Abuse of Your Tax Dollars
In March, Sen. Rich Alloway (R-33), state Rep. Dan Moul (R-Gettysburg) and I joined House members from Lancaster and York counties for a meeting at the state Capitol with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Representatives from local governments were also in attendance to discuss the controversial Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC).
Created in 1970, the commission was formed out of the Susquehanna River Basin Compact, which was adopted and signed into law by Congress, and the legislatures of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. SRBC provides the mechanism to guide the conservation, development and administration of the water resources of the river basin.
On its website, SRBC lists its mission as enhancing “public welfare through comprehensive planning, water supply allocation, and management of the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin.” When the commission was created, opponents argued it would result in a loss of states’ rights. That, I feel, has proven to be partially true, as SRBC’s actions are also raising the ire of local water officials, as well as the utility bills of their constituents.
DEP appoints a representative to the commission’s board and its Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell appeared at our meeting. What he heard appeared to shock and surprise him. The stories about local government dealings with the commission had a common thread – abuse of power.
The closest municipality with a voice at the meeting was East Berlin, and Solicitor Matthew Battersby has plenty to say about his dealings with SRBC. The borough, which has wells that date back to the 1890s, needed to drill another well a few years ago. They went through the proper channels with DEP in order to do so and were permitted accordingly.
Along comes SRBC with a demand that the borough hire a licensed hydrologist to confirm the DEP findings. The price tag for this duplicative service - $17,000. The commission has also tagged East Berlin with an annual fee of $1,100 for “permission” to have the well. If you live in the borough and access its water source, that money comes from you.
East Berlin is far from alone in its opinion. The president of a southern York County borough council spoke of being forced to purchase a computerized monitoring system because the commission needed daily reports of the depth of each of the borough’s six wells, two of which have been in use for more than 45 years. The commission’s justification - “we now know more about our (their?) wells.” A government official from Lancaster County talked about compliance fees that went from $200 to $800 in one year. Their only choice was to pass along the cost to consumers.
“The hits just kept on coming” after we distributed a press release following the meeting. A local golf course owner told of SRBC charging an exorbitant amount of money to use water from its own lakes and ponds. A Lock Haven-area water authority is facing a more than $100,000 bill from the commission for field work already performed by DEP. It is also worth noting commission employees are not employed by the state but can enroll in the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS). To that end, I have authored House Bill 922, which would prevent all future SRBC employees from participating in SERS.
The stories are making their way around the General Assembly and members are wondering what steps can be taken. While the Susquehanna River Basin does not encompass the entire Commonwealth, the problem is a statewide issue because your tax dollars fund SRBC as part of the state budget. The good news is, the 2016-17 budget reduced funding for SRBC. The 2017-18 budget bill passed recently by the House would cut the existing funding figure in half.
“A kingdom unto itself” is how Moul describes SRBC, which collected $12 million in fees last year. We’ve heard rumors that SRBC is considering charging fees for all grandfathered wells as a way to further generate fees and income.
It can sometimes be hard to explain to constituents how certain state government matters impact them. This one is pretty simple – if you pay a water bill, you’re probably being impacted by SRBC’s actions. If you’re a taxpaying Pennsylvanian, your hard-earned dollars help fund the commission. We, as legislators, are exploring our options. Townships and boroughs have no recourse when SRBC comes calling. That needs to change.
Representative Will Tallman
193rd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
717.260.6137
slittle@pahousegop.com
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