18138_Authority_Feb

60 The Authority | February 2025 1000 North Front Street, Suite 401, Wormleysburg, PA 17043 717-737-7655 . 717-737-8431(f) . info@municipalauthorities.org m u n i c i p a l a u t h o r i t i e s . o r g About PMAA The Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association (PMAA) represents over 700 municipal authorities across the Commonwealth that provide drinking water, sewage treatment, stormwater management, solid waste management and recycling to more than six million Pennsylvania citizens. Founded in 1941, PMAA continues its mission to encourage and support members to provide services that protect and enhance the environment and protect public health, promote economic vitality, and promote the general welfare of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its citizens. Municipal authorities are a vehicle for accomplishing a variety of public purposes which are specified in the Municipality Authorities Act of 1945 (53 Pa.C.S. Ch. 56, as amended). Authorities are created by a county or local government and become an independent agency of the Commonwealth for the purposes of incurring debt, owning property, and financing its activities. A large portion of the infrastructure necessary for economic development and the provision of environmental services to the citizens of the Commonwealth are provided by municipal authorities. They also ensure public health and environmental protection through compliance with federal and state statutes and regulations. PMAA’s legislative and regulatory priorities are voted on by the PMAA membership through resolutions presented at PMAA’s annual conference. Over the years, PMAA’s advocacy areas include environmental laws, regulations and program areas such as the Safe Drinking Water Act and regulations, Sewage Facilities Act and regulations, Stormwater Management Act and regulations, Solid Waste Management Act and regulations, and the Chesapeake Bay Program as well as other laws impacting authorities such as the Commonwealth Procurement Code, Prevailing Wage Act, Right-to- Know Law, Sunshine Act, Separations Act, and the Municipality Authorities Act. Challenges Value of Local Ownership and Operations – Preserving public ownership of infrastructure is one of PMAA’s top priorities. Municipal authorities deliver affordable, safe, and quality services that protect public health and the environment. In recent years, public ownership has been threatened increasingly as ongoing privatization efforts target well-managed and viable municipal authority systems. In Pennsylvania this trend began in 2016 when the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 12 amending Title 66, the Public Utility Code, by adding a new section 1329. In short, this section allowed investor-owned utilities to pay the “fair market value” of a municipal system instead of a lower “original depreciated cost.” Between 2016 and 2024, the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission approved 23 municipal system sales and rejected one proposed sale. The acquisitions have resulted in the loss of local control and increased rates for water and sewer customers. During the 2023-2024 legislative session, at least 27 proposals dealing with the repeal or reform of Act 12 of 2016 were introduced by legislators. The repeal or reform of Act 12 is a top policy priority for PMAA, and the association has been working with legislators and officials to that end. Government Relations Update continued from page 25.