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Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup - 5/15/09
Jack Clarke, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations
Jennifer Ryan, Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs
This Week:
Senate Releases FY2010 Budget -- Take Action Now!
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means has released its Fiscal Year 2010 budget recommendations, cutting $1.3 billion from the recently finalized House of Representatives budget. A total of $206,647,835 has been allotted to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), down about $34 million from last year. The Senate figure also marks an $11.8 million environmental funding reduction from that proposed by the House. For details on Mass Audubon's priorities, see below. - Funding for the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program has once again been cut. Senator Anthony Petruccelli (D-Boston), Senate Chair of the Environment Committee, has filed an amendment to restore this funding. Thanks the House of Representatives for adopting the program into their budget via a similar amendment, and particularly to Representative William Straus, House Chair of the Environment Committee who filed the amendment, with the support of Representatives Kocot, Patrick, Provost, Smizik, Callahan, Gobi, Puppolo, Garballey, Peake, Rush, Lantigua, Creedon, Grant, Dykema, Hecht, and O'Day. Let's aim for the same success with the Senate budget!
- The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Division of State Parks, Division of Urban Parks, and Trailside Museum have been consolidated into one line item, receiving a total of $46,558,361. This figure represents a $1.6 million drop compared to the House budget. Senator Brian Joyce has filed an amendment to restore the stand-alone funding for Trailside Museum and Senator Petruccelli has filed an amendment to increase overall funding.
- $4,740,855 went to DCR administrative operations, about $319,000 less than the House budget allotment and $2.6 million less than Mass Audubon's recommendation for this fiscal year.
- EEA's MassGIS mapping program was consolidated into an information technology line item, as it was in the Governor's and House budgets, receiving a total of $4,740,855; Mass Audubon had recommended at least $296,032 for the program as an independent line item.
- Department of Fish and Game (DFG) administrative operations received $678,762 after $35,000 was shaved from the House budget recommendation. Mass Audubon's recommendation was for $793,896.
In two rare instances of good news, $433,179 in funding for the DFG Riverways programs marks a slight increase from the $431,783 recommended in the House budget, and no cuts were made to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Wetlands Retained Revenue program. The Senate plans to debate the state budget next week. After that, the House and Senate versions of the budget will go to conference committee. There, differences between the two will be reconciled before the bill heads to the Governor's desk for his review. The budget should be in place before the next fiscal year beginning July 1.
PLEASE CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR TODAY AND ASK THEM TO SIGN ONTO AMENDMENTS RESTORING FUNDING TO NATURAL HERITAGE, THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION AND TRAILSIDE MUSEUM!
Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program The Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program within the Department of Fish and Game, instituted 23 years ago in partnership with The Conservancy, is one of the most effective Heritage programs in the nation. Heritage staff collects, manages and distributes scientific data about rare and endangered species and habitats. Data guides developers through environmental impact review processes; assists state agencies, municipalities, and private conservation partners to protect resources and manage projects, and makes possible implementation of the Wetlands Protection Act and Endangered Species Act. Amendment Request: $125,000 filed by Senator Petruccelli. Last year's funding: $250,000 State and Urban Parks and Recreation, Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) DCR manages nearly 500,000 acres of protected land, including state parks, urban parks, and public watersheds that attract over 35 million visitors annually. This is the ninth largest park service in the nation. Over the past decade, visitor services and routine maintenance of the forests and parks have greatly suffered. The lack of adequate staffing and physical maintenance poses potential public health and safety liabilities. The annual operating budget for the combined divisions of DCR has been reduced by over 30% in recent years. Please support necessary funding for responsible stewardship of the Commonwealth's forests and parks, including both ongoing maintenance and enforcement of environmental laws. Amendment Request: $48,175,400 (restored to the House budget level) filed by Senator Petruccelli. Last year's funding: $56,218,468 Trailside Museum, Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Since 1974, Mass Audubon has managed the publicly owned Blue Hills Trailside Museum as the gateway to the Blue Hills State Reservation. The mission of Blue Hills Trailside Museum is to promote awareness, appreciation, and active concern for the nature of Massachusetts among people of all ages and to provide enjoyable, affordable environmental education by drawing upon the natural resources of the Blue Hills Reservation and beyond. The Museum's environmental education programs reach over ninety-nine communities annually, and are often the only source of natural history for many urban youth. Over 200,000 people visit the Museum each year. Funding was cut by more than half from $425,000 to $125,000 in FY09, and is not identified in the Governor's or House budget. Amendment Request: $425,000 filed by Senator Brian Joyce. Last year's funding: $425,000
PLEASE CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR TODAY!
Locate the name and contact information of your state senator, if you do not already know, by visiting: http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=j0h3971aTv2wviRITM_f2Q.. (Note: look for "Rep. In General Court"); or,
http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=ExEYYDnz5a7IRV3ZYrpleA.. SAMPLE MESSAGE * Give your name and town. * Ask to speak to the Senator. If he or she is not available, ask to speak to a staff member about the budget. *Encourage them to sign on as cosponsors to Senate Budget Amendments filed by Senator Petruccelli for the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program and Department of Conservation and Recreation and the amendment filed by Senator Joyce for the Trailside Museum. Tell them you support these amendments and would appreciate your Senator's support. These amendments would restore vital funding to some of Massachusetts' most valuable environmental services.
Thank you for your advocacy! This is a tight budget year, and funding for environmental programs is dropping well below 1% of the entire state budget!
Ocean Management for the Bay State
Last year, the Massachusetts Ocean Management Act was signed into law by Governor Patrick as a first-in-the-nation effort to manage state ocean waters. Mass Audubon was appointed by the Governor to the 17-member Ocean Advisory Commission to represent the Commonwealth's environmental interests and work with the administration to write the ocean plan.
Calendar
Public Meetings The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), will hold a meeting focused on the technical details of a recent Global Warming Solutions Act report. For more information, visit MassDEP's Climate Change website. Monday, May 18, 2009
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Rooms 2B & 2C
100 Cambridge Street
Boston, MA 02114 Please bring a Photo ID and allow time to pass through security. A series of regional sessions are being held about the Land Use Partnership Act and its impact on existing zoning and land use statutes. The regional meetings are open to the public. Please view the meeting schedule for more information.
Governor Patrick will be holding community forums focused on difficult choices facing the state in these challenging economic times. These forums will take place in 36 communities throughout the state, and will allow the public to provide input and ask questions. See the schedule to find an upcoming meeting near you.
Please contact us if you have any questions at: action@massaudubon.org.
About The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup
The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup tracks the legislative priorities of Mass Audubon, focusing on the protection of the nature of Massachusetts. We encourage you to forward this newsletter to friends, family, and colleagues and to enlist their support.
If you are not already a member of Mass Audubon's Action Network, we encourage you to join by filling out our online form or by e-mailing us. Membership dues provide vital support for Mass Audubon's advocacy work on Beacon Hill and across the state. If you are not already a Mass Audubon member please join today.
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 Mass Audubon Advocacy
6 Beacon Street, Suite 1025
Boston, MA 02108
617-523-8448 (phone)
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