County stands to lose $1.3M for parks, conservation
By Brian Scheid
About $1.3 million in state grants for trails,
parks and conservation projects in Bucks County will likely be slashed
if lawmakers approve a proposed $27.5 billion state budget, according
to figures provided by environmental officials.
Projects such as a bike trail in
Warrington, a streetscape project in Trumbauersville and land
conservation in Durham Township, East Rockhill and Nockamixon would
likely lose state funding.
The proposal would divert about $40 million
total from the state's Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund
to fund the state's Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund, which funds the
emergency cleanup of toxic waste sites and ran out of money last month.
Several state lawmakers want to take the $40
million from the Keystone Fund because, they have said, toxic waste
cleanup is more vital than funding new bike trails and land
conservation, but environmentalists believe that both programs are
crucial.
The money that would be shifted would be more
than half the Keystone Fund's $76 million estimate revenue. The fund
was created through a tax on real estate sales.
David Masur, director
of PennEnvironment, a statewide environmental advocacy group, said the
$40 million cut would likely be the biggest cut in conservation funding
in recent state history. He said the battle to save the fund would be a
difficult one.
“This is a little bit like stopping a moving train,” Masur said. “We can't cut the Keystone Fund.”
Chuck Ardo, a spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell,
said the governor originally wanted to generate funding for emergency
toxic waste cleanups by raising tipping fees at landfills, but state
lawmakers balked at the proposal. Ardo said Rendell would not veto the
proposal to cut funding from the Keystone Fund.
“We need to keep cleaning up these sites ...
that's the priority,” Ardo said. “If the Legislature presents [Rendell]
an alternative that is viable, he will certainly consider that.”
