As Gov. Jim Hunt prepares to leave office in January, environmental activists wonder whether his Million Acre Plan will make it through the upcoming transfer of power.
The Million Acre Plan, originally proposed by Hunt and subsequently signed into law this year, calls for preserving one million acres of the state's open space and farmland by 2010. The initiative, mostly paid for by the state, is financed by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which was founded in 1996 to keep rivers and streams pollution-free.
Although a Hunt spokesperson explained that $1.5 million has been added to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund to ensure the initiative's eventual success, many in the environmental community profess doubt as to whether Governor-elect Mike Easley will continue with the effort.
"Will Easley carry the ball? Public programs are always threatened when a new guy comes in," said Chuck Roe, executive director of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina. "Right now, we can only be hopefully optimistic."
Mark de Bree of the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation agreed. "How Easley approaches the initiative is uncertain," Bree said.
Easley representatives declined to comment on its future plans regarding the initiative.
Between 1987 to 1997, development-primarily urban-was responsible for a net loss of over 190,000 acres of land in the state. And estimates now show that the state's population will increase by two million over the next 20 years.
Currently, 2.9 million acres are protected from development in North Carolina; most of this is owned by the federal government and is located in the mountains and along the coast. So far, the initiative has been responsible for the acquisition of an additional 50,000 acres of land-approximately 5 percent of the ultimate goal-with the help of local governments and private land trusts. Although this falls short of the intended goal of approximately 100,000 acres a year, many environmentalists and policy makers feel it is a step in the right direction. "The governor picked the goal and we applaud the move," Roe said.
However, Roe also pointed out that if one million acres are really to be protected, the state must pick up the pace.
"The private land trusts will make good progress, but the state needs to put its money where its mouth is. A lot of current lands are in jeopardy," Roe said. "Close to 18 acres an hour are being developed, while only a few are being saved at the same time."
De Bree agreed and emphasized that the current levels of funding are insufficient for addressing long-term needs. However, numerous options are available. Other than higher income taxes, De Bree cited the possibility of utilizing real-estate transfer taxes, impact fees and modifications on agricultural production.
"While developing land rapidly is good economically, we need to pay attention to standards of living," he said, emphasizing the link between standards of living, such as air and water quality, and the preservation of open spaces.
The Clean Water Management Trust Fund receives a minimum of $30 million a year or 6.5 percent of any unreserved budget surpluses. To date, the fund has received $47.8 million a year from the last three years' budget surpluses.
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