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Voters Approve Environmental Bond Question
Voters approved a May 17 ballot question that
proposed borrowing $625 million to fund government spending on environmental
initiatives.
The ballot question was the result of legislation
recently enacted by the General Assembly and addresses an array of environmental
programs known as “Growing Greener.” The governor originally had sought to
borrow $800 million and pay it off through increased taxes.
Legislators and the governor will next work out how
much the Commonwealth can borrow each year. Such implementing legislation will
also determine how the funding will be spent. Senate Republicans are committed to ensuring that a significant
portion of any increased spending authorized by voters be allocated through
counties to reflect county-established priorities.
Growing Greener is a 13-year,
$1.24 billion initiative to protect, restore and preserve Pennsylvania’s natural
resources through watershed restoration and protection, state park and forest
infrastructure improvements, open space conservation, farmland preservation,
mine reclamation and more. The initiative was launched by Gov. Ridge in
1999 and enhanced by the GOP-led legislation in 2002.
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