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CONSERVATION TRUST FOR NORTH CAROLINA |
Conservation Trust for North Carolina Electronic Newsletter Victory for Clean Water ! New State Budget Fully Funds Clean Water
Management
On August 13 Governor Easley signed into law the state’s new $17 billion budget. For the first time since the Clean Water Management Trust Fund was created in 1996, the budget fully funds it at $100 million per year. This is a huge victory for land and water conservation because CWMTF makes grants to local governments, state agencies, and non-profit conservation groups for projects that protect clean streams and safe drinking water. Grants from this fund have never been more important to North Carolina’s future. The state continues to lose over 400 acres of natural lands to development each day, resulting in declining water quality in many of the state’s most important rivers and lakes. Full funding of the CWMTF is an important step in halting this decline. Special thanks go out to Senate President Marc Basnight for leading the charge for full funding, and to all of you who weighed in with you legislators. Your efforts worked! Please thank your legislators for approving full funding for the CWMTF as well as for the Natural Heritage Trust Fund and the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. In addition, thanks to the work of Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), the budget includes $50,000 for the NC Department of Agriculture to start up an advisory committee to revitalize the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. Legislation authorizing the creation of the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Committee and enhancing incentives for Voluntary Agricultural Districts (VAD) has been approved by both houses and should arrive at the governor’s desk shortly for signature. Though this legislative session has been one of the most successful for conservation initiatives in recent memory, the General Assembly still has more work to do before adjournment.
Please support our work to push for additional conservation
tax incentives in the last days of the legislative session.
*********************** Conservation Trust for North Carolina
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