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Tell NYS Legislators to Reject Drastic Cuts to Environmental Funding!

Find your representatives at:
Assembly: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
State Senate: http://www.nysenate.gov/contact_form
Governor: http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html

Background:
The Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) is the state's dedicated source of environmental funding which protects our open space and farmland, clean drinking water, recreational opportunities, related businesses, and quality of life. The EPF provides our communities recycling programs, waterfront revitalization, municipal parks, solid waste management, zoos, botanical gardens and aquaria, pollution prevention and more.

The EPF protects our natural resources and public health, and also plays an important role in our local economy. EPF programs eliminate solid waste, prevent pollution, provide clean drinking water, protect natural areas and community character, making our towns and villages desirable places to live, work and visit. The EPF has created or protected thousands of jobs in sectors including, but not limited to tourism, farming, engineering, solid waste management, education, science, land management, and forestry, in every county of New York State.

Click here to download an EPF Fact Sheet with additional information about the EPF from The Friends of New York's Environment

The Threat:
The EPF is slated for a 33% cut in the Governor's proposed budget. The Governor’s proposal would also use the EPF to pay for programs that are normally paid for with other funds. This threatens the integrity of the Fund and further reduces available funding for EPF programs.

In addition, the time has come for the Legislature to plan to pay back the nearly $500M that has been taken from the dedicated Environmental Protection Fund in recent years and used for non-environmental programs. A repayment plan, to be implemented in future years, would restore the integrity of the EPF and make sure projects can continue in our communities.

The proposed significant and disproportionate cuts to the EPF would mean fewer parks and community gardens in our communities; fewer opportunities to protect the water supplies that we depend on for healthy, clean and safe drinking water; fewer family farms able to produce local food that sustains our agricultural industry; fewer options for public access to waterways and parks; fewer educational opportunities at our local zoos and botanical gardens, which support local businesses and school programs; and fewer recycling and solid waste programs that provide our communities important funding and keep our neighborhoods clean.

Take action now to protect funding for New York’s Environment! Write to your State Legislators today and urge them to restore funding for the EPF in the next state budget.

Sample Letter:

Dear:

Please protect New York’s environment. The Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) supports projects that provide us clean drinking water, and support tourism and agriculture – strong sectors of our state’s economy.

The environment is a priority for me and my family, and I respectfully ask that you work to ensure the next state budget:

  • Includes an appropriation of $222M for the EPF.
  • Rejects proposals to pay for non-EPF projects with EPF funding, which would harm the integrity of the Fund.
  • Includes a repayment plan that returns the nearly $500M that has been removed from the EPF in the past.

Disproportionate cuts to the EPF would mean fewer parks and community gardens in our communities; fewer opportunities to protect the water supplies that we depend on for healthy, clean and safe drinking water; fewer family farms able to produce local food that sustains our agricultural industry; fewer options for public access to waterways and parks; fewer educational opportunities at our local zoos and botanical gardens, which support local businesses and school programs; and fewer recycling and solid waste programs that provide our communities important funding and keep our neighborhoods clean. The EPF is a good investment that will benefit New Yorkers for generations.

Please restore environmental funding!

Thank you.

The Shawangunk Ridge Coalition needs your help. You donations make it possible for us to keep our work going to protect the beautiful Shawangunk Ridge.


Contact: Shawangunk Ridge Coalition, 156 Ramapo Valley Rd., Mahwah NJ 07430;
201-512-9348 x25; Email: info@shawangunkridge.org