Environmental Protection Fund gets green
Good news from Albany: after some early scares, $222 million dollars has been allotted this year to continue the work of the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). This money will ensure that state programs at zoos, botanical gardens, municipal parks, farmland and other natural areas remain intact. 40% of waterfront and parks revitalization will be targeted to underserved communities, up from the 25% stipulated in previous budgets. And the Environmental Protection Fund will be “sweeps” free, meaning that moneys can’t be taken out of it to fill in other parts of the budget down the line.
For us, this means a lot: the Freshkills Park project has been a grateful beneficiary of EPF grant funding, awarded by the New York Department of State Office of Coastal, Local Government & Community Sustainability, since 1999.
