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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 19, 2019 03:58 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Stephen McCarter |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Legislation Providing the Office of the Attorney General with the Ability to Investigate and Prosecute Environmental Crimes |
| As you know, in recent years, Pennsylvania has undergone vast changes relative to the development, extraction, and transportation of natural resources through the use of new and innovative technologies. While these activities have, in many instances, been a boon to the Commonwealth’s economy, the number of environmental incidents that have occurred as a result of these operations have increased significantly. Article 1, Section 27 of the Constitution of Pennsylvania guarantees that all residents of the Commonwealth “have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment.” Therefore, as elected officials, we have a responsibility to ensure that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Commonwealth, in general, have the resources and staff needed to inspect and, if necessary, cite individuals and businesses that have violated state laws relative to the degradation of our natural resources. However, in recent years, DEP has operated under tight fiscal constraints, often making it difficult to ensure that the environmental rights provided to each resident of this Commonwealth under the Constitution of Pennsylvania are met. To address these concerns, I plan to introduce legislation that would provide concurrent jurisdiction to the Office of the Attorney General by providing the attorney general and his staff with the ability to independently investigate and prosecute environmental crimes. I hope you will join me in supporting this important measure. |