At a hearing by the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee this week, Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty revived Gov. Rendell’s 2004 plan to impose a new fee on chemicals reported on the federal Toxics Release Inventory as one option on how to fund the state’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund.

Gov. Rendell and the Senate and House put in place a stopgap measure for funding the Hazardous Sites Program over the last two fiscal years by taking $50 million from the popular Growing Greener watershed, nutrient and sediment reduction and abandoned mine reclamation programs and putting it in the HSCA Fund. But that temporary measure ends June 30, 2007 and the Fund will be out of money.

Although some replacement funding was provided for watershed and abandoned mine reclamation programs through the $625 million Growing Greener II, that funding is also due to run out in just four years.

Add to these funding dilemmas, the fact that starting July 1, 2007, the Rendell Administration expects to start paying back the Growing Greener II bond issue with funds taken from the Growing Greener watershed, nutrient and sediment reduction and abandoned mine reclamation program.

Secretary McGinty noted in the past the Rendell Administration proposed additional fees be imposed to support HSCA, in one case a 15 cent per pound of emissions reported on the federal Toxics Release Inventory report and in another using a portion of the state’s Recycling Fee. The Secretary emphasized the importance of having some form of dedicated funding and reiterated a commitment to the 15 cent TRI fee.

Sen. White noted she had proposed Senate Bill 149, which the Senate passed last year, to restore the funding earmark for HSCA from the Capitol Stock and Franchise Tax that was eliminated in 2002.

Secretary McGinty said 240 DEP positions were funded by HSCA to accomplish several purposes: cleanup of hazardous waste sites, emergency response and making the required match for federal Superfund cleanups in Pennsylvania.

Since funding was cut back over the last two years, Secretary McGinty said DEP has not taken on any new hazardous sites cleanups and reduced efforts on existing sites to the minimum needed to protect public health and safety. No funds have been spent to cleanup brownfield sites.

Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Venango) chairs the Committee and Sen. Ray Musto (D-Luzerne) is Minority Chair.

Link: Watch the Entire Hearing Online Through the Committee’s Webpage.

10/20/2006