We are always interested to learn of news in water-related legislation from our friends at PennFuture. Read all about it on their site here or sign up to receive email alerts here.
Here’s some of the latest news from PennFuture:
A gathering solution for stormwater?
Sprawl, inadequate policies, lack of effective legal and financial tools for local governments, and changing climate patterns all add up to extraordinary problems with stormwater and flooding in Pennsylvania. On Tuesday House Local Government Chair Robert Freeman (D-Northampton) will ask his committee to approve House Bill 1390, comprehensive stormwater management legislation.HB 1390 requires local governments to address existing stormwater problems and to plan to avoid new problems. It also allows local governments to form stormwater authorities, which will give them the right to charge fees to those who are causing the problems. In Philadelphia, PennFuture advocated for and defended a similar program, which we believe will lead to better stormwater management practices across the city.
PennFuture supports HB 1390 and urges committee members to support the bill on Tuesday.
Help protect Pennsylvania’s water from drilling
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed new regulations for industrial wastewater that is high in TDS, which stands for total dissolved solids (or totally disgusting stuff).DEP needs the new regulations to ensure that wastewater generated at Marcellus Shale gas drilling sites does not damage streams and rivers. Marcellus wastewater contains high levels of TDS in the form of salts and can be two to four times saltier than seawater. High TDS levels can harm aquatic life, ruin the taste of drinking water and render river water unfit for industrial users.
Please voice your support for these important new regulations that limit the volume of TDS that new sources of pollution can discharge into our rivers and streams. Next week the Environmental Quality Board is holding public meetings in Cranberry (Butler County), Ebensburg, Williamsport and Allentown to receive comments on the TDS proposal. Citizens can also send written comments on the proposed rule to:
Environmental Quality Board
P.O. Box 8477
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8477
regcomments@state.pa.us
Read more on the PennFuture site!
