GGC – Contact Your Legislators: Rescue Money for Local Projects

PA state government will receive $7 billion from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan. This presents a momentous opportunity for the Commonwealth to direct Rescue money to our huge and pressing green infrastructure needs.

Please call or email your state senator and representative this week, preferably TODAY, and urge them to use $500 million or more (7%) of American Rescue Plan funds for green infrastructure projects that will help communities now and for decades to come.

1. Remind them of how past state investments in specific conservation, restoration, or and/or recreation projects are still benefiting your community.
2. Also, explain to them that so much more can be done to help your community with a boost in state investment—whether your focus is ensuring water quality; preventing flood damage; restoring streams, wetlands, and other wildlife habitat; improving outdoor recreational opportunities, or other conservation-related efforts.

Pennsylvania’s needs are huge:

• Billions of dollars in water investments are needed on a multitude of fronts to restore 25,468 miles of Pennsylvania waterways that are unsafe for drinking, swimming, and fishing.
• Lack of investment in addressing stormwater management and flood prevention leave many Pennsylvanians highly vulnerable to loss of property, health, and life.
• Farmers need help to implement conservation practices like forested stream buffers to keep soil and nutrients on the land instead of running into the water.
• Untreated abandoned mine drainage, desolate abandoned mined lands, and uncapped oil and gas wells harm our water and drag down local economies.
• Our State Parks and Forests require nearly $1 billion in restoration and repair work.
• Local parks and community open spaces continue to see a surge (often doubling) in public usage and resulting wear-and-tear in this new era of increased interest in outdoor recreation.

Thank you for acting now for a better tomorrow.