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Don't Let the the Hudson Valley's Green Economy Fall Victim to the Budget Crisis

Despite the woes of Wall Street and the national economy, the Hudson Valley has a diverse and strong economic base in our agricultural and tourism industries. Right now, regional tourism has the potential to get an important boost from this year's Quadricentennial celebration.

Unfortunately, Governor David A. Paterson's proposed budget is poised to harm some of very state programs that have sparked our region's green economy. He has proposed the virtual elimination of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Council and Conservancy -- a key state agency charged with fostering environmental conservation and compatible economic development. And he is proposing a drastic reduction of the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) -- the single most important state funding mechanism for land acquisition, farmland preservation and waterfront revitalization.

The Greenway programs coordinate and promote the preservation of the valley's scenic, natural, historic, cultural and recreational treasures while encouraging compatible economic development. Each year, they direct a number of $500,000 and $1 million grants from federal and other sources into our regional economy. The EPF is a vital resource for creating clean water, healthy air and more parks for everyone to enjoy. These things are the backbone of the Hudson Valley’s economy, and our quality of life.

Cuts to these programs will undermine our region's economic strength at exactly the wrong time. Please use the form below to send a letter to your local lawmakers urging them to maintain the Greenway and the EPF -- not just because they are good for the environment, but because they are essential drivers of our Hudson Valley economy.

July 30, 2010

Subject:

As a Scenic Hudson member in your district, I am writing to ask you to oppose some alarming proposals of the state budget that will have a direct and negative impact on our lives here in the Hudson Valley. As the President and Congress work carefully and quickly to construct an effective stimulus package to fuel projects that build up local economies, New York must be poised to take on the challenging task of transitioning the direction of state and regional economic growth to realize the maximum benefit of taxpayer dollars. Recognizing that, I urge you to preserve two vital programs that do just that in our communities.

First, I urge you to oppose the proposed elimination of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council and Conservancy. While I recognize and appreciate the budget challenges raised by the state's serious fiscal crisis, the merger of the Greenway into the New York Department of State has little effect in balancing the state's budgetary crisis yet undermines a tremendously important and successful regional economic development program.  It adds yet another layer to the regulatory authority of the Department of State and effectively destroys the Greenway's unique ability to bring multiple stakeholders together to streamline government processes, save money and protect the environment.

The elimination of the Greenway also jeopardizes millions of dollars in federal funding that New York State receives through the National Heritage Area program.  The Greenway has demonstrated success through spearheading major tourism events such as the Hudson River Valley Ramble, which last year engaged 130,000 participants, generating an estimated economic impact of $8,099,000.  The agencies have also partnered with the Hudson Valley Economic Development Coorporation to create 9,500 jobs within the past decade.  I encourage you and your colleagues in the New York State Legislature to reject this proposal.

Second, I would like you to oppose the Governor's proposed cuts to the structure and substance of the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The EPF is not a luxury -- it is a capital investment fund that makes strategic investments in New York's "green infrastructure."

Several years ago, the New York Legislature firmly acknowledged that natural resources cannot be created but must be protected now and for future generations. When they created New York State's first permanent dedicated environmental funding mechanism—a small portion of the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) -- environmental protection was established as a cornerstone of economic development. It is a commitment to balance the important relationship between a vigorous economy and a healthy environment and should not be compromised. Retain the RETT as the proper and logical source of funding for the EPF.

Here in the Hudson Valley, the proposed cuts to the EPF will severely limit efforts to jumpstart sustainable economic development. Depleting the EPF reduces or eliminates many programs that are crucial to our regional economy, including:

OPEN SPACE ACQUISITION AND FARMLAND PRESERVATION to fund the protection of working farms, critical habitat and majestic natural spaces. In Governor Paterson's State of the State Address, he emphasized the escalating costs of public health as a serious issue in the state budget. The EPF supports his "Healthy Foods -- Healthy Communities" idea by providing critical funds to help preserve New York's farmland, where wholesome local foods for our markets and schools are grown.

About 25 percent of the state's land area, or 7.55 million acres, are used by 35,600 farms to produce a very diverse array of food products.  In the Hudson Valley, about 20% of the land base is in farming, much of it in direct proximity to the New York City metropolitan area.

At Senator Gillibrand's recent economic summit in Hyde Park, the senator underscored the benefits farming offers the Hudson Valley. Local farms contribute $530 million annually to the region's economy, provide homes and restaurants with healthy produce and, by reducing the "food miles" meals take to reach our tables, even help reduce climate change.

WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION, administered by the Department of State, delivers expertise to local municipalities to help enable environmentally-friendly redevelopment of Hudson River waterfronts. Our state's waterfront areas have historically been the centerpieces of local communities and the EPF vigorously supports smart waterfront planning and revitalizing these communities as destinations for tourism, recreation, businesses and residences. Tourism in the Hudson Valley sustains over 58,000 jobs and helps promote the local $4.5 billion annual tourism economy. This EPF program focuses new development where it should be — in our already developed urban centers. As they become healthier and more viable, this can reduce development pressure on open space resources and mitigate the effects of air pollution in our communities.

The HUDSON RIVER ESTUARY PROGRAM invests in highly skilled staff that deliver advice for the management of the Hudson River Estuary to communities, and backs up its words with grant dollars to spur action. In conjunction with the Clean Water and Clean Air Bond Acts of 1996, EPF programs like this one have been vital to local communities as they struggle to comply with increasing state and national mandates to protect public health while preserving precious natural resources. Green infrastructure investments to reduce stormwater and sewage, while protecting drinking water supplies, are estimated to create 4,449 water infrastructure jobs of all types per year.

CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS to enable cooperation and capacity building among New York's land trust community. Our farms, forests and open spaces are directly in the path of development, and farmland in New York State is being lost at a rate of 26,000 acres per year. There is more than $150 million in demands for purchase of development rights while there is only $17.5 million proposed by the governor for this program in his budget. Partnering the public and private sector leverages an average $2.31 for every taxpayer dollar invested and furthers the goal of sustainable, local economies.

I understand the need to cope with New York State's serious budget shortfalls, but I feel strongly that elimination of the Greenway program combined with drastic cuts to the EPF would have serious adverse consequences to the region's economy and environment.

Capitalizing and promoting the unique and vital resources New York has in the Hudson River Valley is the fundamental mission of the Hudson Valley Greenway. Protecting and preserving those resources is the core of the Environmental Protection Fund.

I hope you will work to restore these crucial items to the state budget.

Sincerely,

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Take Action

Don't Let the the Hudson Valley's Green Economy Fall Victim to the Budget Crisis

Despite the woes of Wall Street and the national economy, the Hudson Valley has a diverse and strong economic base in our agricultural and tourism industries. Right now, regional tourism has the potential to get an important boost from this year's Quadricentennial celebration.

Thanks for your participation. Our region's economic future depends on "green" programs like these.