House Democrats, Governor Propose 5th Round Of Environmental Budget Cuts

After spending weeks saying the world would end if the Senate Republican budget was adopted, House Democrats and Gov. Rendell have now reversed course and are preparing a budget to bring before the House Monday that cuts at least $1.7 billion more from the GOP budget so it is balanced and meets the no tax increase mood of many lawmakers.
This would be the fifth round of cuts to environmental programs since February.
"If the public wants a no-tax budget, they should very well see what a no-tax budget looks like," Speaker Keith McCall (D-Carbon) said, predicting severe cuts in aid to schools, highway projects and social service programs. "All of these lines will be cut, and cut substantially."
Speaker McCall rejected the idea that approving the stripped down budget was a scare tactic to convince Republicans (and some of their Democratic members) a broad-based tax increase was necessary.
"They've said 'no' to everything. What are we to do?" said Speaker McCall.
Earlier in the week, House Democrats said balancing the Senate Republican budget would mean laying off 6,000 state employees.
Cuts, Cuts And More Environmental Cuts
In May Senate Republicans followed Gov. Rendell's lead by making significant, additional cuts to environmental funding, doubling the already deep $77 million cut the Governor proposed in the 2009-10 state budget, by adding another $77.4 million in cuts.
The additional $77.4 million in cuts made by Senate Republicans were to the departments of Agriculture ($8.9 million), Conservation and Natural Resources ($19.1 million) and Environmental Protection ($49.4 million) and mostly to line items related to funding for personnel costs.
In February Gov. Rendell proposed cuts of $77 million-- $13.9 million at the Department of Agriculture, $6.9 million in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, $18.2 million at the Department of Environmental Protection and $22 million reduction in funding available for recycling. (PA Environment Digest 2/9/09)
Funding for conservation districts under both proposals would be the same, but cut by 25 percent or $1 million. (PA Environment Digest 2/16/09)
$10 million in funding for the Resource Enhancement and Protection Program (REAP) farm conservation tax credit program was preserved in Gov. Rendell proposal, but is uncertain in the Senate Republican budget. Senate Republicans said they would suspend $250 million in tax credit programs, but did not specify which ones. There are $324 million in tax credit programs included in the state budget, including $75 million to support movie and television production in the state.
The proposed cuts of $154 million do not include the transfer of $174 million from the DCNR Oil and Gas Lease Fund to the General Fund to help plug the deficit hole in the 2008-09 budget. These funds are proceeds from last year's leasing of state forest land for Marcellus Shale drilling
A third round of environmental budget cuts in June by Gov. Rendell resulted in an additional $12.5 million in cuts to environmental programs in the departments of Agriculture, Environmental Protection, Conservation and Natural Resources and Insurance and the State System of Higher Education. (PA Environment Digest 6/29/09)
A fourth round of environmental budget cuts was agreed to by Gov. Rendell and Senate and House Leadership this week totaling about $3 million. A list of all the cuts is available online. The environmental program cuts include--
-- DCED
Transfer to Industrial Sites Environmental Assessment Fund - $493,000 (zeroed out)
-- DCNR
General Government - $62,000
-- DEP - $2.4 million total
Environmental Program Management - $260,000
Environmental Protection Operations - $487,000
Flood Control Projects - $500,000
Stormwater Management - $800,000
Sewage Facilities Planning Grants - $100,000
Sewage Facilities Enforcement Grants - $100,000
Sea Grant Program - $189,000
Funding cuts for 2009-10 so far have totaled more than $343 million for environmental programs.
As noted, another $1.7 billion needs to be cut from the Senate Republican budget to achieve the goal of a no increases in any state broad-based tax like the Personal Income Tax. The will result in a fifth round of cuts to envirnomental programs.
Environmental, sportsmen and local government groups have supported adoption of a severance tax on natural gas production to help fund environmental program, but there was no mention if this proposal will play a role in helping to fund the state budget or environmental programs. (PA Environment Digest 6/29/09)
NewsClip: Dems To Advance GOP Budget They Have Assailed