HARRISBURG, December 18, 2001 – Sen. Raphael J. Musto’s proposal implementing specific reporting requirements in the event of an underground storage tank leak has become law. Gov. Mark Schweiker signed Senate Bill 696 on Monday, and the Luzerne County Democrat’s effort is now officially Act 104 of 2001.

"What the new law requires is a process that calls for specific notification at specific times in the case of a reportable release from an underground storage tank," a delighted Musto said.

"The law also requires that the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the respective municipality notify all residents who live within an area where the spill poses an immediate threat to public health and safety," Musto added.

Musto, who has been widely recognized for his environmental preservation and conservation efforts, introduced the bill in response to an underground leak in Hazleton which DEP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started investigating in 1993, but failed to report to the public until 1996.

"The situation at that time was quite serious," Musto recalled, "with underground tanks leaking to such a degree that the soil was contaminated, and we were concerned that gasoline was traveling underground and endangering local water supplies. Yet the people who live in the area didn’t know about the dangers.

"Because of this new law, Pennsylvania residents can rest assured that this kind of situation won’t happen again," Musto said.