HARRISBURG – Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty reiterated the need for Pennsylvania to find a dedicated, long-term solution that will help it protect the public’s safety and revitalize communities by cleaning up contaminated sites. “The Hazardous Sites Clean-up Act fund has been without a dedicated funding source since 2002,” said McGinty during testimony before the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy committee. “Without this vital program, the commonwealth will be unable to protect its citizens from the dangers of toxic sites that blight our communities, pollute our soil and drinking water, and deter economic development.”
At the direction of Gov. Edward G. Rendell, the Department of Environmental Protection began taking steps in 2003 to preserve the fund’s remaining balance, while addressing the state’s most pressing environmental contamination issues. Those measures included:
· Conducting work only on projects that pose an imminent threat to the public’s health and safety;
· Placing a moratorium on initiating work at new clean-up sites;
· Reducing staffing levels 24 percent through attrition;
· Instituting a hiring freeze;
· Eliminating all discretionary funding; and
· Canceling and suspending contracts unrelated to contamination remediation, such as technical support for criminal investigations used to identify the parties responsible for contamination, and laboratory support functions.
A one-time, $50 million influx through Growing Greener II allowed the program to restore normal operating levels and fill some staff vacancies, however, that funding will soon be exhausted. McGinty said the department’s management of the fund has put the Hazardous Sites Clean-up Act program in a position to continue addressing imminent threats to the public’s health and safety until Jan. 1, and meet federal obligations through the end of the 2007-08 fiscal year. Beyond June 2008, the commonwealth will be unable to meet its federal clean-up requirements for Superfund sites through the program—leaving the state’s general fund to cover any such costs—or have Hazardous Sites Clean-up Act funds available to address environmental emergency response situations.
The Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act program enables the commonwealth to respond promptly to concerns of air, soil and groundwater contamination when toxic chemicals or hazardous substances are spilled or leaked, eliminating any threat to public health and safety. It also provides the state with the authority and ability to undertake certain activities related to the cleanup and reuse of contaminated sites. In February, Governor Rendell proposed a $2.25-per-ton increase in municipal waste that is landfilled in Pennsylvania. The plan would generate the approximately $50 million that is needed to fund a complete Hazardous Sites Clean-up Act program each year, with 40 percent of that total coming from other states that import trash to Pennsylvania. The commonwealth imports more municipal waste to its landfills than any other state in the nation. The governor previously had called for instituting a $0.15-per-pound fee on the release of toxic emissions as part of the Growing Greener II plan that would be dedicated to funding Hazardous Sites Clean-up Act. However, that proposal, which would have generated $20 million annually, was rejected by the General Assembly. For more information on the Hazardous Sites Clean-up Act, visit
here, keyword: HSCA.
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