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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2009
Contact: Tracy Polovick
Coordinator of Communications and Outreach
(717) 787-8524
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Grants Awarded to County, Municipalities, Vance Says

HARRISBURG – More than $170,000 in state grants recently were awarded to Cumberland County and a number of municipalities, said Sen. Pat Vance (R-Cumberland/York).

"Cumberland County continues to show its commitment to the environment by planting trees, recycling and educating the public on excessive idling," Vance said. "Each of these grants will have a long-term impact on the ecological health of the area for years to come."

Cumberland County received a $100,000 TreeVitalize Metros Grant. The funding will be used for community tree planting within the Harrisburg-Carlisle Metropolitan Area.

This program provides financial and technical assistance to municipalities to help build sustainable local urban forest management programs and is part of the statewide TreeVitalize program, which aims to plant one million trees within the next five years. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources administers this program, which is funded by the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund (Key 93) and the Environmental Stewardship fund (Growing Greener I).

The Clean Air Board of Central Pennsylvania recently was awarded a $28,000 Department of Environmental Protection grant to educate area residents where excessive idling has a more serious impact.

Finally, $44,970 in Recycling Performance Grants were awarded to six municipalities. The grant is based on total tons recycled and the municipality’s population for calendar year 2007.

Dickinson Township was awarded $4,318 based on 320 tons recycled. Middlesex Township received $19,454 based on 1,000 tons recycled, while Monroe Township was awarded $6,092 based on 420 tons recycled. Finally, Mount Holly Springs Borough received $1,772 based on 131 tons recycled, New Cumberland Borough was awarded $11,565 based on 691 tons recycled, and Shiremanstown received $1769 based on 119 tons recycled.

This grant helps Pennsylvania communities increase their recycling rates and meet the statewide goal of recycling 35 percent of all municipal waste. It is in addition to funds that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) allocates to municipalities to establish and maintain recycling programs. Through September of every year, DEP accepts applications for Recycling Performance Grants based on the amount of waste recycled the previous year. The program is open to all local governments with recycling programs.

Vance’s district includes all of Cumberland County and Carroll, Fairview, Franklin, Monaghan, Warrington and Washington townships and Dillsburg, Franklintown and Wellsville boroughs in York County.