Growing Greener Governor Announces Communities Program HARRISBURG, PA The $1.3 billion initiative will protect watersheds; preserve open space; and invest in parks and environmental recreation such as the Gifford Pinchot State Park Beach (above). Photo provided by Pennsylvania DCNR. PA Governor Tom Ridge recently announced the 1999-2000 budget proposal focusing on the protection of Pennsylvania environment through the Growing Greener initiative, along with a new program to encourage community-based, sound land-use planning and resource-sharing initiatives. The Growing Greener initiative will protect watersheds; preserve open space; invest in parks and environmental recreation; reclaim abandoned mines and wells; encourage sound land-use practices across the state and discourage sprawl. This is a $1.3 billion-over-five-years restructuring of Pennsylvania's environmental programs--$309 million for next year alone. The initiative will also include the World Class Communities program--an additional $2 million in support for community land-use planning and multi-community cooperation. The key to this new program is to foster intergovernmental cooperation by: promoting shared services; helping communities and employers balance social, economic and natural resources through matching grants for planning projects that cross community lines; and encouraging planning that links communities--because land-use decisions in one community certainly can impact neighboring communities. Governor Ridge stated, "The budget will lead Pennsylvania down the path of 'growing greener' in the 21st century. Annually, our state government spends a billion dollars to protect our environment. Changing how we spend that money will enable us to focus like never before on cleaner water, better parks, preserving open space and farmland, and controlling sprawl. Growing Greener is a new way of looking at the environment--and the role government plays in protecting it." lasn