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| Reallocation of Lake and River Enhancement Fund dollars should be a concern to Hoosiers |
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The reallocation of Lake and River Enhancement Fund (LARE) dollars should be of concern to Hoosier taxpayers for many of reasons.
First, LARE is a dedicated fund collected from boat owners. Its primary purpose is to address serious water quality problems impacting Indiana’s public waters. LARE is the only land treatment cost share program that our state can claim exclusively as its own. The Natural Resource Conservation Service estimates current soil loss in Indiana at 80 million tons annually; enough top soil to load a 91-car freight train every hour. It is a prime reason our state ranks so low in water quality nationwide.
Secondly, Indiana’s Office of Management and Budget claims absolute authority over all state funds. These are not elected officials, but appointees. The political economics that guide their decisions should matter to all citizens who value the principles of democracy. Unfortunately, the citizens of Indiana have little if any recourse. A matter of greater concern is that our legislators seem comfortable with this arrangement.
The conservation legacy defining this generation will not be judged by the amount of money we accumulate, but how we spend it. We live in a state where more money has been spent on a professional football venue, than would be spent on the LARE program over the next two centuries combined, were those funds to be restored to their intended purpose today.
The stewardship of our natural resources has never been about self interest or personal gain, but about the well being of generations yet to be born. Indiana’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts were created to deliver technical assistance, education and cost share funding through voluntary programs which help landowners address natural resource concerns. LARE funds have been a key component in providing the capacity to carry out that vital mission. It is incumbent on Hoosiers to determine the importance of LARE and to demand an appropriate response from those elected to act in our best interests.
Paula Baldwin, President
Indiana Assoc. of Soil and
Water Conservation Districts |
| 10/14/2010 |
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