Opinion

OUR OPINION

July 24, 2007

Polluters should be forced to foot the bill for cleanup

POLLUTION PAYS?

Often it doesn’t, but it surely should. We are not preaching heresy here, or advocating trashing the landscape.

What we are advocating is the eminently simple – and eminently sensible – concept of having those who pollute the environment pay for its cleanup.

Far too often, the polluters get away clean, far cleaner than the land, water and air they despoil, while others are left to fix their messes.

We see this unfortunate situation playing out again in Pennsylvania – including five sites locally – where a state fund that pays for the restoration of contaminated sites is in danger of running out of money this fall.

The $40 million Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund will run dry this September or October, reporter Tom Venesky explained Monday in The Times Leader.

The fund is used to remediate abandoned toxic dumpsites, cover costs associated with the state’s portion of the federal Superfund program and pay for the state’s response to toxic chemical spills.

Luzerne County has five sites currently funded by the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund: TCE contamination on Church Road in Wright Township, at Valmont Industrial Park and at Freeland Garland; lead contamination in Slocum Township; and groundwater and soil contamination at Poly Clean Dry Cleaners in the Hazleton area.

With the possibility of funding ending in as little as six weeks, state legislators are somewhat belatedly floating all kinds of funding concepts – from raising garbage “tipping” fees to raiding either or both the Keystone Fund and Growing Greener Bonds.

“Unfortunately, this is the nature of business in Harrisburg – wait for a crisis and react,” said state Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, who sits on the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul, Yudichak’s colleague, Rep. Ed Staback, D-Olyphant, proposes the simplest, and best, solution: If you polluted it, you pay to rectify it.

“We have areas that are a mess and need to be cleaned up, but not at the expense of other environmental funds,” he said. “Somebody created these hazardous sites, and whoever caused it ought to be made to clean it up.”

What an idea, what a breath of fresh air: Make people responsible for their actions.

We see so many benefits in this approach. Not only would it lift the burden off taxpayers for past environmental degradation, but it would send a strong message to those who presently are polluting an area to stop, because they will be held accountable.

Further, those who might be tempted to pollute in the future will think twice if they know the government isn’t going to tidy up their messes.

So, we strongly urge: Let pollution pay, now and into what would be a cleaner, better world.

The $40 million Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund will run dry this September or October.

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