Raymo853
06-17-2004, 01:06 PM
This is a message I got from Patricia A. Tomes the coordinator of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
It's do or die time for Growing Greener II. In order to show broad support for Growing Greener II, groups working on this are helping to organize a rally/lobby day next Tuesday, June 22. The rally will be held at noon in the Capitol Rotunda. We hope to have a large, diverse crowd show up, so we'd like to see you and your members there. Please plan to come to Harrisburg next Tuesday - and bring your members and friends. If you can't come to Harrisburg please contact your state legislator and urge them to support Growing Greener II. Thank you!
"To continue the sensible funding program set up in the prior administration, Gov. Rendell has proposed the $800 million - Growing Greener II . Funded thru expanded DEP waste and polluter fees, this plan includes $330 million to protect farmland, forests and other open spaces. Over $170 million to be directed toward revitalizing Pennsylvania's downtowns with funds for community park and riverfront restoration. Both these last two funding sources could include rail-trails. Now is the time to get your state elected officials behind the program.
In May both DCNR and PennDOT programmed more funding for rail-trails. Because of federal Transportation Enhancement (TE) funding PennDOT has always had more dollars to give, however, what’s not always acknowledged is the fact that DCNR rail-trail funding makes much of this PennDOT TE funding possible by serving as the 20% local match require under TE. Without DCNR match dollars many local rail-trails would not have been built.
For example, well over half of the 23 rail-trails programmed by PennDOT in May received DCNR match money. Looking at the period between 1993 and 2003 for which final rail-trail TE data is available, and applying a conservative estimate of half of all TE funded rail-trails received DCNR match dollars, 43 rail-trails would not have been funded without DCNR funding. " Tom Sexton, Director Northeast Regional Field Office, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Easily identify and get contact information for legislators at www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm
Details on Growing Greener II at www.growinggreener2.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
It's do or die time for Growing Greener II. In order to show broad support for Growing Greener II, groups working on this are helping to organize a rally/lobby day next Tuesday, June 22. The rally will be held at noon in the Capitol Rotunda. We hope to have a large, diverse crowd show up, so we'd like to see you and your members there. Please plan to come to Harrisburg next Tuesday - and bring your members and friends. If you can't come to Harrisburg please contact your state legislator and urge them to support Growing Greener II. Thank you!
"To continue the sensible funding program set up in the prior administration, Gov. Rendell has proposed the $800 million - Growing Greener II . Funded thru expanded DEP waste and polluter fees, this plan includes $330 million to protect farmland, forests and other open spaces. Over $170 million to be directed toward revitalizing Pennsylvania's downtowns with funds for community park and riverfront restoration. Both these last two funding sources could include rail-trails. Now is the time to get your state elected officials behind the program.
In May both DCNR and PennDOT programmed more funding for rail-trails. Because of federal Transportation Enhancement (TE) funding PennDOT has always had more dollars to give, however, what’s not always acknowledged is the fact that DCNR rail-trail funding makes much of this PennDOT TE funding possible by serving as the 20% local match require under TE. Without DCNR match dollars many local rail-trails would not have been built.
For example, well over half of the 23 rail-trails programmed by PennDOT in May received DCNR match money. Looking at the period between 1993 and 2003 for which final rail-trail TE data is available, and applying a conservative estimate of half of all TE funded rail-trails received DCNR match dollars, 43 rail-trails would not have been funded without DCNR funding. " Tom Sexton, Director Northeast Regional Field Office, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Easily identify and get contact information for legislators at www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm
Details on Growing Greener II at www.growinggreener2.com