Proposed Legislation Regarding 25 Pa. Code Section 102.14

We are writing this letter regarding your May 30, 2013 proposal to introduce legislation that would repeal 25 Pa. Code Section 102.14, which requires 150 foot riparian buffers on high quality (HQ) or exceptional value (EV) waterways, two of which, Bushkill Creek and Catasauqua Creek, are located in your district. The 150 foot buffer requirement is designed to protect the quality of our EV and HG streams and provides benefits for reducing downstream flood damages to impacted communities. This minimal buffer requirement is not a shift in Pennsylvania policy as has been suggested but rather is one of the most cost effective and beneficial basic protections for fulfilling the State’s promise of clean water and safe communities.