"During the prosperity of the 1990s, Pennsylvania ranked 42nd out of 50 states in economic growth," according to Rendell. He calls Growing Greener a key component of his overall economic stimulus program "to make sure that never happens again." Preserving "our open space is critical to the future of our farms, our economy and our quality of life," he states.
The bond issue would be distributed among three areas: $330 million for parks, open space and farmland; $300 million for environmental clean-up, and $170 million to revitalize older communities. It would be paid for "with a mix of fees on a small fraction of businesses that create waste and pollution," according to Dennis Wolff, state agriculture secretary.
"For every 64 acres that are preserved, 300 are lost to development," Wolff says. Since 1989, Berks County has preserved 323 farms aggregating 37,739 acres, more than any county in the state. As part of the plan to expand the Growing Greener initiative, Rendell proposes $100 million for farmland preservation, which could save 43,000 acres over four years, he estimates.
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