Friends of NY's Environment Applaud Passage of Legislation to Enhance Environmental Protection Fund

ALBANY, NY (06/22/2012)(readMedia)-- Today, the Friends of New York's Environment, a broad partnership of more than 100 environmental, conservation, agricultural, recreational and urban stakeholder groups, applauded the State Legislature for passing a bill to enhance the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The legislation will use revenue from the state's existing Bottle Bill to grow the EPF over the next several years. The Assembly passed the bill on Wednesday and the Senate acted last night, on the final day of the Legislative Session.

The EPF is New York's premier dedicated source of money for capital programs that conserve and protect land, air, and water. EPF programs benefit communities statewide by protecting public health, water quality, working farms and forests, revitalizing parks and waterfronts, and supporting recycling and environmental education centers, including zoos and botanical gardens. These initiatives not only conserve New York's land, air, and water, but also create badly needed jobs and energize our economy. A recent study by the Trust for Public Land showed that for every $1 New York State invests protecting land and water through the EPF, $7 is returned to local communities in economic benefits.

The Friends of New York's Environment applauded Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D – Lindenhurst) and Senator Mark Grisanti (R- Buffalo) for their sponsorship of the legislation, and called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign the bill into law. Organizations look forward to working with the Legislature and Governor to continue to grow the fund in the future, as well as to publicize the EPF's effective and valuable programs so that more communities can take advantage of these important resources.

Through its various programs, the Environmental Protection Fund helps protect the drinking water for millions of New Yorkers and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs statewide across a broad spectrum of industries, including outdoor tourism, and agriculture. EPF-supported industries generate approximately $40 billion for the state's economy every year. For more information about the EPF, and programs in different regions of New York State, visit www.keepprotectingny.org

For more information contact:

Erica Ringewald, Environmental Advocates of New York, 518-210-9903

Jessica Ottney Mahar, The Nature Conservancy, 518-366-2707

Laura Haight, NYPIRG, 518-588-5481

Dan Hendrick, NY League of Conservation Voters, 212-361-6350, ext. 206

Paul Ertelt, Adirondack Mountain Club, 518-449-3870

Laura DiBetta, Parks and Trails New York, 518-434-1583

David Haight, American Farmland Trust, 518-581-0078

Sean Mahar, Audubon New York, 518-253-7000

Katrina Howey, Land Trust Alliance, 518- 587-0774