04/22/24 - 117 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/9bh4zbtr
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Growing Greener Is 10 Years Old And Facing An Uncertain Future
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On December 15, 1999 Gov. Tom Ridge and the General Assembly created the five year, nearly $645 million Growing Greener Program which continues to be the largest single investment in cleaning up and restoring the environment in Pennsylvania's history.
The original program invested in watershed restoration, preserving open space, investing in parks and recreation, reclaiming abandoned mines and wells, upgrading sewer and drinking water systems. In 2002, during the recession following September 11th, Gov. Schweiker and the General Assembly expanded funding for the Growing Greener Program by adopting a new $4.25/ton fee on municipal waste disposed in the state. The fee expanded the investment from $650 million to $1.3 billion through 2012. In 2005 Gov. Rendell and the General Assembly passed Growing Greener II, allocating a $625 million bond issue passed by voters in 2004, and added to the kinds of projects Growing Greener could fund. Their action also capped the program effectively ending it in 2010 when all the project money will be gone from the bond and most of the $4.25 fee that was used to fund projects will now be diverted to paying off the bond issue instead. Growing Greener II expanded the program to fund alternative energy development projects, downtown redevelopment, historic preservation, funding for an energy efficient appliance tax holiday and funding for the first time to the Game and Fish and Boat Commissions. In addition, each county was provided with funding to do local projects in each of these and the original Growing Greener categories. The legislation allocating the bond issue proceeds also diverted $50 million from the Growing Greener Fund fee revenue to finance the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program because there was not agreement between the Governor and the General Assembly on how to fund that program. Accomplishments From 1999 to 2004, Growing Greener produced significant environmental benefits for Pennsylvania’s watersheds. More than $163 million has been awarded in watershed grants. Local sponsors have added another $397 million to that effort in support of these projects-- -- Create or restore 5,931 acres of wetlands;
-- Complete 737 miles of stream buffer restoration;
-- Build 205 miles of stream improvement structures;
-- Reclaim 5,239 acres of abandoned mine lands;
-- Organize 139 watershed organizations;
-- Restore 500 miles of streams from acid mine drainage; and
-- Plug 1,670 oil and gas wells.
From 2005 to 2008, the Growing Greener II program has provided $179 million to an expanded set of programs, including more than-- -- $64 million to reclaim dangerous abandoned mines that also hinder economic development;
-- $39 million for watershed protection projects;
-- $5.1 million to help municipalities provide safe water to their residents by innovative technologies; and
-- $700,000 to ensure the public’s safety by funding projects that improve the effectiveness and integrity of dams and flood-protection measures.
Copies of the annual project lists from 2005-2008 funded by Growing Greener II are available online. To find grants awarded in your county, municipality or watershed, visit the Department of Environmental Protection Growing Greener Project Database. Find some great success stories at the Growing Greener website. Fundamental Change At its core, the original Growing Greener Program fundamentally changed the state's approach to cleaning up our rivers and streams by empowering community-based watershed groups to take their own initiatives to clean up their own watersheds using local partners. The change was needed because of a change in the kind of water pollution affecting our streams. We found 96 percent of the streams in Pennsylvania did not meet water quality standards because of abandoned mine land, farmland and stormwater runoff, not wastewater pipes discharging into our rivers. You could not attack these non-point sources of pollution the same old way. A new grassroots partnership was needed and Growing Greener provided the tools to do it. This approach was also much more cost effective because for every $1 invested in watershed groups, the local partners matched that funding with $1.43 of their own (from 1999-2004). Recognition The Council of State Governments honored the Growing Greener Program with its coveted 2001 Innovations Award which recommends the program as a model for other states to follow. That same year Gov. Ridge was named Conservationist of the Year by the PA Wildlife Federation and the Pennsylvania Audubon Society based on the Growing Greener Program initiative. In 2002 the Department of Environmental Protection accepted the River Hero Award from the River Network on behalf of all watershed groups involved in the Growing Greener Program. DEP was also recognized with the Sponsor of the Year Award from Ducks Unlimited as a result of the Growing Greener Program. In 2003 the Growing Greener Program received the Karl Mason Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals. Find out more by going to the Growing Greener website and the key milestones timeline for the program. |
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12/14/2009 |
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