acerbone@adirondackdailyenterprise.com
In Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed 2022 Executive Budget, the state Department of Environmental Conservation would get $1.8 billion in new appropriations — an 11% increase — with most Adirondack programs’ funding staying level.
The funding does not include new forest rangers or other staff but allots $800,000 for High Peaks overuse abatement, plus hundreds of millions for statewide clean water and green programs.
“Given that this is a very tough budget year, given that there’s a lot of unknowns about what support may or may not come from Washington, the governor has put forth a budget that is consistent with the past few years for Adirondack priorities,” Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Peter Bauer said. “Given the challenging times that we’re in, we think that the funding the governor has proposed makes sense.”