HARRISBURG – The PA House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee approved legislation to strengthen PA’s response to hazardous substance releases. House Bill 2178 would require immediate action when hazardous substances are released, including mandatory containment, investigation, and cleanup. The bill is rooted in the ongoing experience of residents in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County, where private wells in a residential neighborhood were contaminated by a leak from an interstate pipeline transporting jet fuel from Delaware County to Newark, N.J. In the absence of clear statutory timelines, guidance, and cleanup requirements, much of the contaminated fuel remains in the ground, and water and soil have not been fully remediated. Currently, PA relies on two primary cleanup statutes, but neither was designed to address active spills, pipeline leaks or emergency situations where contamination poses an immediate threat to residents. House Bill 2178 ensures that when hazardous substances spill, there will be no delay in action, and no ambiguity in responsibility. It requires swift containment, thorough investigation, and complete cleanup, while holding polluters, not taxpayers, accountable. The bill goes to the full PA House to be considered.
