News & Notes September 2002

$35 Million in Growing Greener Grants Announced
Conservation Districts to Receive Nearly $7 Million

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary David E. Hess recently announced that Pennsylvania's county conservation districts will receive nearly $7 million in funding through the Growing Greener Program. A total of $5,209,047 has been allocated for conservation district projects in 47 counties, while $1,701,510 will go toward funding conservation district watershed specialists. In addition, The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) will receive grant funding in the amount of $1.3 million for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and $425,275 for technical assistance.

In all, a total of $34.2 million in Growing Greener grants have been approved for projects to improve the environment. The grants will be used by 239 organizations for watershed restoration, protection and education; technical assistance; and watershed specialist positions. In addition to the Growing Greener grants, Secretary Hess announced grants awarded through Pennsylvania's Non-Point Source Management Program and Coastal Non-Point Pollution Program. Pennsylvania's Non-Point Source Management Program awarded $3.87 million to control, prevent and remediate non-point sources of polluted runoff.

The Coastal Non-Point Pollution Program was awarded $462,765 to protect and enhance fragile coastal resources, while reducing conflict between competing land and water uses. Secretary Hess said the environmental improvements resulting from the Growing Greener grants will include 257 acres of abandoned mines reclaimed, 810 acres of wetlands created or restored, 94 oil and gas wells plugged, 82 miles of streams impacted by acid mine drainage cleaned, 299 miles of riparian buffer planted, 19.5 miles of stream banks improved, and 15 new watershed groups formed.

"In addition, these groups project to leverage these funds by more than $66.5 million," Secretary Hess said. "This almost doubles the dollars invested in Pennsylvania's environmental future and helps to ensure the ongoing efforts from Growing Greener will continue for generations of Pennsylvanians to come."

The grants include $1.7 million to support 58 watershed specialist positions covering 61 of the state's 67 counties. The watershed specialists help local groups protect and improve their watersheds, provide expert advice to farmers and landowners for conservation practices, work with DEP regional watershed coordinators on all proposals and projects, and help support local Growing Greener projects in their counties.

Technical assistance grants provide funding to local non-profit organizations and other eligible Growing Greener grantees who, in turn, will provide needed technical assistance to watershed groups and others who are pursuing eligible Growing Greener activities. These technical assistance providers, through supporting other private and public watershed conservation organizations, will facilitate the use of Growing Greener grants as well as other resources.

"Growing Greener represents the next generation of environmental protection programs -- supporting community- and watershed-based projects that build partnerships to accomplish their goals," Secretary Hess said. Funding for the Growing Greener program was doubled and extended through 2012 in the state budget recently signed into law by Gov. Schweiker.

DEP's portion of Growing Greener funding was increased to $547.7 million from $241.5 million in the original program. It is now funded primarily through a $4-per-ton tipping fee on solid waste disposed in Pennsylvania's municipal waste landfills. For more information on the Growing Greener program, visit the Pennsylvania homepage at www.state.pa.us, PA Keyword: "Growing Greener."

Conservation districts and other entities interested in obtaining Engineering Assistance through PACD for Round Four Growing Greener Grants should return their applications to their respective regional Engineering Assistance Teams as soon as possible. The next Workload Advisory Team meetings will be held in September for three of the four regions, where the teams will review and prioritize the applications.

This will also help the Advisory Teams determine if PACD can provide assistance to all of the applicants, or if it will be necessary for applicants to obtain engineering assistance from another source. PACD Engineering Assistance applications and program information can be found on the PACD website: www.pacd.org.

The schedule for the Workload Advisory Team Meetings is as follows:

• September 12 - Somerset NRCS Technical Center
  
• September 16 - Bloomsburg NRCS Technical Center
  
• September 26 - Lebanon NRCS Technical Center
  
• Undetermined - Clarion NRCS Technical Center

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