Green Budget
2005
The Environmental League of Massachusetts
February 2004
Environmental League of Massachusetts
Green Budget 2005
Executive Summary
The environmental agencies are tasked with protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. They are responsible for protecting our health, cleaning up toxic waste, and protecting a vast array of ecologically significant and beautiful lands.
The Fiscal Year 2005 Green Budget contains a variety of proposed additions to current environmental spending that would restore previous deep cuts. Increasing agency budgets as recommended below will still leave agencies over 6 percent below FY2003 funding. While even a modest increase over FY2004 funding may be difficult to achieve in the current fiscal climate, citizens around the commonwealth count on legislators to take seriously their responsibility to adequately fund the agencies that protect the Massachusetts environment.
For over a decade the environmental budget has not kept pace with new agency responsibilities and charges, making it increasingly difficult for protectors of our health and the environment to fulfill their obligations. Taken as a whole, the Green Budget would add less than 1/25 of 1 percent to the total state budget but would go a long way in protecting our commonwealth's air, land, and water.
|
FY04 |
Proposed FY05 Amount |
||
|
Department of Fish and Game |
|||
|
2310-0301 |
Natural Heritage and Endangered Species |
$0 |
$460,000 |
|
2300-0101 |
Riverways |
$290,293 |
$401,147 |
|
Department of Environmental Protection |
|||
|
2200-0100 |
DEP Administrative |
$28,140,275 |
$30,483,537 |
|
2260-8870 |
Hazardous waste site cleanup |
$15,287,045 |
$16,466,883 |
|
2220-2220 |
Clean Air Act |
$948,068 |
$1,220,445 |
|
2220-2221 |
Clean Air Act Permits |
$1,975,287 |
$2,333,394 |
|
Department of Conservation and Recreation |
|||
|
2100-2030 |
State Parks |
$18,264,818 |
$20,492,000 |
|
2440-0010 |
Urban Parks |
$21,128,262 |
$21,972,475 |
|
Department of Agricultural Resources |
|||
|
2511-3002 |
Integrated Pest Management |
$100,000 |
$300,000 |
|
Department of Fish and Game |
|||
|
2310-0301 |
Natural Heritage and Endangered Species |
$0 |
$460,000 |
|
$190,000 from Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Fund |
|||
|
$460,000 from General Fund |
|||
|
$650,000 TOTAL |
|||
The Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program is vital to the state's biodiversity and ecological health. As Massachusetts loses 40 acres a day to development, the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program has been dedicated to preserving land and protecting ecosystems, especially those that are home to endangered or threatened species.
In FY2004 this line item was removed entirely and the program was left to function on voluntary donations from private citizens, which have amounted to a fraction of the program's previous funding. The governor's budget recommended that the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program levy fees to support its operations. Although this may assist in funding the program, a line item in the FY2005 budget would still be required to fund staff to do the work to generate the fees.
Prior to the removal of the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program line item, the program had been very successful at accomplishing important work with modest funding. The implications of withdrawing all state funding from this program affects not just the general health of the commonwealth's rare wildlife, but also the welfare of game animals and fisheries. By returning this line item and funding this program from the General Fund at FY2003 levels, the legislature can once again work towards protecting the commonwealth's rich biodiversity.
Additional Contacts:
Linda Orel, Director of Government Relations
Nature Conservancy
James McCaffrey, Director
Sierra Club, Massachusetts Chapter
|
2300-0101 |
Riverways |
$290,293 |
$401,147 |
The Riverways program serves a broad constituency in its work on urban rivers, wild and scenic rivers, and everything in between. The very successful Adopt-A-Stream program trained over 400 local volunteers in 2002, who function as "Stream Teams," to preserve stream habitats and water quality across the state. The program now has 95 Stream Teams working on 24 different water bodies across the state. The River Restore program is another great success, returning impacted rivers to their natural state, improving the health of fisheries, and demolishing dams that are no longer able to serve their original purpose, saving tax dollars that would have been spent repairing them.
The FY2004 budget cuts caused all operational Riverways staff to cut their hours to part time. The damage from those cuts have been more severe given that each staff member heads a separate program and is the only staff person for that program; every Riverways program is now only part-time staffed. More cuts in FY2005 would require staff to cut their hours further and would eliminate the Adopt-A-Stream program entirely. By restoring the funding for the Riverways program to FY2002 levels, all staff can return to full-time status. This will allow the program to continue to leverage thousands of volunteer hours every year to protect watersheds that state agencies do not have the resources to protect themselves.
Additional Contacts:
Linda Orel, Director of Government Relations
Nature Conservancy
Ian Cooke, Executive Director
Neponset River Watershed Association
|
2200-0100 |
DEP Administrative |
$28,140,275 |
$30,483,537 |
DEP is the state's chief environmental regulatory agency. One of its key duties is to enforce existing environmental laws and monitor compliance. The continuous cuts DEP has faced in the last three years have already put into question the agency's ability to actively enforce environmental laws; ELM's own analysis has shown that a facility can expect to be inspected only once every 17 years. Additional DEP budget cuts would further hamper the agency's ability to fulfill its mandate to protect environmental and public health.
