PA Park Funding: Good for the Economy?

Greetings, fellow PA tree huggers! 🌳Have you frolicked in your favorite state park today? If you love some Keystone state nature time, chances are you know how important funding is to keep things running… because no one likes a busted campsite toilet. 🚽

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Some say that funding PA's state parks benefits a lot more than campers looking for a working outhouse. 🌛 Not only does it show taxpayers dollars in action, but it helps the overall economy. 

Here’s Five Fast Facts about government spending and state parks:

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1. 🌱 Going Green - Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed the Growing Greener III bill, which would give $500 million in federal recovery funds towards the conservation of land and water. 
2. 📋 A Little Backed Up - PA's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources reports that there's a $1.4 billion backlog of infrastructure renovations and maintenance at the 121 state parks across PA.
3. 5️⃣ Top Five - Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the nation in terms of consumer spending on outdoor recreation. PA parks generate $29.1 billion in consumer spending each year.
4. 🐻 Ranger Joe - This revenue supports 251,000 jobs and creates $1.9 billion in state and local tax revenue.
5. ✅ It's A Yes - A recent poll showed that a large majority of PA voters support using as much as $125 million of the state’s American Rescue Plan money for maintenance and repairs of state parks and forests.

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🔥Bottom line: Using the rest of the money from the American Rescue Plan is a loaded topic. While spending it on improvements at state parks is certainly a solid move, our state might take the funds elsewhere. We'd love to see our parks in tip-top shape, but a number of people would love to see relief at the gas pump or the grocery store first. We'll keep an eye on the developments!

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What are your thoughts on more funding for PA state parks? Let us know by connecting with us on Social Media and be sure to share this newsletter with any friends & coworkers!

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