As we reported in April, a Pennsylvania House of Representatives member, Dan Moul (Republican from Gettysburg), introduced a bill, House Bill (HB) 2222, that would replace the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) and Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) authority to regulate groundwater by vesting that authority solely in the hands of the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (see PA House Bill Would Neuter SRBC, DRBC Regulation of Ground Water). Moul’s ire is particularly focused on the SRBC and how the organization has interfered with (and charged a lot of money to) big water users, like farmers, in Moul’s district. It is about perceived abuses by the SRBC. That appears to be the bee in Moul’s bonnet. So he’s taking aim at removing the guts of both SRBC and DRBC and placing their power in the hands of the PA DEP, which presumably Moul thinks would be more amenable to the legislature with regard to water policies. While the DRBC is without question a rogue organization that needs reigning in, our impression of the SRBC has been, on balance, positive. SRBC doesn’t try to regulate fracking the way DRBC is attempting to do. At any rate, the point of this post is that we noticed Moul’s bill actually has some traction and has been assigned out to the House State Government Committee for consideration. A bill must first go to a committee and be reported out before it can go to the floor for a full vote by all members. This is step #1, or using a baseball metaphor, the bill made it to first base…
