Post by Mickulz on Jan 23, 2008 14:53:56 GMT -5
So here is a little background on the situation that you may (but I doubt it) have heard of:
The Chesapeake Bay Initiative is basically states agreeing that the bay has gone to hell, and it needs to be cleaned up. Sounds nice doesn't it?
The Governor, agreed to join the program and signed on with even so much as a legislative note. Here is where is becomes a kicker.
The policy is that any municipality that has a sewer system must make adjustments to their plants that send water to the bay. The law states that not only is it the responsibility of the local municipalities, but it is ONLY the responsibility of those who use the sewer system.
Fairview Township for example (and this effects about 32 municipalities in the Central Pa area only - no one else connects to the bay) must spend $3 MILLION to upgrade their plant. They have 1,524 people on public sewer. That means those people must come up with almost 2,000.00 each for their share. The state is not offering any assistance for either the people or the municipalities.
What is worse is that DEP's own reports show that people waste make up for 10% of the pollution that goes in the bay, while farming, roads, and industrial sites make up the other 90%. However those industries are not being asked to pay anything.
So, we have paid higher taxes on gas (and other things) to bail out the Philadelphia Mass Transit (which was almost broke), and to build new stadiums for pro teams in the two major cities. Yet we are going it "alone" on this issue.
The municipalities have joined together (along with about 50 others who are not effected) and are bringing a lawsuit against the state and the DEP.
Fairview Township is a very small example. One of the other ones has to pay $4 million in upgrades and has 225 people on their system.
With all the concerns about what is going on in the nation, we are letting things like this slip by.
The Chesapeake Bay Initiative is basically states agreeing that the bay has gone to hell, and it needs to be cleaned up. Sounds nice doesn't it?
The Governor, agreed to join the program and signed on with even so much as a legislative note. Here is where is becomes a kicker.
The policy is that any municipality that has a sewer system must make adjustments to their plants that send water to the bay. The law states that not only is it the responsibility of the local municipalities, but it is ONLY the responsibility of those who use the sewer system.
Fairview Township for example (and this effects about 32 municipalities in the Central Pa area only - no one else connects to the bay) must spend $3 MILLION to upgrade their plant. They have 1,524 people on public sewer. That means those people must come up with almost 2,000.00 each for their share. The state is not offering any assistance for either the people or the municipalities.
What is worse is that DEP's own reports show that people waste make up for 10% of the pollution that goes in the bay, while farming, roads, and industrial sites make up the other 90%. However those industries are not being asked to pay anything.
So, we have paid higher taxes on gas (and other things) to bail out the Philadelphia Mass Transit (which was almost broke), and to build new stadiums for pro teams in the two major cities. Yet we are going it "alone" on this issue.
The municipalities have joined together (along with about 50 others who are not effected) and are bringing a lawsuit against the state and the DEP.
Fairview Township is a very small example. One of the other ones has to pay $4 million in upgrades and has 225 people on their system.
With all the concerns about what is going on in the nation, we are letting things like this slip by.
