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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/26/2024 08:26 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20210&cosponId=36155
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House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: September 2, 2021 11:32 AM
From: Representative Johnathan D. Hershey
To: All House members
Subject: Clean Streams Fund
 
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that establishes a Clean Streams Fund for Pennsylvania.  The fund will be used to protect and restore Pennsylvania’s streams and rivers to stimulate economic growth in our communities and improve the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.

Pennsylvania has been blessed with over 85,000 miles of rivers and streams, a density of surface water unmatched in the continental United States.  Unfortunately, a legacy of intensive land use has left almost one-third of those waters unsafe for either humans or fish.  By restoring these waters, we will reduce the cost of drinking water treatment and invest in our top two industries – tourism and agriculture – by helping farms improve soil health and increasing recreational opportunities throughout the Commonwealth. 
  • 1 in 7 Pennsylvania jobs are related to agriculture;
  • Outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania, including hunting and fishing, generated $26.9 billion in 2016, supporting more than 390,000 jobs; and
  • Every 10 percent increase in tree cover reduces water treatment costs by 20 percent.
My goal is to establish a new fund dedicated to water quality, specifically focused on mitigating “non-point” sources of pollution, such as agricultural runoff, acid mine drainage, and stormwater, that are diffuse throughout the landscape.  Funding in the amount of $250 million dollars will be appropriated from federal dollars allocated by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

This legislation will go a long way to help us protect Pennsylvania’s water resources for current and future generations.

 Please join me in supporting this important legislation.

 


Introduced as HB1901