| Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz joined several of her congressional colleagues to express concern over the underfunding of a critical open space preservation program that protects lands in the Highlands Region. The region comprises 3.5 million forested acres in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, including parts of Montgomery, Chester, and Bucks counties.
Schwartz joined with 20 of her congressional colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter expressing support for the full funding of the Highlands preservation program, which assists state governments with conserving eligible priority land. President Bush has requested $2 million for the program in fiscal year 2007, a fraction of the up to $10 million that is authorized annually under the Highlands Conservation Act, which was signed into law by the President just last year.
“It is crucial that we protect and preserve threatened open spaces, particularly in vital areas such as the Highlands. Preserving local open space is not just critical to our region’s quality of life, but also to safeguarding our water and environmental quality,” said U.S. Representative Schwartz.
A copy of the letter sent to Representatives Charles Taylor and Norman Dicks, respectively the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, follows below.
For a PDF of the official signed letter please contact Rachel Magnuson at Rachel.Magnuson@mail.house.gov.
February 22, 2006
The Honorable Charles Taylor, Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
B-308 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Norman Dicks, Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
B-308 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chairman Taylor and Ranking Member Dicks:
In order to protect the Highlands Region, a large swath of land that extends from Connecticut across New York State and northern New Jersey and into eastern Pennsylvania, Congress approved and President Bush signed into law, the Highlands Conservation Act in November 2004. This law secures the interests of municipal, county and state governments, landowners and the public's efforts to protect open space, green acres and water supplies in this critically important four state region.
The HCA authorizes up to $10 million per year over the next 10 years for land conservation partnership projects and open space purchases from willing sellers. This funding will be substantially leveraged, as the HCA requires that federal funds are matched at the state and local level. Therefore, although the President's FY2007 budget request calls for just $2 million in funding, we are requesting full funding for this program to ensure the pristine wilderness and wildlife of the Highlands are adequately protected. As a follow up, we will provide to you a list of specific projects that will be funded by this request in each of the four Highlands states.
From 1999 to 2000, the population within the Highlands increased by 11 percent and more than 5,000 acres of the New York New Jersey Highlands are being developed each year. As the demand for new housing and other types of development continue to alter the vast areas of forest and open space in our region, it is important that we recognize the Highlands as a national treasure and fully fund the program as it was authorized.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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