HARRISBURG – In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell outlined what the impacts of substantial cuts to the EPA would mean for the citizens and business of Pennsylvania.
“These budget cuts do not reduce any of the responsibilities that DEP has to the people of Pennsylvania, but does decrease the resources available to fulfill those responsibilities,” said McDonnell in the letter. “These cuts, if enacted, would harm businesses seeking permits and harm residents’ clean water, air and land.”
The letter outlined impacts from proposed cuts, including reductions to safe drinking water inspections, sewage and industrial wastewater inspections, brownfield redevelopment and the elimination of funding for radon protection, a problem that plagues Pennsylvania homes.
In addition, the proposed budget would eliminate funding to restore the waterways, like the Susquehanna River, that feed into the Chesapeake Bay. Pennsylvania has recently made tremendous strides in improving local water quality through this program, as acknowledged by the EPA.
“Pennsylvania has benefited from a long partnership with the federal government to address environmental concerns, which has resulted in great improvements to the health, quality of life, and economic prosperity of Pennsylvania residents,” said McDonnell.
“We urge the Trump administration not to turn its back on those very federal-state partnerships that have produced these many benefits.”