PA Environment Digest

The House Democratic Policy Committee held a second public hearing this week at the Independence Visitor Center to examine clean water issues in Pennsylvania, according to Chairman Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster).

Rep. Michael O'Brien (D-Philadelphia), requested the hearing and served as its co-chair.

"In the last few decades Pennsylvania has made measurable progress on cleaning up its waterways, but there is still more to be done." Rep. Sturla said. "Clean water is an issue that truly affects the entire state and every resident, so I am pleased that Representative O'Brien asked to hold this hearing to bring this critical issue to the forefront."

Rep. O'Brien added, "The Commonwealth is an aquifer for many large bodies of water including the Delaware, Chesapeake, Potomac, Ohio, Mississippi and Lake Erie, and it is extremely important that we work together to protect the integrity of our natural water supplies. I hope this hearing will help advance the conversation on clean water in Pennsylvania and beyond."'

In comments before the Committee, Lamonte Garber, Chesapeake Bay Foundation PA Agriculture Program Manager said, "Keeping agricultural nutrients and topsoil on our farms and out of the water is central to cleaning up the Bay and thousands of miles of impaired Pennsylvania streams. The good news is that the PA farm sector has reduced its share of Bay pollution loads more than any other single sector, and nutrient and sediment trends have been slowly but steadily dropping in the Susquehanna.

"Yet, much more work remains and given the current economic climate, relying upon proven, cost-effective solutions is essential. In Pennsylvania, efforts to address agricultural pollution generally produce the greatest reductions at the least cost.

"Numerous bodies of research have concluded that practices such as forested riparian buffers (i.e., streamside forests), fencing livestock out of streams, implemented nutrient management and conservation planning, no-till farming, and cover crops to name a few, provide substantial reductions in pollution at relatively low cost. Federal and state cost-share programs can help ease the financial burden of these improvements.

"Focusing on the most-cost effective pollution reduction practices allows Pennsylvania to employ our limited financial and technical resources where they will achieve the greatest benefit.

"Unfortunately, past years of flat funding combined with recent budget cuts have left Conservation Districts and DEP less able to assist farmers, developers, and urban/suburban residents and enforce the Commonwealth’s existing laws at the very time we need to accelerate implementation and adherence to regulations.

"While we recognize that there must be sacrifice in every program supported by the state, these are not optional programs, but legal obligations under the federal Clean Water Act and the PA Clean Streams Law."

Those testifying at the hearing included Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary John Hines with the Office of Water Management; Howard Neukrug, director of Office of Watersheds, Philadelphia Water Department's Green City Clean Waters Program; Brady Russell, Eastern Pennsylvania director, Clean Water Action; Lamonte Garber, PA Agriculture program manager, Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Erika Staaf, Clean Water advocate, PennEnvironment; Christine Knapp, director of Outreach, PennFuture; Carol R. Collier, executive director, Delaware River Basin Commission; and Marel Raub, Pennsylvania director, Chesapeake Bay Commission.

Copies of testimony are available on the Committee webpage.

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