Posted: | March 22, 2016 01:57 PM |
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From: | Senator Vincent J. Hughes and Sen. Jay Costa, Sen. Wayne D. Fontana, Sen. Art Haywood, Sen. Shirley M. Kitchen |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | LEAD PACKAGE: Creation of a Lead SuperFund |
In the near future we plan to introduce a package of bills to address the recent reports surrounding elevated lead levels in the Commonwealth. News reports on the contaminated water supply in Flint, Michigan have brought the conversation about lead to the national forefront. We believe we must be proactive in analyzing Pennsylvania’s lead situation to protect our residents against the possibility of a Flint-like incident occurring here. A 2014 Department of Health study found that children in more than eighteen communities throughout the Commonwealth have tested positive for lead at levels higher than those in Flint. Some of the communities in that report are: Allentown, Altoona, Bethlehem, Erie, Johnstown, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Reading, and Scranton. While the tragedy in Flint focuses on the water supply, the dangers of lead in Pennsylvania also extend to our schools, day cares, and housing stock through lead-based paint. It is time we take action to analyze the commonwealth’s potential lead issues and ensure that our children and our communities are safe. This final bill in our package creates a SuperFund for Lead Abatement. The SuperFund may be utilized by entities, such as schools and day cares, to defray costs associated with remediating lead. Some of those remediation projects may include: replacing lead or copper lead-soldered pipes, removing lead paint, or removing soil with elevated lead levels. Please join us in cosponsoring this bill. |