Senate Due To Consider Budget Amendment Further Cutting Environmental Funding

The Senate Republicans today will propose an amendment to the House Democratic budget passed Friday in House Bill 1416 that will cut environmental funding roughly an additional $94 million.
Following the lead of House Democrats, Senate Republicans are dipping into DCNR's Oil and Gas Fund for an additional $94 million, diverting it to help balance the budget.
Other individual line item changes from the original Senate-passed budget in Senate Bill 850 include:
Agriculture: $5.3 million increase generally, Conservation Districts + $456,000;
Conservation & Natural Resources: $233,000 reduction (from Forest Pest Management); and
Environmental Protection - $782,000 reduction, $623,000 from General Govt. Operations, $159,000 from Chesapeake Bay Pollution Abatement Program.
A comparison of the Senate Republican, House Democrat and House Republican environmental budgets is available online.
A comparison of the original Senate Republican budget passed in May as Senate Bill 850 and their new amendment is also available online.
A new Senate Republican balance sheet is also available.