New York Parks and Environmental Funding, 2012
New York State Budget 2012-13: Enhance the Environmental Protection Fund to Expand Economic and Environmental Benefits
EPF Lobby Day: February 13. Click here for details (PDF). Join Trail Conference staff member Jeff Senterman at the lobby day.
The Friends of New York’s Environment, a broad partnership of more than 100 environmental, public health, agricultural, recreational and urban stakeholder groups, including the Trail Conference, is pleased that Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget Proposal for SFY12-13 maintains the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) at $134 million.
In the context of another multi-billion dollar deficit, we believe maintaining the fund is an important first step towards achieving sustainable levels of environmental funding. As the economy continues to improve, in part because of EPF programs, the Fund must grow to meet existing and future environmental funding needs.
In addition to the appropriation for SFY12-13, there are steps that the Governor and Legislature can take together in this budget to enhance the Fund in coming years. By taking these steps now, we can ensure the deployment of much-needed environmental capital around the state, creating and protecting jobs, increasing tourism, and safeguarding valuable natural resources for people and nature.
We urge the Legislature and Governor to include one or more of these concepts
Economic Benefits of Open Space Preservation: A report from the New York State Comptroller, March 2010 Click here to download a copy.
Issue Updates :
January 30, 2012
WAYS TO ENHANCE THE EPF IN FUTURE YEARS
As Part of the New York Works Program, Enable the use of Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) Bonding for EPF Projects
The New York Works Program uses EFC bonding to deploy capital to important parks and environmental projects. EPF is a capital fund, and many programs can take advantage of bonding. Over the past decade the EFC has financed about $400 million in bonds for EPF projects. This year, rather than authorize bonding in order to “sweep” cash from the EPF, the budget should authorize bonding in addition to the EPF appropriation. This would add exciting EPF projects that leverage private and local investments with state dollars to the Infrastructure Fund proposal, deploying capital to projects that create jobs, including farmland protection, land management, parks creation, waterfront revitalization and more.
Increase Real Estate Transfer Tax Revenue Dedicated to the EPF
When the EPF was created in 1993, the state’s Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) was established as the source of revenue for the Fund. Given the long-standing and important link between the EPF and the RETT, we support budget language to increase the amount of RETT dedicated to the EPF in coming years, as revenues improve.
Phase Revenue from the Bottle Bill into the EPF (S. 5403-A Grisanti / A. 7137-A Latimer) Annual revenue of approximately $115 million generated by the state’s bottle deposit law, which keeps communities cleaner and encourages recycling, should be used to benefit state programs that protect our air, land and water. This legislative language which should be added to the budget phases this revenue into the EPF in over four years, and would supplement current RETT revenue that would remain in the Fund.
Talking points:
• Established in 1993, the EPF is the State's dedicated source of funding for critical environmental programs that protect what we love about New York - our clean drinking water, our magnificent parks, and our family farms.
• The dedicated funding source for the EPF is the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT). The RETT has funded the EPF since it was created in 1993, and it generates revenue between $500 million and more than $1 billion annually. A portion of the revenue is dedicated to the EPF each year as part of the budget, and the remainder of the RETT is used for the General Fund, where it can be spent on non-environmental programs.
• The EPF was due to reach $300 million in 2011. Instead, it has dropped from $222 million in 2009 to $134 million in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, the Governor again proposes to hold the EPF at $134 million. New York cannot afford to have the EPF go backward while our environmental needs increase.
• Environmental investments from the EPF create jobs, eliminate solid waste, prevent pollution and invasive species, protect natural resources and community character, revitalize urban areas, and connect people with the outdoors. Our environmental agencies and the EPF provide economic benefits reaching every county in New York State.
• Many EPF programs leverage local, federal and private funding. Some programs prevent contamination or the need for additional infrastructure, which is often more costly to taxpayers in the long-run. Other programs support big industries in New York State, including agriculture and tourism. These sectors of our economy support many jobs and bring out-of-state money to New York communities.
Respond to:
| Attachment | Size |
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| EPF lobby day flyer.pdf | 315.19 KB |
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