SOMERSET —
County leaders are looking to keep money flowing from Harrisburg to pay for environmental projects.
Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution calling for the renewal of Growing Greener.
The state-funded grant program, which first was signed into law in 1999, has pumped millions into the region for projects such as Conemaugh Township’s whitewater park.
“Certainly, it’s very beneficial for the county to support renewal of Growing Greener,” Commissioner Pam Tokar-Ickes said. “It has funded many projects and is very important in preserving open space and protecting the environment.”
Funding for Growing Greener programs is expected to drop from $200 million in 2007-08 to as little as $15 million as soon as 2012, according to the Renew Growing Greener Coalition.
“The funding is a mere shadow of what it used to be,” said Len Lichvar, Somerset Conservation District manager.
State figures show that, from 2006 to 2009, Somerset County received more than $5.6 million while Cambria County took in more than $14.3 million in Growing Greener funds.
The money has helped treat abandoned-mine drainage, aided parks and libraries, upgraded water plants and storm sewers and funded community organizations.
Somerset County put up $100,000 in Growing Greener money for the whitewater park on the Stonycreek River. And Cambria County commissioners chipped in $150,000 in Growing Greener funds for the project in 2008.
The future of Growing Greener is uncertain given the cost-cutting mood in Harrisburg.
“We’ve got to prove to the Legislature that it needs to continue the program,” Lichvar said. “We don’t want to lose the momentum that we’ve achieved so far.”
Conservation, recreation and environmental groups are looking for a successor to the Growing Greener initiative.
There is no schedule for convincing lawmakers to continue funding.
“We’re asking them to find some dedicated and sustainable long-term funds for Growing Greener,” Tokar-Ickes said.
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