The Adirondack Council

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Tuesday, January 22, 2002

ALBANY -- Governor George Pataki included $250 million for the Environmental Protection Fund portion of his budget today, restoring $125 million not appropriated from last year's budget and adding another $125 for the 2002-03 fiscal year, which begins April 1.

"The Governor has restored our trust in the environmental trust fund," said Adirondack Council Acting Executive Director Bernard C. Melewski. "We asked him to provide at least $125 million in the current fiscal year -- to make up for the zero we received in the current budget -- and another $125 million after April first. That is the amount of the dedicated tax revenue placed in the account each year. Given the state's financial problems, we didn't feel justified in asking for any more than that."

The fund was created in 1993 and is reserved for capital projects that benefit the environment (limited to open space protection, recycling/solid waste projects and parks/historic preservation). In the Adirondacks, the fund has been used for land acquisition, conservation easements, landfill closure, municipal recycling programs, trail maintenance and campground improvements.

"We also want to express our appreciation to Assemblyman Richard Brodsky," Melewski said. "His diligence as chairman of the environmental conservation committee kept the issue in the public eye and raised expectations that the fund would be restored. By introducing his deficiency budget legislation in December, he showed that the Assembly supported the fund and its goals and wanted to keep it viable.

"With the Assembly's support, and the support of Senate EnCon Chairman Carl Marcellino, we anticipate swift action by both houses to reestablish the fund for this year through a deficiency appropriation," Melewski said.