GOVERNOR PROPOSES $1.3 BILLION FOR NEW YORK'S ENVIRONMENT, PARKS

Includes Record EPF Funding, Superfund Refinancing, Creates New Tax Credit

Governor George E. Pataki today announced he will propose more than $1.3 billion for environmental and public recreation programs in his 2001-2002 Executive Budget the highest level of funding in State history to be committed to the environment.

The proposed Budget will include a record $150 million for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), a nearly $140 million program to refinance the State's Superfund program, a new tax credit proposal that will reward landowners who donate property or a conservation easement for environmental purposes, and a new forest property tax reimbursement program for localities.

"During the last six years, we have taken unprecedented steps to protect and restore New York's environment and expand opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy our great outdoors," Governor Pataki said. "Now, we are seeing the remarkable results better air quality, an additional 300,000 acres of valuable open space, more recreational opportunities, cleaner lakes and rivers, safer drinking water and an intensified effort to clean up contaminated and abandoned properties," the Governor said. "By continuing to make sound investments in our environment now, we will ensure a cleaner, safer and more accessible environment for future generations of New Yorkers to enjoy."

The Governor's Executive Budget builds upon the successes of the last six years that have made New York the national leader in environmental protection, parks improvements and natural resource conservation. For example, the Budget would provide $51 million to continue the restoration and renewal of the Hudson River and surrounding communities, more than $70 million for open space conservation and farmland protection, and $30 million to close Fresh Kills Landfill.

Major highlights for the environment and public recreational programs include:

Record Funding for the EPF

The Governor's Budget would increase funding in the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) from $125 million to $150 million the highest level ever. With this increase, financed primarily through the dedication of additional real estate transfer tax receipts, funding for the EPF would be almost five times higher than what it was before Governor Pataki first took office - an astounding increase of almost 400 percent since 1995.

At the end of the 2000-01 fiscal year, Governor Pataki will have dedicated more than $620 million in total funding to the EPF over a six year period, and with his new Executive Budget, that figure would rise to more than $770 million.

Programs recommended to be funded by the EPF in 2001-02 include:

• $55 million for land acquisition and open space protection;
• $20 million for the development of the Hudson River Park;
• $12 million for farmland protection projects;
• $10 million for State parks and lands stewardship projects;
• $9 million for the clean-up of Onondaga Lake;
• $7.1 million for solid waste projects, including municipal recycling ($4.1 million) and secondary materials marketing grants ($3 million);
• $6 million for municipal parks and historic preservation projects;
• $6 million for waterfront revitalization projects;
• $6 million for non-point source pollution control projects, such as those to eliminate contamination from surface run-off;
• $6 million for the Hudson River Estuary Management Plan;
• $3.3 million for several environmental programs, including the Finger Lakes/Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance ($1,000,000), Biodiversity Stewardship ($750,000), the Albany Pine Bush Commission ($325,000), Long Island Pine Barrens Commission ($700,000) and Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve ($520,000);
• $2.75 million for oversight of a multitude of environmental Open Space projects funded through the EPF and other funding sources;
• $2.25 million for the pesticide use database program;
• $1.3 million for the assessment of natural resource damages to the Hudson River; and
• $1.3 million for Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Refinancing of the State's Superfund Program

Governor Pataki will also propose legislation to refinance and improve the New York State Superfund program. The Governor's Superfund legislation will maintain the most stringent environmental and public health standards in the nation, continue the "polluter pays" principle, make common sense reforms that will enable New York to remove more contamination from the environment, and return more sites to productive use quickly and safely. The proposal, based on the recommendations of the 1999 Superfund Working Group, would:

Establish a dedicated remedial program fund to be used to finance the State Superfund, Voluntary Cleanup, and Oil Spill programs on a pay-as-you-go basis. Expand the Superfund program's clean-up activities to cover not only hazardous waste sites, but also hazardous substance sites that are contaminated with by-products of obsolete manufacturing processes.

Dedicate $138 million annually for the three cleanup programs, the cost of which would be shared equally between the State and private industry. The State share will come from the General Fund while the private industry share will be funded with fees, cost recoveries and more stringent fines and penalties.

Focus liability on true polluters and free innocent purchasers from liability, while ensuring that actual polluters are not relieved of any financial or legal responsibilities.

Accelerate the redevelopment of abandoned industrial sites (i.e., brownfields) by establishing a brownfield redevelopment tax credit for the clean-up and improvement of such sites, as well as targeted tax credits to stimulate the reuse of already restored brownfields in Upstate New York.

Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act - Fifth Year of Funding

The Governor will propose nearly $220 million in new appropriations from the $1.75 billion Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act, which was passed by voters in 1996. The Bond Act provides funding to restore brownfields, ensure safe drinking water, clean up air and water resources, and support local solid waste management efforts.

