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Learn More2009 Federal Priorities
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The nation’s economic crisis and its impacts on our state government’s revenues will be the overriding factor in the 2009 Connecticut General Assembly session. A $900 million deficit is now projected for the current FY09 fiscal year (July 1st, 2008 – June 30, 2009), and an $8 billion deficit for the following two years.
In light of this budget climate, unprecedented in its severity, the Conservancy will focus primarily on maintaining, rather than increasing, funding levels for several state programs that are critical to Connecticut’s natural resources.
On February 4th, Governor Rell presented her proposed biennial budget for the two years that start July 1st. Her budget and the revised version of it that she will negotiate with the General Assembly include both Appropriations (day-to-day operational spending that pays for agency staff, electricity, rent, office supplies, etc.) and Bonding (20-year loans that the state takes out for “capital” expenditures, such as road and building construction and land acquisition).
Open Space Preservation and the Face of Connecticut
The Face of Connecticut campaign, an alliance of sixty organizations that advocate jointly for state funding for open space, farmland and historic preservation, and brownfields redevelopment, will push for maintaining current funding for open space ($15 million in bonding, $4-5 million in dedicated revenues) and farmland preservation, and establishing a new Face of Connecticut account that would provide bond funding for historic preservation and brownfields programs that current receive minimal funding.
Governor Rell has proposed no new open space bonding authorizations for FY2010 and $15 million for FY2011.
Many of the organizations in the Face of Connecticut coalition are opposing a proposal by Governor Rell to divert $12 million from the Community Investment Act (CIA) to address the state's budget deficit. The CIA was established in 2005, and uses a surcharge on real estate document recording fees to provide approximately $20 million annually for four programmatic areas - the DEP’s Open Space Matching Grants program, as well as farmland preservation, affordable housing, and historic preservation programs. The CIA has been a critical supplement to bonding for the Open Space grants program, enabling dozens of community land acquisition projects, that would not have been funded with bonding alone, to be completed.
Climate Change
The Global Warming Solutions Act, passed by the General Assembly last year, included a provision, introduced by The Nature Conservancy, that directed the existing Governor's Steering Committee on Climate Change to establish a subcommittee, comprised of additional state agencies and outside experts, to assess the impacts of climate change on Connecticut's human infrastructure and natural communities, and to make recommendations for enabling our communities to adapt to the those impacts.
Helping this subcommittee make the most effective assessments and recommendations possible and pursue funding for its work will be a major priority for TNC this year. Sea level rise, more erratic and intense storm events, and other climate change impacts are projected to devastate tidal wetlands and other coastal and riverfront habitats. In addition, poorly planned efforts to respond to the impacts of sea level rise and flooding on human infrastructure could actually worsen the impacts on natural habitats.
Lise Hanners, TNC’s State Director, and DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy have been appointed Co-Chairs of the subcommittee.
The Conservancy is also working with other organizations to oppose a proposal by Governor Rell to divert $50 million from state energy efficiency programs to address the current fiscal year’s budget deficit.
DEP Funding
Many of the programs with which we work at DEP are far less effective than they need to be due to chronic staff shortages at the agency. Last year, legislative leaders had agreed on a proposal to provide funding for 50 additional positions at the agency, but this initiative failed when the legislature and Governor decided not to adopt a new budget for FY09. This year, the climate is obviously far less favorable, so the coalition working on the agency’s operations funding will focus on limiting the cuts to DEP’s staffing budget.
The Governor’s proposal cuts 24 positions from DEP, most of them currently vacant, but it also corrects a very serious long-term structural defect in the manner in which the agency has been funded.
Details: Since 1991, the number of DEP positions funded by the state’s General Fund has been cut almost in half. DEP has tried to limit the actual staff reductions, in the face of significantly increased responsibilities, by paying for these positions with dedicated fees, under a system that was passed in 1991 to plug a budget hole that year.
There are two problems with this approach: When positions are funded by the General Fund, the Comptroller’s Office, not DEP, pays for employee benefits, which now amount to 60% of salary. When positions are funded by special or dedicated fees, the benefits are paid for by the agency. Second, most general fund positions are adjusted for inflation; dedicated fees are increased only occasionally. DEP has been projecting and warning for a few years that these factors would create the need for massive layoffs in 2010 -2012, even without the state’s budget woes.
The Governor’s proposal shifts all positions currently funded by dedicated funds back to the General Fund. This will take away some flexibility that the agency has had to shift funds around, but basically, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
The Nature Conservancy has been particularly concerned about staffing for the DEP’s Forestry Division, which manages our State Forests but has suffered serious staff cuts in the past decade. We will be working with partners to try to direct a portion of timber cutting revenues, which now go the state’s general fund, to fund additional forestry staff..
Clean Water Fund
The Clean Water Investment Coalition will lobby to maintain or increase current bonding authorizations ($90 million in bonding) for grants to municipalities for sewage treatment plant upgrades. The Governor has recommended maintaining current levels. Outdated facilities can result in excessive nitrogen and other pollutants being released into our streams and eventually Long Island Sound. Insufficient funding prior to the current budget created a serious backlog of critical projects, which the increased funding is helping to address.
Invasive Plant Control
Thousands of plants have been intentionally or accidentally introduced to Connecticut from other continents or parts of North America. The vast majority do not present a threat to native forest or wetlands plants. Some, however, spread very aggressively, out-compete native plants that have much more value to native animals, and significantly degrade our natural habitats.
The Invasive Plants Council, on which The Nature Conservancy serves, is working with the DEP and UConn to ensure that the current $500,000 annual appropriation for a DEP Invasive Plant program is retained. This new program is enabling DEP to more effectively work with other agencies and direct the efforts of hundreds of local volunteers around the state who are trying to control or eradicate invasive plants. The Governor has proposed to eliminate both the new program at DEP and the state's invasive Plants Council whose members are appinted by the Governor and legislature.
Riverfront Protection
A coalition of groups will advance legislation to provide better and more consistent regulation of buffer areas along streams. Vegetated buffers along streams are critical for protecting water quality and important wildlife habitat, and reducing flooding.
Protecting Natural Water Flows in Rivers
Many scientists are increasingly concerned that diversions of water from streams for various human uses are leaving too little water for fish and other aquatic animals to survive. Many of our dams also greatly alter the patterns of stream flow during the year.
TNC’s Regional staff currently serves on two DEP advisory boards that are developing proposed regulations to implement the streamflow standards bill that was passed in 2005. These regulations will provide DEP the authority to work with dam operators and other large water users to see if they can alter their water release practices to more closely reflect natural seasonal flows.
Nature picture credit: © Jerry Monkman/EcoPhotography.com (Common terns (Sterna hirundo) in flight on the beach of Griswold Point Preserve in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Long Island Sound.).
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