Thursday, 4:30 PM
Patrick pledges funding increase for land conservation
By Globe Staff
Governor Deval Patrick is pledging to spend at least $50 million a year for the next five years on conserving land, a number his administration said far outstrips the amount spent by his predecessor.
"We need to leave for future generations a legacy of nature, beauty, and serenity," Patrick said in a statement.
The commitment to spend the bond funds provides a sharp contrast to the four years of the Romney administration when comparable spending averaged $30.3 million a year, said Robert Keough, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles also expects a roughly $7 million commitment from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority for the current fiscal year for purchase of land around the Wachusett and Quabbin reservoirs. Keough said Bowles, who is the chairman of the MWRA, is hopeful the "generous" funding by the MWRA would continue.
When federal funds and funds from other sources such as hunting and fishing licenses are counted in, total spending on land conservation for the current fiscal year will be at least $65 million to $70 million, Keough said.
