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Senate Committee to Consider Water Infrastructure Bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee meets on June 2 to consider legislation creating the H20 Water Infrastructure Program and has the opportunity to include provisions that would help sewer system ratepayers and farmers cope with the over $1.6 billion cost of complying with federal and state nutrient removal mandates.

Senate Bill 2 (Earll-R-Erie) provides $750 million for drinking water, wastewater, flood control and high hazard dam projects. Neither this bill nor Gov. Rendell’s proposed 2008-09 budget would provide funds for nutrient removal projects.

Sen. Madigan (R-Bradford) plans to offer an amendment that would make the PA Fair Share for Clean Water Plan part of the legislation.

These members of the Senate Appropriations Committee have all or portions of their districts in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which is the first area of the state where nutrient reduction requirements were imposed—

Senators Armstrong (R-Lancaster), Corman (R-Centre), Gordner (R-Columbia), Madigan (R-Bradford), Rafferty (R-Montgomery), Rhoades (R-Schuylkill), Vance (R-Cumberland), Waugh (R-York), Musto (D-Luzerne), Wozniak (R-Cambria) and ex-officio members Senators Pileggi (R-Chester/Delaware), Mellow (D-Lackawanna) and Scarnati (R-Jefferson/Clearfield/Potter/Tioga).

The Pennsylvania Fair Share for Clean Water Plan proposes to invest $500 million to help finance the upgrades needed by wastewater plants to meet the new nutrient reduction standards and $390 million to help farmers install conservation practices over seven years. In both cases, local wastewater system ratepayers and farmers would shoulder half the costs of the upgrades and practices.

The proposal also calls for improvements to the state’s Nutrient Credit Trading Program that will help reduce the costs of complying with these new limits by promoting wastewater plant-farmer cooperation on projects to reduce nutrients and allow for future growth and development.

The Fair Share for Clean Water Coalition includes the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Builders Association, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and a growing list of 26 other environmental, business and local government groups.

Specifically for the FY 2008-09 state budget year, the Fair Share Plan would invest $170 million in 2008-09 in several ways to reduce the financial burden on ratepayers and farms:

· $100 million to help wastewater plants finance required improvements;

· $50 million in direct cost share aid to farmers to install conservation practices ($35 for REAP farm tax credits and $15 million in cost share grants);

· $10 million to county conservation district to expand technical assistance to farmers;

· $10 million to restore cuts to the Department of Agriculture budget in farm programs; and

· Proposes reforms to the state’s nutrient credit trading program that will help to make it a viable alternative to provide for both environmental improvements to the Bay and sufficient future sewage capacity for new development.

In the House, House Bill 2441 (Perry-R-Cumberland) was introduced with 38 bipartisan sponsors last week to help address this issue.

For more information on the PA Fair Share for Clean Water Plan, visit www.PaFairSharePlan.org .

NewsClips: Hearing Focuses on PA’s Water Systems

Separate Sewage Lines, Panel Told

Authorities Could Use More State Funds for Cleanup Panel Told

Legislator Hopes to Soften Blow of Chesapeake Bills

Older Water Systems Worry Wastewater Group

Editorial: Chesapeake Cleanup Help, It’s About Equal Treatment

Video Blog: Remarks By Coalition Partners on the Fair Share Clean Water Plan

Video Blog: Sen. Brubaker’s Remarks on Fair Share Plan

Links: Coalition Proposes Fair Share Clean Water Funding Plan, Original Announcement

16,000 Miles of Polluted Streams Add Urgency to Call for Clean Water Funding