Will DEC budget cuts actually worsen our huge state deficit?

If the term “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” ever applied to a situation, it certainly should be applicable to what’s occurring in our “buried-in-red-ink” State of New York right now. It’s unfortunate that it took the closing of Rogers Center (among others) to awaken many of us to just how far our state government is willing to go in its desperate attempt to repair the overspending and irresponsible fiscal policies and decisions that have basically bankrupted our state and negatively impacted so many of its residents.
Last week, I reported the glaring imbalance that saw the NYSDEC being hit with a disproportionate percentage of budget cut actions as compared to cuts that would affect those of other state departments. Hit especially hard were those in the fish, wildlife and marine resources. For example, 75 percent of DEC budget comes from other sources of funding distinct from the General Fund, primarily being from the Conservation Fund, a supposedly dedicated fund fed by sporting license sales and special sales taxes on certain sporting goods. And while only 2 percent of the State General Fund employees work at DEC, the DEC is being hammered by 16 percent of the state's layoffs, so far, with probably more to come.
It should be noted that the layoffs, freezes and cuts, including those funded by the Conservation Fund, are reportedly being determined and carried out by the Division of Budget. Interestingly, the section of New York State law that established the Conservation Fund proscribes the government from appropriating the dollars for given purposes and then freezing those dollars as the Executive Div. of the Budget [DOB] has recently done. It is a potential disaster for New York’s outdooractivitiess and all conservation in general if this glaring breech of state law is allowed without opposition. Such a breech might also cost the state many thousands of federal dollars that are annually determined primarily by the amounts flowing into the NYS Conservation Fund and whether those funds are being used as prescribed by the law to qualify for the funding. At a time when the State should be bolstering the DEC, which is facing major challenges regarding a developing the ongoing moratorium on natural gas drilling and mining, in addition to the many conservation management programs under its charge, instead we see it being gutted by layoffs, closings, early retirements and declining morale due to uncertainly. If it was a hospital patient, the DEC would likely now be on life support, and probably has been for several years now. The question is: will it or can it ever recover? If recent actions in Albany are any indication, the answer is no.
Eric Kriss, spokesman for Paterson's Budget Division (DOB), said every part of state government has to cut back as the state endures "the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression." Okay, Mr. Kriss, does “every part” of our state government include the perks, salaries and benefits of our elected or appointed and top-level officials, who gladly vote themselves a raise at the drop of a hat? While sportsmen's groups contend the Conservation Fund is a "locked box" required by law to be used only for fish and wildlife programs, Kriss claimed that's not the case. "We would not have to change environmental conservation law to use Conservation Fund money for purposes other than what they're used for now," Kriss said, perhaps hinting that might happen soon, if not already. .. However, he said it's too early to say whether fish stocking or other specific programs will be reduced (Oh really? DEC has already admitted fisheries stocking programs will be reduced Read more below). (Note: Kriss has since revised his statement)
The price of a fishing license was raised from $19 to $29 last year to bolster the Conservation Fund, which pays for fish and wildlife programs, including fisheries. Recommended staffing level in the state's fish hatchery system is 80, but early retirement incentives and unfilled vacancies have brought staffing down to 67. Jason Kemper, chairman of the state's Conservation Fund Advisory Council, told an Assembly hearing earlier this month that staffing is insufficient to maintain (fish) production at current levels. Fishing alone brings in an estimated $1.6 billion a year to our state economy and much of that goes into the General Fund. Add the spending generated by hunting, trapping and other NYSDEC managed programs, and we’re talking about extremely large bundles of cash that, at the rate the DEC services and programs are being cut, will probably put the state even deeper in the red in the coming years.
Howard Cushing, president of the New York State Conservation Council, which represents more than 300,000 hunters and anglers, wrote on the council's website that the group would file a lawsuit if necessary to prevent Conservation Fund money from being reallocated to help close a state budget gap.
The Conservation Fund currently has, or did have, a surplus of about $17 million, yet staffing levels are lower and allocations for gasoline and other expenses are too low to allow remaining staff to do their jobs effectively. And it appears the DOB seems eager to get its hands on that money, one way or another.
The Department of Environmental Conservation stands to lose another 140 jobs as part of Paterson's plan to lay off about 900 state workers by year's end. Previous cutbacks had reduced the DEC's work force by about 860 since 2008.
Gov. Paterson called a special session of the Legislature on Monday to address budget issues and other matters. I hope the “other matters” doesn’t involve raiding our Conservation Fund. During my life I’ve willingly given thousands of my after-tax dollars in the form of sporting licenses and special sporting goods sales taxes, believing they were being used to support, maintain and conserve the many outdoor activities dear to my heart. Now I can only wonder what they were actually used for, especially since the NYSDEC was created by none other than the people I entrusted them with?