Drastic Budget Cuts Will Hurt Environmental Programs Mandated By Law

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation expressed great concern today over drastic cuts to environmental funding that have been proposed during the budget process. Some of the cuts will threaten key pollution-reduction programs that the Commonwealth committed to implementing over the next two years, and which are mandated by federal law.
“The budget cuts disproportionately affect environmental and conservation programs, which are some the most cost effective ways to reduce pollution in local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay,” said Matthew Ehrhart, Executive Director of CBF’s Pennsylvania Office. “With goals unmet, lack of compliance with current laws, and new regulations potentially on the horizon, it is extremely short-sighted for our leaders to remove the tools that we will need to meet our commitments under the Clean Water Act.”
Some of the programs, like local Conservation Districts that provide local environmental support and enforcement, are functions required by law.
“Funding for these programs is not optional,” said Ehrhart. “On the contrary, many programs being cut are integral to meeting federally mandated obligations, and without them Pennsylvania’s communities and farmers will not be able to meet these mandates.”
In addition, water protection programs threatened with cuts include Sewage Facilities Planning, Stormwater Management, REAP (the Resource Enhancement and Protection Act) farm conservation tax credits, and Nutrient Management programs for farmers.
“Reductions in these areas, as well as reducing staff in the departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, will result in higher costs for consumers, municipalities, and farmers across the Commonwealth as Clean Water Act pollution-reduction requirements increase in the coming years,” Ehrhart said.
CBF believes that new opportunities for revenue, that do not add economic pressure to our citizens, are needed to offset budget cuts. One such opportunity is the proposed industry severance tax on natural gas extraction.
Pennsylvania is the only major fossil fuel producing state that does not impose a severance tax on natural gas to help mitigate local and environmental pressures of extraction. This tax is projected to collect $107 million in revenue this year with minimal impacts on the industry. Another opportunity is the state’s “Rainy Day Fund,” which could be used in its entirety this year
“There is no question that the budget situation is dire, and that all will feel some pain,” Ehrhart said. “That pain should be equitably distributed, and programs necessary to achieve the pollution reduction required by law must be maintained.”
(Click here for a history of $784 million in environmental cuts over the last six years.)