17607_PMAA_Authority_June_2024

municipalauthorities.org | 25 The bills were amended in committee and advanced to the full House for consideration. PMAA Adopted Resolutions #1-24, 2-24, and 5-24 support concepts in the bills found at municipalauthorities. org/Government Relations/ Adopted Resolutions. Other Legislation Impacting Authorities HB 597 (Representative Patty Kim, Dauphin) amends the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act to allow counties that have recycling programs to collect a recycling and waste management fee of up to $4 per ton of waste generated within its borders. Counties could then use these funds to create and maintain new and existing recycling facilities programs. The bill was reported out of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee in March. PMAA is working with solid waste members on possible amendments to the bill. PMAA Adopted Resolution #28-24 supports this concept. HB 2147 (Representative Justin Fleming, Dauphin) amends the Municipality Authorities Act to allow for stormwater rates to be based on impervious surfaces and states that tax-exempt properties are not excused from payment of the stormwater rates. PMAA supports concepts in the bill in Adopted Resolution #27-24. HB 2145 (Representative Ismail Smith-Wade-El, Lancaster) amends Title 27 (Environmental Resources) to provide for Legionnaires' disease risk management by requiring public water systems to maintain a detectable residual disinfectant level of chlorine, conduct sampling and analysis for Legionella bacteria and the residual disinfectant level of chlorine, as well as impose penalties. PMAA opposes the bill and joined AWWA Water Utility Council in signing a letter of opposition. HB 775 (Representative Timothy Twardzik, Schuylkill) allows communities to create and maintain a vacant property registration to deter blight and to stabilize and re-develop communities. Passed the House last November and reported out of the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee and in the Senate for consideration. HB 1207 (Representative Bob Freeman, Northampton) permits municipalities of any size to establish a land bank. Passed the House last June and reported out of the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee and in the Senate for consideration. PMAA supports this bill in Adopted Resolution #33-34. HB 2189 (Representative Robert Matzie, Beaver) re-authorizes the Underground Utility Line Protection Law, One Call, for an additional seven years and contains updates for duties of facility owners, designers, excavators, and project owners as well as other updates. PMAA supports the re-authorization in PMAA Adopted Resolution #7-24. SB 525 (Senator Cris Dush, Cameron, Centre (part), Clinton, Elk, Jefferson (part), McKean, Potter) amends the Right-to- Know law by providing a process to alleviate authorities and local governments from burdensome vexatious requests that hinder the Right-to-Know request system. PMAA supports this in Adopted Resolution #17-24 and on page 60, see The Local Government Conference (of which PMAA is a member) letter of support. Regulations EPA released the final rule on the PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation in April. Systems have three years to complete initial monitoring (2024-2027) and results of initial monitoring must be reported to consumers (2027-2029). Systems that detect PFAS above the new standards will have five years to implement solutions that reduce PFAS in drinking water (2029). MCLs are the following: • PFOA and PFOS MCL – 4 PPT • PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX Chemicals MCL – 10 PPT Last year, PMAA submitted comments highlighting several concerns and issues ranging from basing the regulation on the latest and best available health and scientific data and information, requesting EPA meet with DEP to address Pennsylvania’s PFAS MCL before EPA’s PFAS regulation is finalized; therefore, spending significant money to meet requirements that may no longer be applicable upon EPA’s final rulemaking. In addition, another concern was shifting the costs of PFAS contamination to passive receivers, rather than PFAS polluters, imposing significant costs on authorities and ratepayers which, at the same time, is contrary to EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. PMAA supports these concepts in Adopted Resolution #9-24. S To view PMAA’s 2024 Adopted Resolutions, access www. municipalauthorities.org/ resolutions/