White Announces “Growing Greener” Grants
for Butler County
(Harrisburg) – State Senator Mary Jo
White (R-21) today announced the awarding of several
environmental grants to Butler County.
The grants were awarded under the
Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection grant
program – or “Growing Greener” – which was signed into law
in 1999. Senator White, chairman of the Senate
Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, was the prime
sponsor of the Growing Greener legislation.
Projects funded in Butler County
include:
-
$292,400 to the Butler County
Conservation District to fund nutrient management plans and
Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Butler County.
-
$65,000 to Stream Restoration
Incorporated to design and build a passive treatment system
to address upwelling from an abandoned oil well.
-
$62,097.35 to the Moniteau School
District to provide environmental education programs to
1,800 students, grades K-12. The program includes nature
trails and habitat, riparian plantings, surface and soil
testing, field trips and guest lecturers.
-
$60,000, also to Stream Restoration
Incorporated to treat two abandoned oil well discharges.
-
$33,476.40 to the Butler County
Conservation District to assess seeps and discharges from
abandoned gas wells and strip ponds.
“These grants will help to improve and
restore our watersheds. One of Growing Greener’s greatest
successes has been its ability to foster stewardship and
ownership of our waters by local residents,” said White.
“These grants match financial resources with the dedication
and hard work of hundreds of volunteers.”
Senator White also noted she was
pleased to shepherd recent passage of Act 90, which will
extend Growing Greener through 2012. “These volunteers give
of their time and expertise, and it is only appropriate that
the General Assembly provide assurance of continued support
for the years to come,” said White.
