DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty told the House Appropriations Committee the cuts proposed in the Governor’s Budget Request for the Department of Environmental Protection “run deep,” but the agency is juggling resources to “deliver the services Pennsylvanians count on to protect their health and preserve their environment.”

Secretary McGinty itemized the cuts proposed in the Governor’s Budget Request in each of the last three years to illustrate the challenges faced by DEP—in 2003-04 there was a 26 percent cut in the request (most of which was eliminating the Act 339 sewage operating grants to municipalities); in 2004-05 the cut was 5 percent and in the current request for 2005-06 it is 10 percent.

But in spite of the cuts requested by the Governor, DEP has been accomplishing its mission and promoting several key objectives—

1. using environmental protection as a driver of economic growth;
2. developing indigenous energy resources;
3. making government more efficient and saving the regulated community time and money; and
4. developing key partnerships between environmental groups and others, like in the case of nutrient trading involving Wall Street brokers.

Secretary McGinty said they have also begun a new initiative to ensure that “every budget dollar helps us achieve measurable progress on environmental protection and improved human quality of life.”

She said the agency has developed “real world” outcome-based performance measures and numeric targets for each of their programs to show how progress is being made toward cleaner air, cleaner water, better protection of land, more livable communities and sustainable energy. These measurers were included in this year’s budget document for the first time.

Cuts proposed in federal environmental programs will also likely have an impact on corresponding state efforts, including funding for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

The combined impact of all the cuts-- state and federal-- make it more important, Secretary McGinty said, to “rescue” key environmental programs and launch new initiatives. She called House passage of its Green PA Plan an “encouraging step,” but at the same time said the Governor has pledged to veto the plan if significant changes are not made.

She also pointed out again the particular problems with the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund and the need to provide both a stopgap appropriation for the current fiscal year and a more permanent solution to fund cleanups and emergency response activities.

A copy of Secretary McGinty’s testimony and the program measures outlined in the budget document are attached to this webpage.

NewsClip: DEP Secretary Presents Testimony to House

DEP, DCNR Letter Comparing Growing Greener II, Green PA Plan

3/4/2005