Environmentalists Warn Of Damage From Proposed State Budget Cuts

HARTFORD, March 24, 2003–Governor Rowland’s recent budget proposal could do major long-term harm to the state’s water, air and land by drastically cutting or eliminating a number of environmental programs, conservation groups and lawmakers have warned.

The Day, New London, reports that concerned environmentalists and legislators met in the Capitol March 24, 2003, to discuss suggested cuts. The reductions would drastically affect the Department of Environmental Protection, as well as open-space purchasing programs that have been a source of pride to the Rowland administration. The cuts also would merge the Department of Agriculture into the Department of Consumer Protection and would eliminate the Council on Environmental Quality.

State Rep. Patricia Widlitz, Democrat of Guilford, said: “The environment has an impact on so many parts of our lives… Once you let that go, you don’t get it back. Once the farmland is gone, it’s gone. We need to draw a line in the sand and say ‘no.’”

The League of Conservation Voters estimates that state spending on the environment, now about 2-3% of the overall budget, would drop to about 0.5% under the proposed budget.

The budget would eliminate staff at 41 state parks, forests and recreation areas, and would limit car access. The number of conservation officers who protect parks and shoreline could sink to 44 from 66 in 2000.

Referring to land acquisition, a Nature Conservancy official said: “Over the past five years, the state of Connecticut has made extraordinary progress in preserving open space. The budget before us would completely eliminate the two open space programs… We knew we’d have to suffer some cuts, but to completely eliminate them is unwise.”

Environmental Impact | March 24, 2003