On Wednesday, April 14, the Massachusetts House of Representatives released their $47.65 budget for fiscal year 2022. Despite the ongoing hardships of the last year, the budget increases spending with no major service cuts. You can see the full budget and executive summary here >>
The state agencies that steward our environment maintained, or even increased, their funding levels in this proposal:
Department of Environmental Protection operating budget:
House: $33 million (+ $7 million rolled over from FY21 that was unspent) = $40 million
Governor: $33 million
FY21: $40 million
Division of Ecological Restoration:
House: $2.6 million
Governor: $2 million
FY21: $2.6 million
Department of Conservation and Recreation State Parks:
House: $50 million
Governor: $47.3 million
FY21: $50 million
Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program:
House: $1 million
Governor: $154,000
FY21: $500,000
Thank your legislators for prioritizing our natural resources this fiscal year, and stay tuned for budget amendments and the Senate proposal.