By restoring funding for DEP to FY2002 levels the agency can continue to invest in important initiatives that make enforcement more efficient and effective, such as wetlands protection through aerial photography. This investment in enforcement will level the playing field for companies that are complying with environmental laws by penalizing those who violate environmental laws for financial gain.
Additional Contact:
Ken Pruitt, Executive Director
Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions
|
2260-8870 |
Hazardous waste site cleanup |
$15,287,045 |
$16,466,883 |
The Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup program is instrumental in promoting the cleanup of hazardous waste, responding to emergencies such as oil spills, and facilitating the redevelopment of contaminated sites. It promotes healthy communities by requiring that those responsible for hazardous waste sites are held accountable for their cleanup and revitalizes many urban and suburban areas and their economies by encouraging the reuse of these sites.
Many communities that contain multiple hazardous waste sites are minority or low-income communities. Restoring funding to FY2002 levels for the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup program would demonstrate clear support in the legislature for promoting public health and economic development in all communities throughout the commonwealth.
Additional Contact:
Matt Wilson, Director
Toxics Action Center
|
2220-2220 |
Clean Air Act |
$948,068 |
$1,220,445 |
|
2220-2221 |
Clean Air Act Permits |
$1,975,287 |
$2,333,394 |
The DEP's Clean Air Act programs are vital to protecting air quality in Massachusetts. The implementation of the Clean Air Act in Massachusetts encompasses air quality monitoring, the development of pollution control strategies to meet air quality standards set by EPA, and a permitting program for large pollution sources. Together, these two programs form the basis for lowering ozone and particulate matter levels in Massachusetts and protecting the health of all of its citizens from asthma and other respiratory conditions.
In 2002, Massachusetts had the third highest ozone level recorded anywhere in the country. According to EPA data, during the last decade the number of days when the Air Quality Index was over 100 in Boston, which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups like children and the elderly, has increased rapidly from 2 days in 1993 to 16 days in 2002, causing increased asthma attacks and emergency room visits. In Boston, minority populations bare the burden of high asthma rates: Roxbury and Dorchester both have five times the state asthma incidence average.
Returning funding for the implementation of the Clean Air Act to FY2003 levels will help protect sensitive populations from further medical complications, relieving some pressure placed on the commonwealth's overburdened medical system by decreasing emergency room visits.
Additional Contact:
Marc Breslow, Director
Massachusetts Climate Action Network
|
2100-2030 |
State Parks |
$18,264,818 |
$20,492,000 |
|
2440-0010 |
Urban Parks |
$21,128,262 |
$21,972,475 |
DCR manages nearly 400,000 acres of forests and parks across the commonwealth and protects drinking water watersheds for almost 2.2 million Massachusetts residents. The state parks have been cut, on average, more than 10 percent each year for the last three years. Funding for urban parks dropped about one-third in the last three years. These cuts make it impossible to create a "world class park system."
The effects of continual budget cuts have been great, leading to shortened daily operating hours and seasons, dangerous conditions such as swimming areas with no lifeguards, illegal dumping, and uncontrolled off-road vehicle use. Increasing funding for the parks system to FY2003 levels, prior to the governor's Fy2003 cuts, will promote a better and safer experience for park users. Increased funding will protect much of our drinking water supply, on which many people in the commonwealth depend. Providing funding to create a "world class park system" will also support the commonwealth's $13 billion travel and tourism industry.
Additional Contacts:
Robert L. Zimmerman, Jr., Executive Director
Charles River Watershed Association
James McCaffrey, Director
Sierra Club, Massachusetts Chapter
Bryan Wentzell, Land Conservation Advocate
Appalachian Mountain Club
|
2511-3002 |
Integrated Pest Management |
$100,000 |
$300,000 |
The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program educates the public about low-risk techniques to manage pests and requires schools to enact IPM management plans, as children are most susceptible to and can be developmentally affected by the toxic chemicals used in pesticides. The use of IPM has become a growing trend around the country as understanding of the public health risks of chemical pesticides has increased. Funding for this program has been reduced to a quarter of its FY2001 funding. By increasing the funding for this program, to only three quarters of the FY2001 funding, the program once again can make strides in protecting vulnerable people from exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Additional Contact:
Matt Wilson, Director
Toxics Action Center
The Environmental League of Massachusetts is an independent, nonprofit, citizens’ organization dedicated to protecting the Massachusetts environment by bringing about strong, responsible public policies. ELM has been carrying out a program of policy development, legislative advocacy, "watchdog" work on the implementation of environmental laws, and public education for over 100 years.