Posted: | January 17, 2019 02:03 PM |
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From: | Senator Mike Regan |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Critical Infrastructure Protection Act |
In the near future, I will be reintroducing Senate Bill 652, the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act (CIPA), as amended by the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. This legislation will establish penalties for criminal trespass on “critical infrastructure facilities” to differentiate it from trespassing on everyday property. As amended in the House, the bill establishes a new offense for “critical infrastructure vandalism,” defined as being when an individual “intentionally or recklessly damages, destroys, vandalizes, defaces or tampers with equipment in a critical infrastructure facility”. “Critical infrastructure facility” is defined to include petroleum refineries, electrical power generating facilities, chemical facilities, water/wastewater treatment infrastructure, natural gas transmission/distribution facilities or pipelines, wireless telecommunications infrastructure, trucking/rail terminals, gas processing plants, and dams. Pennsylvanians rely on many of these facilities for electricity, telephone service, clean water, natural gas, and delivery of goods. Halting operations not only affects the business itself but the people of this Commonwealth and our economy. Damage to facilities can also be harmful to people’s health – or even life-threatening. It is important to understand that trespassing and damaging facilities is currently illegal. This legislation is not banning activity that is not already against the law. Instead, it increases the level of the crime to reflect the severity of partaking in such illegal activities on property that houses critical infrastructure. Co-sponsors of SB 652: BARTOLOTTA, HUTCHINSON, MARTIN, MENSCH, RESCHENTHALER, SCARNATI, SCAVELLO, STEFANO, VOGEL, YAW, and YUDICHAK. |
Introduced as SB887