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News & Notes October 2006
Transportation Funding Update
The Transportation Funding and Reform Commission report
entitled, Investing in Our Future: Addressing Pennsylvania's Transportation
Funding Crisis, (http://www.pacd.org/districts/TransportationReport06.PDF),
was released in late August. Unfortunately there is no mention of
the Dirt and Gravel Road Program, local roads, local government funding
shortfalls, or rural road problems in the report.
The Commission held six hearings across the state in September to
obtain public input on how to improve the state's transportation system.
Conservation districts were represented at three of the hearings.
Jim Resh, manager at Indiana County Conservation District, testified
at the hearing in Pittsburgh. Susan Reed, manager at Clearfield County
Conservation District, testified in State College. PACD staff testified
at the hearing in Harrisburg. PACD's testimony was as follows:
Good Afternoon. My name is Brenda Shambaugh and
I am the Government Relations/Policy Specialist for the Pennsylvania
Association of Conservation Districts. The Pennsylvania Association
of Conservation Districts is a non-profit organization that supports,
enhances, and promotes Pennsylvania's Conservation Districts and their
programs.
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Pennsylvania
Transportation Funding and Reform Commission report entitled, "Investing
in Our Future: Addressing Pennsylvania's Transportation Funding Crisis."
Frankly, I was surprised and disappointed when I read the report.
Although this document addresses some key transportation funding issues,
it does not mention, nor recommend additional funding for a key rural
transportation program, namely the PA Dirt and Gravel Roads Program
(DGRP.)
In 1997, the Pennsylvania enacted a DGRP to deal with sediment and
dust pollution generated on sections of more than 17,000 miles of
unpaved Commonwealth and local government roads. This innovative effort
funds "environmentally sound" maintenance of unpaved roadway
sections identified as sources of dust and sediment pollution through
Section 9106 of the PA Vehicle Code.
Each of the sixty-five counties with unpaved roads establishes a local
four-member Quality Assurance Board (QAB) to assist the conservation
district board in distribution of their fund allocations. A prerequisite
to receiving grant funds is completion of a two day Dirt and Gravel
Road Program "Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance" (ESM)
training course. Local municipalities and state agencies that complete
the two day ESM training may apply for grant funds by submitting a
one page application with a sketch work plan for maintenance to be
done along the road. Project applications are reviewed by the county
QAB, which makes recommendations to the conservation district's board
of directors for prioritization of funding and approval of grants.
The program is having a positive impact on improved road maintenance
and sediment pollution prevention in Pennsylvania - but more can be
achieved. An increase in this transportation funding is needed and
justified.
Currently, the DGRP receives a total of $5 million of dedicated, non-lapsing
funding per year from the state Motor License Fund. Four million dollars
of the allocation is utilized by the State Conservation Commission
for distribution by county conservation districts to local municipalities
and state agencies owning sections of dirt or gravel roads. The remaining
one million dollars is earmarked for the state Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources for similar use on state forestry road projects.
Unfortunately, this appropriation amount has been stagnant since the
program's inception nine years ago, even though costs have increased
at a staggering rate during that same timeframe. Despite the lack
of increased funding, however, there have been 1,445 completed dirt
and gravel road projects, and another 12,000 locations have been identified
as pollution sites needing attention. Based on an average of 206 projects
annually, it would take more than fifty-eight years to address the
currently identified problem sites. This also incorrectly assumes
that the unrelenting forces of wind, water and soil erosion will not
create any new dust and sediment pollution problems along these roadways.
|
YEAR
|
# Projects
Completed
|
Money Spent on Completed Projects
|
Average Spent per Project
|
|
1998-2002
|
981
|
$13,762,000
|
$14,029
|
|
2003
|
174
|
$2,358.000
|
$13,552
|
|
2004
|
165
|
$3,299,000
|
$19,994
|
|
2005
|
125
|
$2,756,000
|
$22,048
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
1,445
|
$22,175,000
|
$17,405
|
Many local municipalities that have participated
in the program are carrying over these environmentally sound maintenance
techniques to ongoing road maintenance activities and saving money.
Local municipalities strongly support the DGRP and need additional
road maintenance funding to stabilize their unpaved roadways, preserve
additional fishing and recreation opportunities and enhance surface
drinking water supplies. Since the program's inception there has
also been a total of $7,670,000 in-kind contributions in donated
goods and services from participants. This indicates the importance
of dirt and gravel roads as an integral component of the state's
transportation infrastructure, providing agriculture, forestry,
and mining with a method to transport goods and products from the
source to the market. Additionally, DGRP has helped forge strong
relationships between conservation districts and local municipalities
that have promoted increased collaboration and conservation in several
related areas of pollution prevention and community cooperation.
PACD urges the Pennsylvania Transportation Funding and Reform Commission
to specifically recommend additional funding for the DGRP program.
We also recommend that rural roads and bridges be included in any
funding increase recommendations the Commission makes to the PA
General Assembly and that the current DGRP allocation to conservation
districts be increased to $12 million. Thank you for your consideration
in this matter. I will be happy to answer any questions you may
have.
The following documents are available on the PACD website in relation
to this issue:
Please contact PACD Government Relations/Policy Specialist
Brenda Shambaugh with any questions. She can be reached at (717) 238-7223
x19 or brenda-shambaugh@pacd.org.
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