
of funding," she said. "In the end, I think we may be able to spread out
the pain. We all want a sound environmental policy. But, we must make sure
it doesn’t go too far, and that we have the money to pay for it."
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