The Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee made three recommendations this week as a result of its November 2 public hearing into the Kilbuck Township landslide in Allegheny County, according to Committee Chair Rep. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango).

“The Committee wished to provide the Joint State Government task force with some possible starting points as soon as possible, based on testimony at our hearing, so that the investigation can proceed without delay,” Rep. Hutchinson said. “This does not in any sense limit the scope of the task force’s investigation.”

The recommendations were made in a letter to David Hostetter, executive director of the Joint State Government Commission, which is overseeing a task force and advisory committee that will take the lead in the investigation of the landslide pursuant to House Resolution 897.

“The potential instability of the site, the impact it may have on the area, and the extent of local, county and state legislative interest in addressing the problem are all key reasons to advance the study,” said Rep. Hutchinson.

The Committee’s suggestions focus on the possible underlying causes of the September 19 landslide, which covered Route 65 and a nearby Norfolk-Southern main rail line with thousand of tons of dirt, rocks, trees and other debris, snarling highway and rail traffic for several days.

The Committee’s suggestions are:

· Examine the process of local government oversight in construction projects. In particular, review geologic requirements for project approval such as grading, slopes, stabilization and proximity to highways and railways. Specifically, look at the possibility of monitoring geologic review by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for large projects. Also, examine the process for waiving local ordinances for such construction activities and decisions on projects of a specific size;

· Study whether local government should continue to have unilateral authority to make land use decisions that affect entire regions. Consider the possibility of county oversight and approval of projects where appropriate in areas affecting multiple jurisdictions; and

· Giving due consideration to the economic development challenges that face the 67 counties in Pennsylvania, investigate the possibility of creating a regional and/or state planning council(s) to help develop and guide land use planning and transportation policies for cities, towns and municipalities.

Committee and task force member Rep. Thomas Petrone (D-Allegheny), who called for the initial Committee hearing and introduced House Resolution 897, was pleased to see the suggestions, saying they provide new directions to pursue in seeking long-term answers to issues raised by the landslide.

“While we continue to look into the immediate issues surrounding the landslide, such as soil composition, sloping, stabilization, blasting and the like, we also need to move ahead with the more general issues with possible statewide impact, such as those raised by the Committee in the chairman’s letter,” Rep. Petrone said.

“We need to know if red flags were missed. We need to know the roles government may have played in creating the problem and what roles it can play in solving them. We need to examine the relationships between state, county, regional and municipal bodies and their respective authorities. We don’t want to see another Kilbuck somewhere else.”

House Resolution 897 calls for the completion of the Joint State Government Commission investigation within a year of the adoption of the resolution (which was October 24, 2006).

For further information contact Rep. Hutchinson at 814-677-6363 or Craig D. Brooks, Executive Director, Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee, at 717-787-7570, ext. 14.

NewsClip: State Reviewing Developer’s Plan for Stabilizing Hillside in Kilbuck

12/22/2006