Better parks, cleaner rivers: How Pa. will spend a ‘generational’ $765 million for conservation and environmental programs

Under the state budget passed last week, Pennsylvania’s conservation programs will receive a one-time, pandemic-related federal booster shot of $765 million for state parks, forests, streams, open space, farms, and home energy efficiency — an amount one environmental advocate called “generational.”

The funding means three new state parks, one possibly in the Philadelphia region, as well as a new ATV park, though locations haven’t been announced. The money, which is in addition to regular yearly budget funding, comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a $1.9 trillion federal economic stimulus bill signed by President Joe Biden last year as part of COVID-19 relief.

The ARPA funds, combined with an additional $56 million from the state’s Oil and Gas Lease Fund, and a $12 billion state surplus, mean that agencies routinely faced with declining or stagnant spending plans are suddenly getting a big lift.

Ezra Thrush, senior director for government affairs for the nonprofit environmental advocacy group PennFuture, called the investment “a truly generational-level investment.”

“We haven’t seen numbers of this kind for investment in conservation for probably several decades,” Thrush said. “It’s going to be significantly meaningful for land conservation, for farmland preservation, for open spaces, for our parks and forests. This was something that we didn’t think was going to be possible, given today’s political environment.”

Most of the ARPA money will be doled out through four new programs.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will receive $100 million for a newly created Parks and Outdoor Recreation Program designed to fund rehabilitation, repair, and development of parks and forests. That includes grants for open space, protecting waterways, providing access to riverfronts, boosting local parks and recreation facilities, and for conservation and beautification projects.

Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the DCNR, said the money could trickle down to the Philadelphia region in multiple ways. A portion of the money will go toward the creation of three state parks expected to be announced in the fall, including “one that will be of interest to you” Dunn said, referring to Inquirer readers, though she did not provide more detail.

» READ MORE: Could a new state park be coming to the Philly region?

“This has very bipartisan and broad support across the state,” Dunn said of using ARPA money for conservation. “As we know, that’s not the way everything is these days. So it makes it kind of unique and special.”

Dunn said the DCNR has a $1.4 billion backlog of projects, “so we won’t have any trouble spending it.” She said there are projects “bubbling to the top of a list that were just waiting for money.”

Pennsylvania currently has 121 state parks covering 300,000 acres.

Dunn said examples of where the money could be used might include work on the Delaware River and Schuylkill River trails, increasing river access, and park rehabilitations in Philadelphia.

Other projects include paving at Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County, turning a historic building into a visitor center for Delaware Canal State Park in Bucks County, and work on a swimming pool at French Creek State Park in Chester County.

Another plus for Dunn: Her budget increased by 9% to $152 million for the fiscal year that started July 1.

The Department of Environmental Protection will also see its budget rise slightly more than 8% to $183 million. Included in ARPA money the department receives will be $4.4 million for acid-mine drainage abatement and $8.8 million to address storm-water issues.

An additional $220 million of the ARPA money will be used to establish a new Clean Streams Fund. Pennsylvania has 85,000 miles of waterways — the highest stream density in the continental U.S. One-third of those waterways are considered polluted enough to harm wildlife, recreation, or drinking water.

The Clean Streams Fund is designed to fund projects that clean rivers and streams damaged by agricultural runoff, abandoned mine drainage, and storm water.

A key target is the Susquehanna River watershed that drains into the Chesapeake Bay, carrying pollution with it. Federal officials with the Environmental Protection Agency have been at odds with Pennsylvania for failing to adequately fund pollution control measures.

Clean Streams money will go to farmers to build vegetative strips to help protect stream banks, install retention ponds, keep livestock out of streams, design chicken coops that prevent runoff from draining into waterways, and a host of other projects. Agriculture is a source of pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides, and salts.

“This new funding is a tremendous step toward bringing clean water to Pennsylvanians and the bay downstream,” said Hilary Falk, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

State Sen. Gene Yaw(R., Lycoming) called the program “a huge benefit to the Chesapeake Bay” but noted the state will need to figure how to keep money flowing to the Clean Streams Fund after the ARPA money is gone.

And $320 million of the ARPA money will go toward drinking water, sewer projects, flood control, and dam repair. A key goal is to prevent storm runoff from polluting waterways and to upgrade older sewer systems that cause untreated waste to flow into waterways during storm.

State Sen. Bob Mensch (R., Montgomery) called the water and sewer money, as well as the other projects, “a significant investment.”

“We have to take care of the environment,” Mensch said, “so it can take care of us.”

Though not strictly an environmental program, the new Whole Home Repairs Act will receive $125 million of ARPA money. The act, introduced by State Sen. Nikil Saval (D., Philadelphia), offers grants of up to $50,000 to qualifying homeowners for home maintenance, weatherization, energy efficiency, and other issues in areas faced with blight.

Pennsylvania members of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-based climate advocacy group, were among the environmental organizations that backed the bill.

“We can reduce our energy use and our homes’ impact on our climate,” Mary Collier, an organizer with the Sunrise Movement, said in a statement. “Our utility bills will be more affordable so everyone can stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. By keeping our neighbors housed, we can stabilize our communities, build generational wealth, and create the right conditions for long-term health.”