"Mitt is deeply committed to clean air and clean water," according to spokesman Eric Fernstrom. "But his first priority is to square the books and put the commonwealth on sound financial footing."

June 2003, A particularly bad month for the Massachusetts Environment

• Most of the state's environmental programs have been curtailed since the inception of the state's 'no new taxes' budget.
  
  
• State support for recycling programs was slashed by more than $6 million and all grants to cities and towns to expand recycling were stopped.
  
  
• The endangered species programs, used to restore eagles, identify and protect habitat which is critical for endangered species, was shut down.
  
  
• Fishing and hunting license fees and check-off donations dedicated to wildlife programs, fish stocking and restoration programs, are now deposited into the general fund, with only a portion allocated to environmental programs. Christopher Hardy, a lobbyist for the Audubon Society, said the transfer of dedicated fees to the state's general budget account for general use will undermine public confidence in the voluntary donations on tax forms -- the lifeblood of many wildlife programs.
  
  
• All funding for wildlife habitat land purchases from land stamp donations - budgeted at $1.4 million - has been eliminated.
  
  
• Staffing at the Department of Environmental Protection, which monitors air, water, and hazardous waste, is down from 1,200 to fewer than 1,000 employees.
  
  
• Monitoring for air quality was cut back last year, and spending on clean air programs was further reduced this year.
  
  
• The Department of Environmental Management budget for parks was cut to $18.2 million, despite a doubling of most park entry fees. Nearly $3 million, which was set aside in a reserve account dedicated to park improvement projects, was emptied and redirected into the state's general fund.
  
  
• The Office of the Commissioner of Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement spent $500,000 last year and is being allocated $150,000 in 2004. Deborah Carey, director of the Massachusetts Audubon Society's environmental advocacy office in Worcester, said the impacts will be evident at parks and in the environment and local economies. "We totally abuse them and we are underfunding them, when Massachusetts could be attracting major tourism dollars. I feel the parks will get less use and if facilities are run down and people don't want to go there, it becomes a downward spiral."
  
  

March 2003
Gov. Mitt Romney's plan to use $17 million worth of Renewable Energy Trust Fund to help close this year's state budget gap underwent some quick changes after questions arose over the legality of the proposal. The funds come from small monthly charges on electric bills and are supposed to be spent on developing new sources of renewable energy. Other environmental trust funds have also been tapped to fill the state's $3 billion budget gap, including the Clean Environment Fund from unclaimed bottle deposits and the Inland Game Fund from fishing and hunting licenses. Legislators are concerned that the transfers of environmental trust money to the state's general fund could jeopardize the dedication of that money for recycling, wildlife and endangered species protection and the cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

February 2003
A proposal by Gov. Mitt Romney to divert more than $1.3 million in hunting and fishing license fees and federal wildlife funds into the state's general fund could cost the state millions of dollars in federal aid, according to federal wildlife officials.

This year the state is set to receive $4.65 million in federal aid for wildlife and hunter safety programs. Kathleen Cahill, a spokeswoman for Environmental Affairs Secretary Ellen Roy Herzfelder, said state budget officials were unaware of the restrictions on the funds when they proposed cutting $1.3 million for habitat acquisition and preservation. Following the revelation, state officials considered leaving the money in the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife budget, but not spending it. The Romney administration had initially asked the Legislature to transfer the money into the general fund. However, Vaughn Douglass, acting chief of federal aid at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Hadley, said it remains unclear whether simply leaving the money untouched would satisfy federal requirements.

"It's penny wise and pound foolish," said Christopher Hardy, a lobbyist for the Mass. Audubon Society, noting that the work of the division, with a budget of around $9 million, is financed almost exclusively through license sales and federal grants. "There is almost no state tax money involved."
Associated Press

State environmental officials eliminated the jobs of 29 River Basin team leaders who coordinated local waterway restoration efforts and pollution prevention programs during the past four years.

Kathleen Cahill, spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, confirmed that Secretary Ellen Roy Herzfelder terminated the water basin team leaders in response to budget reductions. The move came as a surprise to groups who had worked closely with the basin team leaders who helped coordinate state, local, federal and private efforts on local water projects. "We woke up one morning and they were gone," said Julia Blatt, executive director of the Organization for the Assbet River. She said private firms already are expecting a 'de-emphasis on environmental enforcement' from the Romney administration. At risk, she said, "is our quality of life."

State Sen. Pamela Resor said legislators who may be looking to protect environmental programs will be hard pressed to find other areas to cut in order to salvage programs considered essential for environmental protection.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette