On September 20 Senator Musto will chair a hearing of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee in Hazleton. The hearing will be on Pennsylvania’s program to properly classify and protect waters in the Commonwealth. The hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Penn State Hazleton Campus in the Special Events Room.

Pennsylvania has over 83,000 miles of streams. Currently, 1,716 miles of streams are designated as "Exceptional Value" and 19,274 miles are designated as "High Quality." These waters are the "best of the best" surface waters in the Commonwealth. The hearing will look at the process for selecting streams for study, testing procedures, and regulatory requirements for the designated streams.

The following organizations are scheduled to present testimony during the hearing:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Haines and Kibblehouse

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

The Pennsylvania Builders Association

For more information, contact Richard Fox at 717-787-7105 or Rfox@dem.pasen.gov