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Bowman-Hosley announces run in 12th Congressional District

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Road in Exeter expected to remain closed for a ‘few weeks’

<p>Another legislator is weighing in on a controversial new stormwater fee.</p><p>State Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, has issued a release entitled &#8220;Unfair, Unfunded Mandates&#8221; saying she is cosponsoring legislation with several colleagues urging Congress to provide additional funding for municipalities to comply with stormwater requirements.</p><p>Boback also said she is preparing her own proposed bill that would allow designated state funds to be applied to the mandate compliance, her release said.</p><p>She applauded U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, who last week called for the suspension of a new stormwater fee until more clarity is provided to Wyoming Valley area property owners who must pay it.</p><p>The fee was triggered by pollution reduction requirements in municipalities requiring MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) permits because they have both urbanized areas determined by U.S. Census data and separate storm sewer systems. These municipalities must reduce sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus washed into the Susquehanna River, and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay, over the next five years.</p><p>Thirty-two local municipalities opted to meet mandate requirements by participating in a regional plan managed by the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority, which has imposed a fee to cover compliance expenses, although Warrior Run said it no longer has to comply due to a state waiver. Three Back Mountain municipalities opted to obtain compliance through the Dallas Area Municipal Authority, which also is charging a fee.</p><p>Boback said she wrote letters to state Gov. Tom Wolf and acting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler describing the northern Luzerne County portion of her district as &#8220;being in a state of chaos&#8221; over the stormwater fees.</p><p>&#8220;My constituents have reported bills ranging on average from $200 to well over $1,000. Farmers have been particularly hard hit, and while I have yet to hear from businesses and nonprofits, I&#8217;m bracing for the jolt,&#8221; Boback wrote.</p><p>Property owners in her rural and agricultural district already are &#8220;overburdened&#8221; with school property taxes, which have caused many senior citizens to lose their homes, she wrote. Adding the unfunded stormwater mandate &#8220;will certainly add more domiciles to the list,&#8221; she said.</p><p>&#8221;Federal funds need to support federal mandates, and that is not the case in this instance,&#8221; she wrote.</p><p>She also praised Lehman Township Supervisors for applying for a waiver of the MS4 requirements and said she hopes other municipalities will &#8220;reevaluate their situation&#8221; to explore other compliance options.</p><p>&#8220;I will continue to work with local, state and federal officials regarding this debacle,&#8221; she wrote.</p><p>Following Meuser&#8217;s announcement last week, the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority issued a statement saying it appreciates his efforts &#8220;engaging the EPA on this important initiative and working with us to mitigate the fee associated with the unfunded federal mandate.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We look forward to working with Congressman Meuser and EPA to discuss any recommendations that may lower the financial burden on the municipalities in our regional stormwater management program,&#8221; the statement said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Boback </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Karen-Boback.jpg</photo0><caption0>Boback </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

State Rep. Boback pushing for government funding for stormwater mandate