On June 25, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee amended and reported out House Bill 589 (Kinkead-D-Allegheny, Gaydos-R-Allegheny) to establish a new landslide damage insurance program for homeowners.

“I am over the moon to see our bill to help landslide victims finally advance out of committee,” said Rep. Kinkead. “I’ve been working to create a landslide insurance program for Pennsylvanians since my first day in office. I am confident that we will get this bill out of the House with broad bipartisan support and hope that the Senate will do its part to establish an actual support system for folks who own property in areas where landslides can occur like southwestern Pennsylvania. Words truly cannot capture my excitement at seeing this bill finally gain some momentum.”

“Landslides pose a significant threat to our communities, causing property damage and putting lives at risk,” said Rep. Gaydos. “This bill seeks to provide much-needed financial protection to homeowners and municipalities who face the expenses of these natural disasters.”

House Bill 589 would create an insurance program through the state to cover landslides, slope movement and sinkholes and provide assistance to local governments that wish to mitigate the risk of landslides within their communities.

Damage from landslides cannot currently be covered through homeowner’s insurance in the state, leaving Pennsylvanian homeowners “on their own” in this area.

The amendment adopted in Committee establishes an independent board to run the premium-based Landslide Insurance Program, instead of the program being part of DEP’s existing Coal and Clay Mine Subsidence Insurance Program.

It removes coverage for slope movement and sinkholes included in the original legislation and includes a $10 million appropriation to get the program started.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is also to conduct a survey of the state for landslide risk.

In addition, municipalities are encouraged to adopt land use controls related to minimizing damage from landslides.

Last September, Representatives Gaydos and Kinkead held a series of town hall meetings and invited experts to testify about this issue. Each testifier stated this is an ongoing concern to homeowners in western Pennsylvania.

In January, Gaydos and Kinkead visited residents who were affected by a landslide after heavy rainstorms. Some residents were asked to abandon their homes as a safety precaution.

Western Pennsylvania is susceptible to landslides because of two natural geological characteristics--

-- The bedrock land composition, consisting mainly of incompetent mud rocks, such as silty shales and clay stones that weather easily.

-- The regional topography consisting of steep slopes.

The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.

Click Here for a video of the Committee meeting.

Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net. Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5075 or by sending email to: mcauser@pahousegop.com.

(Photo: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)

[Posted: June 25, 2024]

7/1/2024