state budget – Page 2

State’s 2016-17 Budget Did Not Favor the Environment

Posted on July 18, 2016

This communication was sent to PALTA partners on July 15, 2016

The state’s 2016-2017 budget did not favor the environment:

For a second year, Growing Greener lost $15M due to Growing Greener’s dependence on natural gas impact fees, which have dropped dramatically with reduced drilling activities. Growing Greener was competing for these funds with the state’s General Fund, which (absent new revenues) needed the money to keep state government (e.g., DCNR) running.
The Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund, High Performance Green Buildings Program, and Recycling Fund also took hits.
DCNR and DEP, having experienced many years of cuts, were both in need of substantial increases to address water protection and other needs. This did not happen.

However, there were some bright spots for conservation:

24% Increase for Farmland Preservation

With the increase in cigarette taxes, the state Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program gets a boost of $5M annually. It moves from $20.485M to $25.485M annually.

More Conservation-Related Real Estate Transactions Excluded from Realty Transfer Tax

PALTA had worked to expand the types of conservation real estate transactions excluded from paying realty transfer taxes. Although many land trust real estate transactions were already excluded, local government transactions involving easements were not. The newly expanded exclusions include:

A transfer of an agricultural conservation easement to or from the Commonwealth, a county, a local government unit or a conservancy under authority of the Agricultural Area Security Law;
A transfer of a conservation easement or preservation easement under the Conservation and Preservation Easements Act; and
A transfer of a perpetual historic preservation easement, a perpetual public trail easement or other perpetual public recreational use easement, a perpetual scenic preservation easement or a perpetual open-space preservation easement to or from the United States, the Commonwealth, a county, a local government unit or a conservancy.
Transfers to or by a land bank.

PALTA will be updating its guide to Realty Transfer Taxes in the next few days to reflect the changes in law.

Andrew M. Loza, Executive Director
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association

2016-17 Budget Update

Posted on February 12, 2016

Updated 2/12/2016

The Keystone Recreation, Parks and Conservation Fund: Increase of $8.6 million
Agriculture Conservation and Easement Purchase Fund: Increase of $1.1 million
Environmental Stewardship Fund: dispersing $108.4 million (including a $35 million from Oil & Gas Lease Fund and $6.1 million from Marcellus Legacy Fund; Growing Greener II debt service is $36.3 million.
Oil and Gas Lease Fund: revenue projections at $48 million (down $12 million from 2015-16 and down $66 million from 2014-15).
- Funds from DCNR decreases from $69.7 to $63.2 to $36 million
- No 2016-2017 funds listed as available for State Parks Operations from $45 (2014) and $21.4 (2015)
- No 2016-2017 funds listed as available for State Forests Operations from $17.5 (2014) and $10.5 (2015)
- Gov. Wolf is proposing an increase in the land fill tipping fee by $1.75 per ton.
  - increase is expected to generate $35 million/year
  - revenue will be deposited into the Oil & Gas Lease Fund and enable transfers (as authorized by Act 13 of 2012) to Environmental Stewardship Fund and Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund
  - read memo: Pennsylvania Landfill Disposal Tipping Fees
Act 13 Impact Fee: revenue slightly down from $186.7 (2015-16) to $186.2 (2016-17).
Heritage Areas Program: Zeroed out.

Source: Growing Greener Coalition

Governor Corbett Signs 2014-15 Budget and Fiscal Code

Posted on July 1, 2014

On July 10, Governor Corbett signed the 2014-15 budget (House Bill 2328) and fiscal code (House Bill 278), line item-vetoed specific legislative appropriations and placed legislative spending initiatives into budgetary reserves.

On June 30, the Pennsylvania Senate (26-24) and House (108-95), passed this Republican-written budget. (In subsequent days, the General Assembly also passed the fiscal code, legislation important to implementing the budget.)

The budget leaves the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund untouched. Likewise, farmland preservation and Growing Greener. These conservation investment programs will continue to deliver lasting results in 2014-15.

Thanks to everyone who reached out to their legislators regarding conservation funding! Your outreach made a difference.

Legislators who advocated for conservation funding deserve thanks. Please take a few minutes today to write a THANK YOU LETTER or make a THANK YOU CALL to your legislators who expressed support for conservation funding when you were reaching out to them. They need to hear from you that their support is appreciated. (Note that given the political complexities, a yes or no vote on the budget is not fair gauge of conservation support.)

Other features of the budget include the following:

The budget pattern of funding an increasing share of DCNR operations via the Oil and Gas Lease Fund rather than general tax revenues continued. (The Oil and Gas Lease Fund is where lease payments and royalties from drilling on State Forests are deposited.)
$95 million in revenue from additional leasing of State Forest and State Park for no surface disturbance gas extraction was budgeted. Additional leasing that does not include the right to surface disturbance is consistent with Governor Corbett’s new executive order regarding leasing.
REAP and historic preservation tax credits were left in place.
$500,000 was cut from the line item for the Delaware River Basin Commission.
The Heritage Areas Program line item in DCNR was increased by the General Assembly from the Governor’s originally proposed $2.5 million to $2.75 million. The Governor subsequently line-item vetoed $500,000 of this line item–one veto among many $10s of millions of vetoes made to budget expenditures passed by the General Assembly.

2012-13: Budget Brief

Posted on July 1, 2012 Leave a Comment

On February 7, 2012 Governor Corbett introduced a budget that permanently zeroed out dedicated funding to Keystone park and conservation projects and farmland preservation.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of conservation advocates and legislative champions, the House voted 120 to 81 to approve SB1466, the General Fund budget, which fully restored the Keystone Fund, provided $20 million for Ag Preservation and $6 million for the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant fund. The Senate passed the bill, 32 to 17.

The largest proposed cut to conservation and recreation in PA history

Posted on June 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

Governor Corbett’s proposed 2012-13 budget eliminates all recreation, park, and conservation funding from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund. The budget goes on to propose that the cut be made permanent. This means a loss of $30M in 2012-13 and the same–or more–in every year thereafter. It is the biggest cut to conservation funding ever proposed in Pennsylvania. (Keystone funding for libraries and historic preservation would remain intact.)

Governor Corbett’s budget is a proposal. You have the power to stop it from becoming law. Your actions are critical to showing legislators that Keystone is important to their districts.

We must be vocal! Please reach out to your state senator and representative. Old-fashioned letters and face-to-face meetings deliver the best results. Calls are next best. (Emails are okay but are considerably less effective than the other approaches — unless you have your legislator’s private email address.)

View Sample Letters

Tell them that Keystone stimulates and leverages private and local investments in park and conservation projects in their district ($2.28 for every state dollar expended) and is crucial to making new projects happen.
Tell them you oppose the Governor’s budget proposal to divert community park and land trust grant money from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund to general state operations.
Tell them to tell their legislative leaders and colleagues that the protection of the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund must be a top budget priority.

Next Steps:

Invite your legislators to visit your conservation and park projects that received grants from DCNR. This will provide them with a tangible reminder of the benefits Keystone funds deliver to their district.
Please forward this information to colleagues, volunteers, friends, and family. We need MANY STRONG VOICES to fight these cuts!

Please view this effort as a campaign. It is best to contact legislators now. But you should also plan to check in every couple weeks to reaffirm your concern and to ask your legislators what they have done to help Keystone in the intervening time. It is crucial that the pressure be maintained on senators and representatives. They are hearing from a lot of interest groups and will quickly forget about helping conservation if they aren’t constantly reminded.

The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund is Pennsylvania’s only funding source that directs money specifically to community park and recreation grants and land trust grants. We simply can’t afford to lose it. Please take action.