Current through Pa Acts 2024-53, 2024-56 through 2024-92
(a) Establishment.--There is established a special fund in the State Treasury, to be known as the Environmental Stewardship Fund.(b) Sources.--(1) Money appropriated by the General Assembly, interest earned by the fund, penalties, money received from the Federal Government or other sources and money received from the fee established under section 6112(b) (relating to extension of fees) shall be deposited in the fund. Moneys appropriated by the General Assembly to the fund shall be transferred on a quarterly basis in increments of at least 20%.(2) For fiscal years 1999-2000 through 2003-2004, the fund may receive money, upon approval of the Governor, from the Recycling Fund and the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund. The combined total of appropriations from these two funds for the program shall not exceed $30,000,000 annually.(3) It is the intent of the General Assembly that $100,000,000 per fiscal year be appropriated from the General Fund for fiscal years 2000-2001 through 2003-2004 to the fund. The Governor's annual budget submission for fiscal years 2000-2001 through 2003-2004 shall include the sum of $100,000,000 per fiscal year for allocation in accordance with this section.(c) Appropriation.--The money in the fund is hereby appropriated, upon approval of the Governor, to the departments and the authority for the purpose of implementing the provisions of this chapter.(d) Allocation.-- The money appropriated in subsection (c) shall be allocated annually as follows:(1) For fiscal year 1999-2000, 28.4% to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 43.7% to the Department of Environmental Protection and 27.9% to the authority.(2) For fiscal years 2000-2001 through 2003-2004, 24.1% to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 37.4% to the Department of Environmental Protection, 14.8% to the Department of Agriculture and 23.7% to the authority.(3) For fiscal year 2004-2005, moneys in the fund shall be allocated in accordance with paragraph (1).(4) For fiscal year 2005-2006, up to $20,000,000 of the moneys in the fund shall be deposited into the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund and the remaining moneys shall be allocated in accordance with paragraph (2).(5) For fiscal year 2006-2007, up to $30,000,000 of the moneys in the fund shall be deposited into the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund and the remaining moneys shall be allocated in accordance with paragraph (2).(6) For fiscal year 2007-2008 and each year thereafter moneys in the fund shall be allocated in accordance with paragraph (2).(d.1) Calculation of allocations.--The annual allocations under subsection (d)(4), (5) and (6) shall be calculated after moneys have been deposited into the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund pursuant to subsection (d) (4) and (5) and after payments authorized by section 6115(d)(4) (relating to Commonwealth indebtedness). The annual allocations shall be determined by the Secretary of the Budget.(d.2) Allocation reductions.--The annual allocation to the authority under subsection (d)(4), (5) and (6) shall be reduced, as and if necessary, by the following sums, which shall be determined by the Secretary of the Budget: (1) Up to $2,500,000 to the General Fund for reimbursement for any tax exclusion granted for certain energy efficient appliances pursuant to legislation enacted for this purpose.(2) Up to $10,000,000 to the General Fund for reimbursement of any historic preservation tax credit program established pursuant to legislation enacted for this purpose, or to the agency administering any historic preservation grant program established pursuant to legislation enacted for this purpose, for reimbursement of funds expended for such program, as the case may be.(d.3) Additional deposit.--From within the funds allocated under section 6116 (relating to establishment of bond fund and allocation and use of bond proceeds), the Secretary of the Budget may deposit into the fund amounts equal to those deposited into the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund under subsection (d)(4) and (5) and may, at the secretary's discretion, apply the amount of the funds so deposited into the fund under this subsection against the amounts allocated in section 6116(c).(e) Legislative oversight.--(1) An annual expenditure plan for the fund shall be submitted by the Governor to the General Assembly as part of the Governor's annual budget submission. The expenditure plan shall be open for review and comment by the members of the General Assembly and shall include a detailed listing of the types of programs for the actual year, current year and proposed budget year.(2) The Secretary of the Budget shall provide quarterly financial statements showing the status of the Recycling Fund, the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund and the Environmental Stewardship Fund to the chairman and minority chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives. Such statements shall be provided within 30 days of the close of each quarter of the fiscal year and shall commence with the quarter ending March 31, 2000.1999, Dec. 15, P.L. 949, No. 68, § 1, eff. Dec. 31, 1999. Amended 2005, July 13, P.L. 213, No. 45, § 2, imd. effective.