Friends of New York's Environment Urge NY Legislators Not to Pick-Pocket Environmental Fund to Reopen Parks

ALBANY, NY (05/25/2010)(readMedia)-- More than 200 civic, conservation, community, environmental, public health, zoos, botanical gardens and other groups called on members of the New York State Assembly and Senate today to reject Governor David Paterson's plan to reopen state parks by cutting the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The Governor's proposal to divert dedicated EPF monies to reopen state parks and historic sites and prevent additional parks from closing is unacceptable and would simply add insult to injury.

The Executive budget proposal released earlier this year underfunded New York's Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, as well as other environmental agencies, forcing some state parks to close. The Governor's newest proposal again threatens the integrity of the EPF and puts critical programs that protect New York's environment and public health at risk. It also completely ignores the priorities of the Legislature and solutions proposed in their budget resolutions.

"The Governor's proposal is yet another attempt to balance the state budget on the back of New York's environment," said Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters. "Offloading state agency staffing and operations into the EPF was never the Fund's intended purpose, and could put the viability of this effective program at risk in the future. The EPF was not intended for, nor should it be used, to cool a political hot potato."

The state has already swept $500 million from the Fund and that loan has not been repaid. Consequently, millions of dollars of critical projects across the state have not been funded and a long project backlog exists. Both the Assembly and Senate have passed budget resolutions that restored funding to keep parks open, made restorations to the Fund (which was slated for a disproportionately large cut), and rejected "offloading" state agency operations and other programs into the already strapped EPF.

"The Governor's proposal tries to force the Assembly and Senate to either fund parks or fund other environmental programs, which is a false choice," said Robert Moore, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates of New York. "It's the Governor's way of passing the buck on his earlier decision to close state parks."

"It is outrageous of the Paterson Administration to be playing politics with New York's Parks and Historic Sites right before the traditional start of summer - the Memorial Day weekend. Holding New Yorkers and their guests hostage, while trying to manipulate and pressure the Legislature to do something it knows is inappropriate, is a despicable abuse of the Office of Governor," said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York.

Friends of New York's Environment is a broad coalition of 200 plus environmental, health, agricultural, parks, recreational and urban stakeholder groups and coalitions who work together to advocate for real increases in the State's Environmental Protection Fund, state environmental and parks staffing, and dedicated funding for environmental protection.

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