Groups Get Personal in Ad Campaign: ISO FS LTR* for New York's Environmental Protection Fund

ALBANY, NY (03/09/2010)(readMedia)-- A broad coalition of organizations committed to protecting the health of New York's land, air and water, as well as open space, botanical gardens, farms and zoos, today launched an advertising campaign urging state lawmakers to restore money to the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). Governor Paterson proposed slashing the Fund by $69 million or 33 percent in his 2010-2011 Executive Budget.

"For years, New York's governors and state legislatures have raided our Environmental Protection Fund. Five hundred million dollars has been diverted from the Fund over the years, one-quarter of which was raided in 2009 alone," said Rob Moore, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates of New York. "Enough is enough and the environmental community will not sit idly by while Governor Paterson cuts the Environmental Protection Fund and reneges on New York's commitment to environmental protection."

The campaign includes billboard, online and print advertisements, including personal ads slated to appear in papers across the state. The ads ask state leaders to demonstrate their love for New York by supporting the Environmental Protection Fund. Ads are available at www.KeepProtectingNY.org. "We Love New York" is the first high profile advertising campaign ever mounted by the state's environmental groups, which believe the Governor's proposed budget cuts are unfairly and irresponsibly harsh on environmental programs that protect public health and safety.

"What we give to the land, our waters and communities is returned in abundance," said Andy Bicking, Director of Public Policy for Scenic Hudson. "The environment provides so much-clean drinking water, healthy food, parks, recreation and stability for the Hudson Valley's $4.7 billion tourism economy. It is time for New York State to take that relationship more seriously and get the budget back to these basics."

This is the second year in a row that the Governor disproportionately cut the Fund, which safeguards New York's air and water quality, updates sewage treatment facilities, keeps working farms operating, preserves historic heritage and open space, revitalizes waterfronts, monitors pesticide use, and much more. Last year, state lawmakers bucked the Governor and restored a portion of the Fund during budget negotiations.

"The Open Space Account of the Environmental Protection Fund is the state's most useful tool in promoting tourism and in sustaining the local economies of the Adirondack Park," said John F. Sheehan, Director of Communications for the Adirondack Council. "Public Adirondack Forest Preserve lands provide wilderness recreation opportunities that don't exist elsewhere in the Northeast. Conservation agreements with private landowners have prevented the development of 600,000 acres of commercial timberlands since 1995-ensuring they will be carefully managed and will provide new trails for snowmobiles and other mechanized recreation. At the same time, these investments prevent water pollution and protect wildlife habitat across 9,300 square miles of northern New York, inside the Adirondack Park. We are all richer as a result."

Governor Paterson's budget plan calls for a 33 percent cut in the EPF (down to $143 million), which includes the elimination of purchases of open space. The Governor's plan also calls for the addition of $10 million in new expenses to the EPF, to pay for day-to-day state expenses.

"Cuts to New York's Environmental Protection Fund are especially troubling given the fact that more than $500 million has already been raided for non-environmental spending. And that was when the economy was growing," said Marcia Bystryn, president, New York League of Conservation Voters. "These new cuts put projects across the state in jeopardy."

"The elimination of land protection funding from the EPF is especially troubling. Land conservation not only protects wildlife habitat, it helps ensure clean drinking water for towns and major population centers across the State, including New York City," said Bill Ulfelder, State Director for The Nature Conservancy in New York. "Without the ability to protect the lands around our water supplies, New Yorkers will need to pay billions and billions of dollars for expensive water filtration and treatment facilities."

The Environmental Protection Fund was created in 1993 to provide a reliable source of funds for essential environmental projects such as landfill closure, recycling facilities and open space/watershed protection. The current EPF is $222 million.

"The budget for the environment has been cut for years. We cannot permit it to be cut any further-our air, water, land and quality-of-life can't tolerate any further cuts," said Richard Amper, Executive Director, Long Island Pine Barrens Society."

The "We love New York" advertising campaign began on March 4th and will run through the end of state budget negotiations. The budget is due to be approved by April 1st, but disagreements between the Governor and Legislature have often caused delays. Coalition leaders said they were prepared to continue the campaign for a longer period of time if the budget deadline is missed.

Campaign underwriters include: The Adirondack Council, Audubon New York, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Environmental Advocates of New York, Environmental Defense Fund, Friends of Hudson River Park, Land Trust Alliance, Long Island Pine Barrens Society, North Shore Land Alliance, New York League of Conservation Voters, Open Space Institute, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, The Nature Conservancy-New York, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

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* ISO= in search of; FS= financially secure; LTR= long term relationship.