(02/14/12) More than 100 demonstrators representing 50 environmental groups were in Albany yesterday, hoping to protect the state's Environmental Protection Fund. The EPF is traditionally a target in state budget negotiations. Martha Foley has more.
The advocates urged lawmakers to save the fund from
cuts that would reduce money for closing landfills, opening recycling
facilities and creating new parks.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed budget includes $134
million for the environmental fund, the same as last year.
More than 90 percent of the fund's revenues come
from a real estate transfer tax, which generated about $600 million over the
past year.
Jessica Ottney Mahar is with the Nature
Conservancy of New York. She says one way to increase funding to the EPF would
be to redirect the five cent bottle deposit. Deposits not collected by
consumers now go into the state’s general fund.
She said, “The right thing to do would be
to dedicate that funding to programs that actually support the environment.”
Environmental Advocates also made the case that investing in the
state’s natural resources is good economic sense.
They cited a new study from the Public Land Trust,
which found New York's economy receives $7 in financial benefits for every
dollar spent on environmental protection.
St. Lawrence University, Canton,
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