Since the Bond Act was passed by voters in 1996, the State has made available $1.3 billion in Bond Act funds and has approved more than 1,400 worthy environmental projects across the state. This is consistent with Governor Pataki's original pledge to commit $1 billion in Bond Act funds during the first five years. The proposed Bond Act appropriations for this year include:

• $87.6 million for Clean Water projects;

   

• $50 million in Safe Drinking Water projects to help protect local drinking water supplies;

   

• $12 million for Air Quality projects, including school coal conversion ($8 million) and clean buses ($4 million);

   

• $45 million for Solid Waste projects, including $30 million to close Fresh Kills; and

   

• $25 million for brownfields projects.

Hudson River Revitalization

Since taking office in 1995, Governor Pataki has committed more than $240 million to clean, protect and restore the Hudson River including $100 million for the development of the 550-acre Hudson River Park. The Hudson River remains a top priority in his 2001-02 Executive Budget.

The Governor's Budget includes $40 million for continued development of the Hudson River Park $20 million in State funding from the EPF and $20 million as an advance on New York City's funding. It also provides $10 million from the Bond Act and the Environmental Protection Fund for the Hudson River, including $6 million for the Hudson River Estuary Management Plan.

The Governor would commit $500,000 for the continued development of a world-class Henry Hudson Rivers Institute on the banks of the Hudson River a first-of-its-kind river and estuary research and education center that he proposed in his State of the State Message last year.

To assist communities with preservation and development initiatives along the Hudson River, the Budget provides $457,000 in new funding for the Hudson River Valley Greenway, which helps promote responsible development of scenic, natural, historical, cultural and recreational resources in the Hudson River Valley. Included is $250,000 in new grant funding for local Greenway communities for project planning and implementation efforts.

New York: Leading the Way in Open Space Conservation

Over the past six years, Governor Pataki has invested more than $300 million to preserve more than 300,000 acres of valuable land throughout our great State, making New York the nation's leader in open space conservation.

The Governor's Budget builds on his commitment to preserving open space by providing more than $70 million for this purpose, including nearly $67 million from the EPF for land acquisition and farmland protection and $3.5 million from the Bond Act.

The Governor's budget also contains a new tax incentive to further promote the protection of additional scenic lands. The new conservation donor tax credit would provide private landowners a tax credit for donating land to a governmental entity or not-for-profit, or donating a conservation easement on their property. The value of the tax credit would be 25 percent of the value of the land or easement donation up to $250,000.

Governor Pataki also proposes using $3.3 million in General Fund monies to reimburse local governments for property taxes lost when landowners enroll in the State forest tax program.

Renewing our Commitment to New York State's Parks System

The Governor's Budget underscores his strong commitment to our State lands and parks system by providing $14 million from the EPF and the Bond Act to maintain and rebuild trails, campgrounds, fishing areas, recreational facilities and increase access to our State lands and parks. In addition, $30 million in park revenues from the State Parks Infrastructure Fund will be used to maintain, improve and rehabilitate State Park facilities throughout the State that are operated by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Another $1.5 million will be provided through the Office of State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for the operation and stewardship of new and expanded State Parks, including DeVeaux Woods in Niagara Falls, Eastern District Terminal in Brooklyn, Camp Hero in Suffolk County and Schodack Island in Rensselaer County.

The Budget also recommends continued funding of $10 million to support Governor Pataki's Heritage Trails initiative. This program will benefit New York's communities by creating such initiatives as the Freedom and the Theodore Roosevelt Heritage Trails and a new Revolutionary War Trail, linking present and future generations to New York's rich heritage of leadership in our nation's history.

Other environmental and parks appropriations in the 2001-02 Executive Budget include:

• $178.6 million in new State and Federal funds for the State Revolving Fund low-interest loan program to build and rehabilitate municipal sewage treatment facilities.

   

• $44 million for clean air programs to limit pollution from industrial sources, automobiles, and heavy duty vehicles such as trucks and buses.

   

• $42.9 million for fish and wildlife programs funded through the Conservation Fund.

   

• $30.7 million for Department of Environmental Conservation capital projects to maintain Department facilities, meet environmental requirements and ensure health, safety, and compliance with State and Federal laws, including $4.5 million for flood control feasibility studies for Lindenhurst/Babylon shores and the Ramapo/Mahwah, Ausable, Sawmill, Bouquet and Upper Delaware Rivers.

   

• $5 million for the New York City Watershed Agreement. Funds will be used for enforcement, water quality monitoring, technical assistance and other activities to implement the Agreement.

   

• $2.4 million in new revenues from increased pesticide application fees to support oversight, pesticide applicator examination and training, and training and support for communities for implementation of pesticide neighbor notification activities, non-toxic West Nile prevention measures, and integrated pest management programs.