Pennsylvania's Environmental Rights Amendment
Laws and Regulations
A Conservation Strategy for Pennsylvania Working Paper
Public Opinion
Local Funding Initiatives
National Public Policy Issues
Non-Profit Lobbying
Pennsylvania's Environmental Rights Amendment
Read the Constitutional Amendment and its history.
Laws and Regulations
Information on some of the laws and regulations affecting voluntary land conservation and Pennsylvania land trusts. See State-Administered Open Space Funding Programs for laws involving state funding for land conservation.
A Conservation Strategy for Pennsylvania Working Paper
Pennsylvania's land conservation community developed the working paper Protecting Special Places and Building Healthy Communities: A Conservation Strategy for Pennsylvania in 2003. It has been endorsed by 70 conservation organizations. You can download this eight-page paper in Word or PDF format.
Public Opinion
A recent statewide poll revealed that Pennsylvanians consider “green space” a key factor in deciding where to live. Green space edged out quality of schools, property taxes and distance to work as features considered in choosing a community. (See The First Pennsylvania Environmental Readiness for the 21st Century Survey Report, conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide, Inc. for the Pa. Center for Environmental Education.)
Local polls across Pennsylvania demonstrate over and over again that there is strong public support for open space conservation. For example, in 2003 The Tarrance Group surveyed registered likely voters in Montgomery County. When people were asked to consider various issues, 95% found “preserving open space and natural land areas to be important. Significantly, 80% found this issue to be extremely or very important. In comparison, 47% found “attracting new businesses to the area” to have this level of importance.
The Montgomery County results are not unusual. Public support for conservation in Pennsylvania is remarkably strong and consistent regardless of party registration and geographic region. It is also strong and consistent with urban, suburban and rural dwellers alike. (See Voter Support for a Dedicated Environmental Fund in Pennsylvania conducted by Susquehanna Polling & Research, Inc. for the Trust for Public Land, 2002.)
Voting patterns are consistent with these polling results. See below.
Local Funding Initiatives
A total of 22 measures were proposed in 2006 with only two failing and nearly $150 million approved and earmarked for protecting open space and farmland.
2005 proved to be a successful year for open space referendums in Pennsylvania with voters passing thirteen out of seventeen ballot initiatives requesting the use of public monies for land conservation. In total, fourteen municipalities, one county and one statewide referendum was proposed.
View Pennsylvania’s 2007 results.
View Pennsylvania’s 2006 results.
View Pennsylvania’s 2005 results.
View Pennsylvania’s 2004 results.
View Pennsylvania’s 2003 results.
View Pennsylvania’s 2002 results.
The Trust for Public Land provides guidance on raising local conservation funding through ballot initiatives. For more information, visit:
http://www.tpl.org
National Public Policy Issues
The websites below are provided for the reader's information. This is not intended as an endorsement of any particular position described at these sites.
Visit the national Land Trust Alliance's public policy web page:
http://www.lta.org/publicpolicy/index.html
Visit the American Farmland Trust's public policy web page:
http://www.farmLand.org/policy/index.htm
Visit the Alliance for Justice public policy web page:
http://www.allianceforjustice.org/nonprofit/public_policy/index.html
Visit the National Wildlife Federation's public policy web page:
http://www.nwf.org/action/
Non-Profit Lobbying
The websites and resources below are provided for the reader's information. This is not intended as an endorsement of any particular position described at these sites.
Resources
Worry-Free Lobbying For Nonprofits:How To Use The 501(h) Election To Maximize Effectiveness (Published by Alliance for Justice, 1999) This booklet describes how nonprofit groups, and the foundations that support them, can take advantage of the clear and generous provisions in federal law that encourage lobbying activity.
Lobbying, Public Advocacy & the Law (Published by Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, 1999) Includes quick tutorial on lobby law, frequently asked questions and resources.
Non Profit Lobbying Guide (Written by Bob Smucker, published by Independent Sector) A handbook for volunteers and staff of charitable organizations, especially new volunteers and staff, to help them take advantage of the liberal rules for lobbying by charities.
Forms
IRS Form 5768 - Election/Revocation of Election by an Eligible Section 501(c)(3) Organization To Make Expenditures To Influence Legislation Form (Rev. December 1996)
Fact Sheets
Election Year Activities and the Prohibition on Political Campaign Intervention for Section 501(c)(3) Organizations - will help section 501(c)(3) organizations stay in compliance with the federal tax law.
Links
Alliance for Justice
Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest
Independent Sector
IRS - Political & Lobbying Activities
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