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One of our favorite places to bike and ski -- Huntington State Park will be effected by the environmental budget. There has been talk of acquiring 160 acres on the north side of the park. This is in danger now, as all funding for open space is likely to be cut. Please contact your legislators and the governor. I have included various methods of contacting people who are important in this issue.
Thanks for all your help.
Paula
FUNDING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IS IN BIG TROUBLE...
As many of you already know, the proposed state budget kills much of what is near and dear to the environmental community in Connecticut:
-transfers out many positions at DEP, including many air monitoring staff
-eliminates all open space funding
-eliminates all farmland protection funding
-steals all of the energy conservation funding
-closes most of our state parks (with no park staff, expect dumping, drugs, vandalism, and ATV's gone wild)
-eliminates the Council on Environmental Quality
The DEP will be presenting to the appropriations committee this coming Monday, March 10 from 9:30 to 10:15 am in hearing room 2D at the LOB. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) will be presenting somewhere between 6:00 and 6:30.
A public hearing on any of the presentations made that day begins at 6:30 in room 2C. Sign up is one hour before--YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER COMING TO THIS ONE. Please call me if you would like more information, or have some to share. Thank you.
Lori Brown
Connecticut League of Conservation Voters
118 Oak Street
Hartford, CT 06106
860-524-1194
www.ctlcv.org
*** Call the Finance Committee 860-240-0460
Sen. Daily 33rd
Sen. Nickerson 35th
Rep. Stillman 38th
Rep. Berger 73rd
Rep. Boukus 22nd
Rep. Belden 113rd
OPEN SPACE FUNDING COMPLETELY ELIMINATED IN GOVERNOR'S BUDGET!!
TO PREVENT OPEN SPACE PROGRAMS FROM BEING PERMANENTLY ABOLISHED!!
In his proposed budget for the next two years, which he presented yesterday, Governor Rowland eliminated funding for the Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust program, the Open Space Matching Grants program and the farmland Purchase of Development Rights program. This was done in the context of announcing "a moratorium on discretionary bond projects. For the foreseeable future, only school construction, higher education, transportation and emergency needs will be bonded."
Many of us have recognized the past few months that all programs would need to be significantly reduced, but it is poor policy on a number of levels to completely eliminate all open space funding. Unlike delays in road or building projects, delays in open space projects often mean the project will never happen - critical parcels will be sold instead for permanent private use.
The absolute nature of the Governor's proposal threatens to derail open space efforts for many years to come.
To keep the program alive, our only hope is to have HUNDREDS of open space advocates contact the Governor and their legislators. We've seen open space funding stalled before during the past two decades. We've also seen what can be accomplished IF enough advocates take the time to contact their elected officials.
Please contact the Governor and your state legislators, by letter or e-mail, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Acknowledge the great things our open space programs have accomplished the past few years, and that you realize that significant cuts have to be made to all programs.
Ask them to include some funding for open space in the bonding budget.
Stress that delays in open space funding will mean that some critical tracts will be FOREVER lost to public use.
Preservation of open space is a critical component of preserving our quality of life. Preserving the most important lands for water quality, recreational lands that all of our citizens can use, and scenic vistas is not discretionary.Governor John G. Rowland
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Governor.Rowland@...
To identify your local State Senator and Representative and find their address: look in the blue pages of your phone book under: Connecticut - State of, under State Legislators, OR look on the General Assembly's webpage - www.cga.state.ct.us - and click on "House " or "Senate" and then on "Find Representative (or Senator) by map".
Lieutenant Governor Rell has been very involved with the Matching Grants Program. Please contact her to express your dismay with this program being cancelled in the Governor's budget.
Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell
State Capitol
Room 304
Hartford, CT 06106
ltgovernor.rell@...
Please send us by blind carbon copy either the hard copy or electronic copy of what you send to any of the above government officials.
For more information please contact either
David Sutherland or Linda Bowers, LCCC
860-344-0716, x314 or lbowers@...
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