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PRINTER'S NO. 3235
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
787
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY McCARTER, DEAN, READSHAW, HENNESSEY, NEILSON,
PASHINSKI, TOOHIL, MILLARD, SIMS, BURNS, BOBACK, SCHLOSSBERG,
EVERETT, DiGIROLAMO, FRANKEL, MURT, DAVIS, BIZZARRO,
YOUNGBLOOD, BARRAR, CALTAGIRONE, MENTZER AND STURLA,
APRIL 3, 2018
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 3, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Designating the week of April 16 through 22, 2018, as "Clean
Streams Week" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, There are more than 62,000 streams in this
Commonwealth covering nearly 83,000 miles that provide drinking
water, recreational opportunities, natural beauty and habitat
for Pennsylvania's wildlife; and
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth's Clean Streams Law was passed by
the General Assembly in 1937 to preserve and improve the purity
of the waters of this Commonwealth for the protection of public
health, animal and aquatic life, industrial consumption and
recreation; and
WHEREAS, Streams and rivers are an important source of
drinking water for Pennsylvania residents, making clean streams
vital to this Commonwealth's water security; and
WHEREAS, Fishing in Pennsylvania's streams is a popular
pastime and is part of an outdoor recreation industry that
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contributed more than $20 billion in consumer spending to this
Commonwealth's economy in 2016; and
WHEREAS, Trout populations serve as an indicator of a
stream's overall health; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Trout
Unlimited are currently working together to classify all of
Pennsylvania's streams based on trout habitat; and
WHEREAS, The flora and fauna found in streams are the
foundation of a healthy ecosystem; and
WHEREAS, Excessive agricultural runoff of nutrient-rich soil
into streams can damage ecosystems and create "dead zones" from
algae blooms; and
WHEREAS, Agricultural runoff is a major contributor to the
degradation of the Chesapeake Bay; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has already spent billions of dollars
on Chesapeake Bay cleanup and is obligated to spend billions
more; and
WHEREAS, According to the Department of Environmental
Protection, nearly 20,000 miles of Pennsylvania's waterways are
considered impaired, mostly from agricultural runoff and acid
mine drainage; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Geological Survey,
more than 3,000 miles of streams in this Commonwealth are
contaminated by acid mine drainage, with many of the impacted
streams containing no fish; and
WHEREAS, Storm water runoff is another major source of water
pollution in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, During rainstorms, litter, motor oil, antifreeze and
other chemicals, including salt used to treat roadways in the
winter, washes off roads and into storm drains, eventually
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polluting our streams and rivers; and
WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States recently
overturned the United States Department of the Interior's Stream
Protection Rule, which regulated waterway contamination from
surface coal mining; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Government has sought to change the
definition of "waters of the United States" covered under the
Clean Water Act so that certain small streams, headwaters and
wetlands are no longer included; and
WHEREAS, The health of our waterways is crucial to the well-
being of this Commonwealth; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
week of April 16 through 22, 2018, as "Clean Streams Week" in
Pennsylvania.
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