Jun. 11, 2018
HARRISBURG – Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams) testified at a House State Government Committee hearing today concerning his legislation to rein in the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), which he said is overstepping its authority and requiring water users to engage in duplicative activities, resulting in exorbitant water rates, fines, fees and penalties.
The committee hearing is examining the roles of the SRBC and the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), interstate compacts that manage and regulate water resources in the respective river basins. At issue is the absence of oversight, transparency and accountability on the part of these compacts.
“Neither compact is required to adhere to Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, nor are they accountable to the Independent Fiscal Office or the Independent Regulatory Review Commission,” said Moul. “As a state representative, I answer to the taxpayers of Adams County. No government entity or quasi-government agency, particularly those that receive taxpayer funding, should go unchecked.”
Moul said the two compacts and DEP perform many of the same functions. He said this duplication is costly and unnecessary and consumers are getting the bill.
“To eliminate duplication and the ensuing higher costs,
House Bill 2222, would make the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) the exclusive authority to regulate groundwater within the Commonwealth and to impose fees, fines or penalties on the use, withdrawal or retention of groundwater,” said Moul. “My bill would also require DEP to submit any new or amended regulations regarding groundwater to the House and Senate Environmental Resources and Energy committees for approval before the regulation could be promulgated.
“The compacts may have been well intended when they were established, but they are clearly overstepping their responsibilities. We need to put groundwater regulation where it belongs – with the DEP,” said Moul, who is hopeful his legislation will soon be voted out of committee and move to the full House for consideration.
The SRBC is an interstate compact consisting of Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. The DRBC compact includes Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.
To hear Moul’s testimony at today’s hearing, this link.
Representative Dan Moul
91st District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Donna Pinkham
717.260.6452
dpinkham@pahousegop.com
RepMoul.com