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Legislative Update

PACD provides legislative updates on a periodic basis to keep conservation districts appraised of legislative activities pertinent to their mission and goals.

May 8, 2008

Conservation District Funding Bills Introduced

Representative Ron Miller (York County) introduced HB 2491 and HB 2492. The first piece of legislation, HB 2491, imposes a 10% surcharge on fines and penalties collected by the PA Department of Environmental Protection to be deposited into the Conservation District Fund. To view HB 2491 please visit: http://tinyurl.com/3foxbj. HB 2492 appropriates $10 million to the Conservation District Fund for conservation district activities including energy initiatives. To view HB 2492 please visit: http://tinyurl.com/42gspt.

Senate Agriculture Committee Meets

The Senate Agriculture Committee met this week, passing SB 1317. The legislation provides incentives to anyone who plants and harvests bioenergy crops to be used exclusively for cellulosic ethanol production. The intent of the legislation is to encourage agricultural operations to produce bioenergy crops. Incentive payments would be given to farmers at a rate of $150 per acre for the first year's harvest, $100 per acre for the second year's harvest, and $50 for the third year's harvest. The legislation includes a $10 million appropriation to fund the program. Ten percent of those funds would be transferred to the Conservation District Fund for distribution to conservation districts providing technical assistance for the act. To view this legislation go to:
http://tinyurl.com/4mwhfe.

PACD Addresses SCC Policy on Fee Reviews

In an effort to clarify the intent of provisions incorporated within SB 1020, PACD recently sent a letter to the State Conservation Commission (SCC) expressing support of the current SCC policy as it relates to review fees for services performed by conservation districts. The current policy allows conservation districts to charge appropriate fees for services or activities as authorized by state law or regulations and as authorized through delegation agreements or contracts. The SCC periodically reviews district fees to determine their applicability to the services rendered. SB 1020 reflects this SCC policy decision and PACD supports such reviews. The language in SB 1020 does not, however, require the SCC to determine fee schedules for conservation districts, which is also not part of SCC policy.

SB 1020 also addresses conservation district fee schedules for district work performed for government agencies. The legislation states government entities may agree to fee schedules for conservation district services related to state-delegated agreements. PACD is hopeful that the SCC will work with conservation districts as they negotiate with government agencies for services rendered. To view the letter PACD sent to the SCC, please go to: http://www.pacd.org/about/legactivities/SCCletter08.doc

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