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Thank you for all of your efforts. The General Assembly has decided to put off making a final decision on the Keystone-to-HSCF transfer until their Fall special session which begins September 17. In the coming weeks, check back in to see how you can continue to help.
Message Points
- This fund, approved by the voters in 1993, provides essential current support for land conservation, local park and community recreation, and state park and forest infrastructure.
- A proposal currently before the legislature calls for diverting funds from the Keystone Fund to the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund (HSCA). Stable support for the HSCA fund is very important, but the Keystone Fund should not be tapped to fund HSCA or any purpose other than what was approved by the voters in 1993.
- Ask the Governor to reject any budget deal that would take money from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund. Urge him to keep intact his conservation and recreation legacy. Ask him to back his concern with reconnecting children to the outdoors by giving his full support to the Keystone Fund. No budget can pass without the Governor’s signature. We need him to stand firm for conservation and recreation.
Contact Information
Governor Rendell:
Email: http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html
Telephone: (717) 787-2500
State representative and Senator:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ Enter your zip code + 4 in the upper right corner. Then in the search results, click the name of your representative or senator to get their contact information.
Background
The Keystone Fund receives roughly $86M annually from a portion of the State Realty Transfer Tax. This is the “bread and butter” revenue source for conservation and recreation. The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is allocated 65% of this money for community recreation, park and conservation projects. Libraries, museums, and higher education receive the balance of Keystone funding.
The Keystone program leverages one or more dollars in local funds for each dollar invested by the state, and it has helped communities in every legislative district. It has supported thousands of community park development and recreation projects, protected tens of thousands of acres of critical wildlife habitat, and built hundreds of miles of recreation trails. Communities count on this program to help make things happen.
Last week, the Pennsylvania Senate passed SB 913 that would take away funding from the Keystone Fund and divert it to the Hazardous Sites Clean Up Fund (HSCA). The bill is now in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
For more information, contact WPC at 412-288-2777 and ask to speak to Brian Gallagher or Cynthia Carrow. Or email: publicpolicy@paconserve.org
Note: When this alert expires and the issue has been resolved, WPC will update the public policy section of our web site to reflect this success. Check it at http://www.paconserve.org/policy/index.html
Thank you for your help!
Cynthia Carrow
Vice President
Government and Community Relations
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