The County Commissioners Association of PA Wednesday unveiled the association’s 2013 legislative priorities.

Jeff Wheeland, Lycoming County Commissioner and Chairman of CCAP’s Energy, Environment and Land Use Committee, spoke on the priorities for shale gas impacts and restoration of county recycling fees.

He praised the progress of Act 13 of 2012 to address the issues that have arisen with increased shale gas drilling, but called for unresolved issues to be address. These unresolved issues include improving safety and planning for gathering pipelines and returning conservation districts to their responsibility for erosion and sedimentation plan review for gas drilling.  He noted CCAP is also monitoring proposals relating to injection wells.

Wheeland also called for a dedicated source of funding for specialized programs, such as household hazardous waste collection, recycling drop-off centers, and tire recycling. He called for Act 101 to be amended to empower counties to assess fees to fund county recycling programs.

For more information, visit the Counties’ 2013 Priorities.

1/28/2013