ALBANY – The Adirondack Park’s largest environmental organization today called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission to change the way state agencies serve the Park and its people in an effort to save money and better protect the Park’s natural resources.

“Given current state and local budget constraints, taking incremental steps to right-size government services are urgently needed.  These game-changing governance and policy reforms can provide a unified management structure that customizes the delivery of NYS agencies’ services to the Adirondack Park in a more efficient manner.  Our recommendation will also promote private sector investment and employment opportunities,” said Brian Houseal, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council. 

“The two main state agencies that protect the Adirondack Park’s forests and waters are the Adirondack Park Agency and Department of Environmental Conservation,” said Houseal.  “Both were established in the early 1970s and have been operating the same way since that time.  Over the past 40 years, it has become clear that some things aren’t working very well.  We have presented the Governor with a plan for fixing those problems.”

“In general, we would like to see state agencies treat the Adirondack Park as a single entity by using the same set of rules and policies across the entire Park,” Houseal explained.  “For example, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) breaks the Park into two regions, with the regional office in Ray Brook overseeing the eastern two-thirds, while the Watertown office governs the western one-third of the Park, from a distance of 30 miles outside the Park’s border.  The departments of Health, Transportation, Economic Development, also break the Park into multiple regions and regional directors.

“In most cases, we are proposing changes that the Governor has the authority to make on his own,” Houseal said.  “Some others will require the assistance of the Legislature, either through new laws or with money.”

The Governor is due to deliver his budget to the NYS Legislature on Tuesday, January 17.