Opposing HB 1842 and SB 545
Trout Unlimited is currently asking its members to oppose HB 1842 which has passed the House and SB 545 which is still in the Senate by calling your senator and representative. SB 545 and HB 1842 are dangerous bills that seek to circumvent Pennsylvania’s Clean Streams Law. Remind legislators that a lot of money is spent on recreation and tourism in and along our waterways. These bills would:
redefine what is currently regulated as “reportable quantities or other readily ascertainable standards” and
take away regulating authority from PA-DEP and PA Fish and Boat Commission
hand over authority to polluters to decide if they need to report spills, and discharges or releases of substances into our state’s waterways.
You can read more about why the Pennsylvania Environmental Council also opposes this legislation here.
Submitting Comments to the Draft 2022 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Report
Currently, PA DEP is taking comments on the Draft 2022 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Report, the biennial update on the health of streams and lakes statewide. report. Comments can be made online through the DEP eComment system, may be emailed to ecomment@pa.gov, or can be mailed to the DEP Policy Office, Rachel Carson State Office Building, P.O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105. All comments must include the commenter’s name and address. The deadline for comments is March 1.
Advocating for Watersheds in Your Local Municipality
Kathy Altmann, president of the Bushkill Stream Conservancy, shares that forming relationships with your local municipality can be one of the most helpful ways to advocate for water conservation. Find out what watershed you live in and then tell your local municipality that it’s important to you as a taxpayer and voter that they support the work of your local watershed.
Don’t know what watershed you live in? Use this really neat website provided by the EPA - “How’s My Waterway?” - to plug in your zip code and find out. There’s a lot of other very fascinating information about any watershed in the country to be found here.