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For Immediate Release
June 26, 2007
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Senator White: Senate Approves Critical
Funding for Hazardous Sites Cleanup
 
(Harrisburg) – Responding to what Governor Ed Rendell has
termed the most pressing environmental funding challenge
facing Pennsylvania, Senator Mary Jo White (R-Venango)
announced that the state Senate today approved legislation
which will provide a stable, dedicated funding stream to the
Commonwealth's Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund.
Temporary funding for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund is
set to expire June 30, 2007.
Under Senate Bill 913, the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund
will receive approximately $40 million annually from revenue
generated by the existing Realty Transfer Tax. Passage of
Senate Bill 913 seeks to avoid the need to adopt Governor
Rendell's proposed increase of the waste disposal tax on
Pennsylvania residents and businesses.
Additionally, Senator White noted that the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) relies on the program to pay
over 250 employees associated with its Hazardous Sites
Cleanup Program. The Department has advised the General
Assembly that, absent a new source of funding, the agency
would need to furlough these employees in the very near
future.
On May 25, 2007 Secretary of Environmental Protection
Kathleen A. McGinty warned the public that the loss of the
Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program "would be a blow to
Commonwealth citizens and [Pennsylvania's] economic
future." Without funding, Secretary McGinty said that
current or planned cleanup operations at nearly 150 sites
will cease, and approximately 230 annual hazardous waste
site investigations would be discontinued.
"With passage of this important legislation, we step up
to the challenge laid down by the Governor," said White.
"We have a responsibility to ensure that DEP has the
resources necessary to respond to environmental emergencies
across the Commonwealth. This bill fulfills that
obligation."
In addition to supporting DEP staff, the Hazardous Sites
Cleanup Fund is used for several other critical purposes,
including:
- Finances cleanup projects at abandoned industrial
facilities and contaminated sites where the responsible
party is either unknown or financially unable to conduct the
necessary work.
- Ensures a statewide emergency response network and
enables DEP to provide interim cleanup actions to remove
contaminants and stabilize serious environmental releases.
- Provides the Commonwealth's 25
percent match for the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act, the federal hazardous waste program, and the
state's 10 percent match for the Comprehensive Environmental
Response Compensation Liability Act, commonly called
Superfund.
- Finances the investigation of
illegal hazardous waste disposal sites, and provides
relocation expenses for residents and businesses affected by
the release of hazardous substances.
- Supports DEP's Household Hazardous
Waste Program, including electronics recycling and mercury
diversion to prevent hazardous chemicals from entering state
landfills.
Under Senate Bill 913, funding would be derived from the
15% Realty Transfer Tax revenue currently allocated to the
Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, commonly
known as Key '93. Senator White observed that the
growth in the Realty Transfer Tax should minimize the impact
on programs currently funded by Key '93. For example,
in 2001 the Key '93 program received $47 million in Realty
Transfer Tax revenue; this figure is expected to exceed $95
million by 2009.
In 2006, the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund received $30
million from the Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing
Greener) as stop-gap funding. Senator White noted that
with the passage of Senate Bill 913, funding will not need
to be diverted from Growing Greener.
Last year, Governor Rendell diverted $75 million from Key
'93 to the General Fund to help balance the 2006-07 budget.
Senate Bill 913 now goes to the House of Representatives
for consideration.
Contact:
Patrick Henderson
(717) 787-9684
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