Blackstone Valley License Plate funds projects across the state

Friday, July 13, 2012

Jeff Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Central Mass only receives 5 percent of the money raised by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust’s license plate campaign

Since fiscal 2000, the trust has only provided $718,589 to Worcester County, out of a total $13,243,365 that has been granted statewide.

License Plate Options

Founded in 1988, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust was created with the purpose of enhancing the state’s water resources. Beginning in 1994, the trust began selling “Preserve the Trust” vanity license plates designed to advertise the various bodies of water throughout the state that may need to be protected or restored for any number of reasons.

The first plate issued on behalf of the trust feature the Right Whale and Roseate Tern Plate, and money raised only went to grants that helped fund coastal projects. When the Leaping Brook Trout Plate and the Blackstone Valley Mill Plate were issued in 1998 and in 1999, the trust began to issue grants statewide, including central and western Mass. The environmental plates cost $90, with a $90 renewal fee every two years.

Approximately $1 million per year is awarded in grants, and over 50,000 license plates have been sold.

Despite the addition of the two news license plates, coastal areas still receive the vast majority of the funding. Fifteen grants were awarded in the 2012 fiscal year; only one was awarded in Central Mass, and that one was in Athol, not the Blackstone Valley. The town of Athol received a $30,000 grant for a project involving the restoration of wetlands.

Grants Awarded

William Hinckley, the Director of the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, said the grant awards not unusual. Projects are not determined by which plate the funds come from or what region, but based on who chooses to apply.

“We don’t go out looking for places,” said Hinkley. “People apply to us with project ideas. We try to get money to the places that need the most support, but we just don’t get a lot of applications from the Blackstone Valley or anywhere south of Worcester. ”

“The purpose of the plates is simply awareness,” Hinkley said. Moreover the purpose of the Blackstone Valley Plates is not designed to simply provide awareness of water issues in the Blackstone Valley. It is designed to represent all industrial and urban rivers in the central and western part of the state and their environmental needs.

Hinkley did not want to speculate as to why the Blackstone Valley has offered so few of the 75-100 applications they see per year, but encourages everyone to apply.

“It would be great to get more applications from other areas, “he stated. “Municipalities, nonprofit organizations, school districts, colleges, and other organizations are all eligible to apply so long as their proposal involves protecting and improving our water resources.”

Valley Chamber Unaware

Jeannie Hebert, President of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, was very surprised to hear of this news, and did not know why applications were not going out from the Blackstone Valley Area.

“We work closely with the Watershed Coalition and Corridor Commission to apply for and secure these types of grants.” She added, “There are a number of projects going on along the Blackstone River that could use this type of funding.” She mentioned she would let people know about this news and look into the matter.

Despite the small amount of revenue coming into Central Mass, Blackstone Valley may be getting the best deal overall. The Blackstone Valley plate is the lowest selling of the three vanity plates and has raised $557,692 since fiscal 2000. Only 2,285 of the Blackstone Valley plates have been sold or renewed, compared to 37,233 of the Right Whale plates.

Grant Application Period Opens Soon

The Massachusetts Environmental Trust will be accepting applications for grants for the 2013 Fiscal Year soon. A Request for Responses will be placed on the state procurement website at http://www.comm-pass.com. Applications are due in mid-October.

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