skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Conservationists Warn Budget Cuts Threaten Kentucky's Public Lands

play audio
Play

Wednesday, March 2, 2016   

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Conservationists are in Frankfort today, telling lawmakers that budget cuts are handcuffing efforts to protect public lands - land often used for recreation.

Ruth Banberger, the Sierra Club's legislative chair, said the state is "robbing" funds specifically earmarked for land-conservation programs by sweeping millions of those dollars into the general fund to help cover budget shortfalls.

"The conservation programs have been cut to the bone," she said. "They were cut to the bone in the last administration and they're being further cut to the bone in the current administration."

Funding for public-lands protection took an $8 million hit in the current two-year budget cycle and Gov. Matt Bevin has proposed cutting another $10 million administered by the Heritage Land Conservation Fund over the next two years.

David Phemister, the Nature Conservancy's state director, said the cuts are having both an immediate and lasting impact on opportunities to protect public lands.

"If we stop doing that sort of work, opportunities for people to get out and enjoy nature, to revive their spirits, to have clean air, clean water, we're going to lose those opportunities," he said. "So, it's really important to make these investments now."

Phemister said the budget cuts have stalled conservation projects and reduced funding for the management of public lands. The Heritage Land Conservation Fund has protected nearly 90,000 acres at 130 locations across the state.

The Nature Conservancy is part of a broad coalition of nonprofit and faith groups, outdoor sports enthusiasts and conservation interests that are asking lawmakers to restore dollars to land conservation programs. Phemister says it's about the environment and the economy.

"Outdoor recreation is big business in Kentucky," he said. "If we stop investing in it, those business opportunities are going to decline over time."

Phemister says one common misconception is that protected lands are off limits to the public. He said the great majority are open to activities such as hiking, fishing and birdwatching.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021