NY Environmental Protection Fund Gets a Boost
Renewed investment in the EPF is vital for NY conservation. Image from Wikipedia.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a substantial increase for New York’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) in his latest budget. The EPF was established in 1993 and provides money for land conservation, drinking water and wastewater upgrades, farmland protection, agricultural pollution control, recycling programs and upgrading parks and campgrounds.
Cuomo has asked legislators for $300-million for the fund. By comparison, the fund was $134 million in 2011, Cuomo's first year in office, and is $177 million in the last budget. It had peaked at $255 million prior to the last recession. Additionally, money in the EPF leverages funds from local groups that undertake projects.
The budget still needs to be approved by the state legislator. You can help make that happen by contacting your state representatives and asking them to support Governor Cuomo’s proposed increase in the Environmental Protection Fund.
