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Earth Night

I. Statement of the Case

The people's right to a clean environment, guaranteed by Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, is being jeopardized by deep and repeated budget cuts that have deprived our environmental programs of critical resources.

II. Summary Statement of the Facts

The environmental budget is funded 28 percent less today than it was just five years ago, and programs that protect public health, safety and our natural resources have been cut or eliminated. The environment comprises just 0.7 percent of the state budget.

In 2003, Massachusetts ranked 49th in the nation for environmental spending per capita.

Massachusetts has continually disinvested in environmental protection and the impacts are serious:

• The state no longer invests in finding hazardous waste sites. The Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP's) hazardous waste site cleanup program has become entirely reactive. DEP only responds to sites that are brought to its attention because it no longer has the resources to actively find the sites that are contaminating our water and neighborhoods.
• The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has the largest system of pools and beaches in the Northeast but struggles to open those facilities each summer. State and urban parks remain understaffed and a long backlog of maintenance needs has accumulated over the decade of environmental budget cuts.
• Massachusetts has already lost two fish species, the Atlantic salmon and the trout perch. Dozens of species in the state are considered threatened or endangered. But, the state no longer supports our Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program with general funds. Without increased funding for wildlife protection, we will likely see more species disappear and our biodiversity diminish.
• DEP has insufficient data on water quality in the state. It cannot keep our people and environment safe if it cannot identify threats to our water resources. Recent events in Ashland have demonstrated just how important water quality monitoring is to public health and safety.
• After last fall's near collapse of a dam in Taunton, DCR created new regulations and a new program to prevent dams from getting to the point where they might suffer a catastrophic breach. But DCR now needs the personnel to implement that program.
• The Department of Agricultural Resources has fallen behind in protecting children from exposure to toxic cleaning products and pesticides. Funding cuts have prevented it from implementing the Children and Families Protection Act of 2000 and from monitoring the progress schools are making in preventing exposures to toxics.

III. Summary of Argument

Our constitutional right to a clean and safe environment requires a commitment to adequately fund our environmental agencies. Without this support the many good programs and laws the state has put in place become empty promises.

Restoring environmental programs will help our economy as well as our health and our natural resources. Businesses trying to comply with environmental rules are frustrated by understaffed agencies that no longer have the capacity to review proposals and issue permits in a timely manner, provide technical assistance, or respond to requests.

Last year, the Senate took a leadership role in providing the environment with the largest funding increase for environmental programs in six years. The Senate has the opportunity to be a leader again this year in restoring our environmental programs. Massachusetts should not be 49th in the United States in per capita environmental spending. We must make more progress to bridge the $68 million gap between 2001 funding levels and today's.

Please see the Environmental League of Massachusetts' Green Budget FY2007: Reclaiming our Environmental Rights for more detailed information on our priority programs and recommended funding levels.

IV. Conclusion

Without adequate environmental protection, public health suffers, our quality of life suffers and our economy suffers. We urge the Senate to be an environmental champion again this year and pass an environmental budget that is sufficient to the environmental challenges we face and must address.

Respectfully Submitted,

Anne Kelly, Esq., Chair
14 Beacon Street, Suite 714
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-2553

David Abbott
Plymouth

William Abbott
Plymouth

Greg Bialecki
Newton

Dorothy Bisbee
West Concord

Lee P. Breckenridge
Newton

Jamy Buchanan
Boston

Edward F. Connelly
Sharon

William Constable
Lincoln

Susan Crane
Sudbury

Harlan Doliner
Holliston

Catherine Farrell
Newton

Gary Gill-Austern
Newton

Jim Gomes
Arlington

James S. Hoyte
Lexington

Seth Jaffe
Newton

Rick Johnson
Concord

Ann Johnston
Lexington

Aladdine Joroff
Somerville

Banjamin Krass
Brookline

Jim Langan
Boston

Michael Last
Somerville

Steve Leonard
Newton

Charlie Lord
Newton

Kelly McClintock
Sherborn

Doug McGarrah
Hamilton

Gregor McGregor
West Concord

Zygmunt Plater
Newton

Lauren Rikleen
Wayland

Edward Selig
Newton

Helen Silver
Boston

Julie Taylor
Cambridge

Margaret Van Deusen
Brookline

Please contact Megan Amundson, Legislative Director at the Environmental League of Massachusetts with any questions on the Green Budget at 617-742-2553 or mamundson@environmentalleague.org.