The House State Government Committee is scheduled to meet on June 6 to consider House Resolution 284 (Moul-R-Adams) urging Congress to repeal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s MS4 Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (sponsor summary).
In Pennsylvania 775 communities are required to submit MS4 stormwater permits to DEP, but as many as 200 may get waivers from the requirement.
Communities are required to complete local plans by August 3 and submit permit applications to DEP by September 16, so communities are well into preparing their plans to comply.
The MS4 Program is also a key component of what Pennsylvania is required to do to meet its obligations under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Cleanup Program.
In July 2015, EPA notified DEP its MS4 Stormwater Management was inadequate to meet the Chesapeake Bay nutrient and sediment pollution reduction requirements.
In May 2012, EPA did a field review of DEP’s Stormwater Program and found it had insufficient resources to accomplish its task.
At least 180 individual communities have already been issued orders by EPA they are years behind in complying and must take steps to meet the stormwater requirements.
In 2014, EPA issued orders to 85 municipalities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to comply with stormwater pollution prevention requirements.
In 2010, EPA issued orders to 79 municipalities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed for similar violations. Separately that same year, EPA also issued orders to to other groups of municipalities-- 4 municipalities in Southcentral PA including Lancaster and 12 other municipalities in the Bay watershed.
Recently, EPA issued $37,000 in combined penalties against Wilkes-Barre and Kingston for failing to meet the MS4 Program requirements.
The Committee meeting will be held in Room G-50 of the Irvis Building. It will be called Off The Floor, which means some time after the House session convenes.
Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) serves as Majority Chair of the Committee and can be contacted by sending email to: dmetcalf@pahousegop.com. Rep. Matthew Bradford (D-Montgomery) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by sending email to: mbradford@pahouse.net.
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