State Senate props up park system with Forever Wild funds

摘要

The Alabama Senate yesterday approved a bill to strip all funding from the state's Forever Wild Land Trust program and use it to prop up the state park system. The 32-1 vote moved to amend the state constitutional amendments that created the Forever Wild program, which was approved and extended by 75 percent of Alabama voters in 2012 (Greenwire, June 3, 2011). The program uses 10 percent of the interest earnings from Alabama's oil and gas royalties to purchase and preserve popular outdoor recreation spots statewide. The bill now heads to the Alabama House of Representatives, and if it's approved there by at least a three-fifths majority, it will head to the ballot for a popular vote.