Hellbender Journal Autumn 2002

A bi-partisan legislation, the Pennsylvania Environmental Policy Act (House Bill 2799), was introduced in the Pennsylvania House by Repubican Charles McIlhinney Jr.. This important legislation would for the first time adopt a formal public involvement process for activities with the potential to significantly harm Pennsylvania's state parks and forests. The Act would:

• Require state agencies to hold public comment periods when proposals are made concerning the use of public lands;

• Require state agencies to take public comments into consideration before accepting risky proposals; and

• Require the completion of environmental impact statements before any activity which would cause potentially significant damage to the environment can take place on state lands.

What You Can Do:

Pennsylvania citizens can contact their state representative to ask them to co-sponsor and vote for the Pennsylvania Environmental Policy Act, House Bill 2799. You can point out that fifteen other states, including New York, Michigan, Georgia, Washington, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Minnesota, already have similar legislation.

Join the effort for public accountability in the management of public lands. To write your state representative about the Pennsylvania Environmental Policy Act, write to:

State Representative __________

PA House of Representatives

Harrisburg, PA 17120

State Senator ___________

Pennsylvania Senate

Harrisburg, PA 17120

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