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  • PA DEP Acting Secretary's Letter To EPA Secretary Pruitt On 30 Percent EPA Cuts

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    Sean Indignado Kitchen
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    Acting Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell sent the following letter to Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Scott Pruitt on Trump's proposed EPA cuts and how they would affect Pennsylvania.

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    PA DEP Acting Secretary's Letter to EPA Secretary Pruitt on 30 Percent EPA Cuts

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    Acting Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell sent the following letter to Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Scott Pruitt on Trump's proposed EPA cuts and how they would affect Pennsylvania.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    17 views3 pages

    PA DEP Acting Secretary's Letter To EPA Secretary Pruitt On 30 Percent EPA Cuts

    Uploaded by

    Sean Indignado Kitchen
    Acting Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell sent the following letter to Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Scott Pruitt on Trump's proposed EPA cuts and how they would affect Pennsylvania.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 3
    pennsylvania Sarre oF env Mareh 16, 2017 ‘The Honorable Seott Pitt “Administrator USS. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20460 Dear Administrator Pruit ‘Lam writing to express my concem about the impacts of substantial cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the citizens and businesses of Pennsylvania, Slashing the EPA. ‘budget — including a potential 30% reduction inthe funding we use to carry out responsibilities under federal environmental laws — would have an immediate and devastating effect on my state's ability o ensure that Pennsylvania's air is safe to breathe, our wate is safe to drink, and ‘our economy prospers. Pu simply, cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency signal the ‘Tramp administration's disregard forts responsibility to protect the health and safety of American citizens ‘The Pennsylvania Department Environmental Protection (DEP) relies on federal funding to administer a variety of mandated programs which protect the safety of coal miners, address lead ‘contamination, prevent air pollution which contributes to respiratory diseases, and redevelop contaminated industrial sites. Over the past decade, DEP has worked to further its mission, even, as constrained state and federal budgets have allowed for fewer inspections and created significant permitting backlogs. ‘A 30% cut in federal Funding would significantly reduce popular, successful, bipartisan programs ‘that protect public health and the environment, and lead to economic development, Cutting these programs will: ‘© Riskesafe water Inthe Safe Drinking Water program, these cuts would mean atleast 30% fewer inspections atthe commonwealth's 8,500 public water systems, hampering ur ability to detect contaminants like lead, water-borne pathogens, and putting Pennsylvania's 10.7 million water customers at risk lacal water quality. The proposed ents to the federally fined portion ofthe Clean Water Bureau budget would mean cutting a least 850 inspections from the 6,144 inspections that ensure that sewage plants, industrial wastewater discharges, and construction sites are not threatening the water quality of Pennsylvanians downstream. Reductions in federal funds will also lengthen permit issuance timelines, hampering important economic development projects in Pennsylvania, ‘+ Abandon farmers, Pennsylvania's Chesapeake Bay program — which you recently acknowledged as a model of federal/state partnerships, and is starting to show rea results in curbing pollution to the Bay — would see funding completly eliminated, This sett Radi! Cason Stat Once Btsng 70. ox 263 Harbuy,PA 1716-2083 |717787. 286 en pg Administrator Pritt, Mareh 16,2017 program would no longer beable to provide much-needed supporto Pennsyvania sal fame and local government to improve ther local water quality. ile ob creation. Pennsylvania's Brownell program cleans up contaminated properties for redevelopment, promating economic development stl preserving green space. Since 1995, almost 5,000 brownfields have been cleaned up, leading to almost 100,000 jobs created or retained. A 30% cut to this program could inhibit brownfields from being retuned to productive use for new and expanding business and industry in Pennsylvania. ‘Allow harmful pollutants o poison. A 30% or more cu tothe Butea of Air Quality ‘would limit air monitoring for harmfl pollutants such as volatile organic compounds, mercury, and particulate mater, and hve a negative impact on the ineline for review of aiquality pemats which companies need in order to start operations or expand. + Expose children to radon gas. Proposed cuts included the complet elimination of finding to help protect residents from for radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. ennsyvania has one of the mos serious radon problems inthe country and the proposed cts would result the elimination of public education efforts and distibution offre radon test kts for new parents. + Suppress environmental justice. Proposed buget calls woud eliminate the EPA's exits fo ensure that Americans, egardless of race, colo, national origi, or income, have meaningful involvement in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws andl policies, Closing ths program shows a startling disrespect for minority and economically disadvantaged ‘Americans ‘These budget cus do noi reduce any ofthe responsibilities that DEP has tothe people of Pennsylvania, bt does decrease the resources available to full those responsibilities. These cals, ifenacted, would harm businesses seeking permits, and harm residents’ clean water, ait, and land Inaddition, I would lke to address your recent comments regarding climate change. Its beyond

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