December 23, 2014

Spending bills passed by Congress and signed by the President last week included $3 million in federal funds to advance open space preservation across the Schuylkill Highlands area of southeastern Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the multi-state Highlands Region, said a press release from Natural Lands Trust (NLT),  a regional land conservation organization.

“The Schuylkill Highlands has been recognized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, local governments, and private conservation organizations as one of the state’s natural gems,” said Molly Morrison, NLT’s president. “We are thrilled that Congress and the President have chosen to invest in the protection of this vital resource.”

The Schuylkill Highlands lies at the confluence of the federally designated Highlands—a landscape that covers nearly two million acres in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut—and the Schuylkill River Watershed. The Schuylkill Highlands includes portions of Montgomery, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lancaster, and Lebanon Counties and is home to the Hopewell Big Woods, the Schuylkill River Trail, Valley Forge National Park, Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, and the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area.

The $3 million approved this week as part of the federal Highlands Conservation Act will be used for conservation projects in the Highlands. A significant portion of the funding will be distributed through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to support open space purchases in the DCNR-designated Schuylkill Highlands landscape.

The Schuylkill Highlands is a source of clean drinking water for more than one-and-a-half million people, including the City of Philadelphia. It also holds nearly one thousand acres of national recognized wetlands, two state-designated Scenic Rivers, five Audubon-designated Important Bird Areas, and habitats that support federally endangered and threatened species like the bald eagle and the bog turtle, the release said.

“The funding provided will help to preserve the Schuylkill Highlands, ensuring that it continues to be a vital natural, cultural, and recreational resource,” Morrison said in the release. “Conserving the Schuylkill Highlands is a smart investment in the health and prosperity of the region’s communities.”

Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegates have been strong supporters of the Highlands Conservation Act. Legislation in Congress to extend the Highlands Conservation Act through 2024 (H.R.712 – Frelinghuysen) has been co-sponsored by Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA6); Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA7), Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA8), Rep. Charles Dent (R-PA15), and Rep. Matthew Cartwright (D-PA17).

Though legislation to reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act was not passed by Congress this year, conservation organizations in the region will be working to secure its passage in 2015.

To date, Congress has appropriated $17.25 million to the Highlands Conservation Act, which has brought, on average, $2 in matching funds from non-federal sources for every $1 in federal investment. The program only purchases lands from willing sellers and requires that the Commonwealth or a non-profit partner manage lands protected as open space in perpetuity, the release said.

For more information on Natural Lands Trust, visit www.natlands.org.

PennDOT announced on Monday, Dec. 22, that 38 municipalities, including one in Delaware County and three in Chester County, will receive a total of $1.8 million to underwrite the costs of upgrading traffic signals under the new “Green Light-Go” program.

In addition, PennDOT is now accepting applications from municipalities for the second round of Green Light-Go funding.

“Improving traffic signals will pay significant dividends for residents and travelers across Pennsylvania,” said PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch. “Green Light-Go will be an ongoing program that will help traffic move better and eliminate needless travel delays.”

During the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2015, up to $25 million will be allocated to municipalities for installing light-emitting diode (LED) technology, performing operations such as retiming, developing special event plans and upgrading technology.

The application period runs from Dec. 20 to Feb. 27. Materials about applying for the program can be found at www.dot.state.pa.us/signals.

Under the Green Light-Go program, the municipality will manage projects on corridors with fewer than 10,000 vehicles per day, and PennDOT will manage any project with signals on corridors that have greater than 10,000 vehicles per day. Both types of projects will require a 50 percent match from the municipality.

In addition to facilitating local improvements, PennDOT will also use first-round Green Light-Go funding for a comprehensive traffic signal asset data collection project that will assemble data about traffic signals statewide. This effort will take existing data from PennDOT, municipalities, contractors, and others to create one complete record.

The department will use the combined data for its new electronic statewide Traffic Signal Asset Management System, which will be available to all municipalities at no cost.

In Chester County, Uwchlan and Valley Townships received state funds to upgrade traffic signals and add LEDS, as did West Chester Borough, which was awarded $57,078 to upgrade 26 traffic signals within the borough to LEDs. In Delaware County, only Ridley Park Borough received funds: $14,000 to upgrade three traffic signals and two school zone signals along North Swarthmore Avenue to LEDs.