How Much Do We Value Conservation?

In 2005, the first Growing Greener bonds were issued with the Pennsylvania General Assembly allocating $80 million to farmland preservation and $90 million to open space protection. This investment will protect tens of thousands of acres of new parklands, wildlife habitat, farmland, working forests and other lands important to communities. The very last of this $170 million is now being spent.

In the coming years, what should state spending priorities be? Should Growing Greener be renewed? If so, how much money? $1 billion? $2 billion?

Here are a few examples of what $250 million can do:

Permanently secure 90,000 acres of forested land for public recreation, water quality protection, sustainable timber harvest and wildlife habitat.
PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resource’s three most recent major forest purchases averaged $2,750/acre.

Protect 80,000 acres of farmland, enough land to feed 23,000 or more people.
The average cost of protecting farm-land under the state and county Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program is $3,073 per acre.*

Construct 7 miles of rural limited access highway
Allocations of tax dollars to the Turnpike Commission funded 31 miles of the Mon/Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway toll roads. Another $5 billion would be needed to finish them.

Build eighty-six percent (86%) of a new sports arena
The projected cost for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team arena presently under construction is $290M. Taxpayers are footing roughly 80% of the bill.

Establish over 2,000 miles of safe bicycle and pedestrian trails connecting communities across Pennsylvania.
Based on DCNR-funded rail to trail projects.

Provide each of Pennsylvania’s 12.5 million citizens with a $20 check.

* The actual number of people fed varies greatly depending on share of meat in the diet, types of farmland protected and diversion of crops for biofuels.