For Immediate Release
October 17, 2007
Contact:  Lisa Landis
Legislative Director
717-787-6709
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Senator Brubaker Legislation Approved by Committees

 Four bills now move to full Senate for consideration

HARRISBURG –HARRISBURG – Four bills introduced by state Senator Mike Brubaker (R-36) were approved by Senate committees this week. 

Senate Bill 1017 amends the Phosphate Detergent Act to virtually eliminate the amount of phosphate in automatic dishwashing detergents. It was approved by the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee 9-0 yesterday. Brubaker is a member of the Committee. 

"Under the federal Clean Water Act, Pennsylvania municipalities are tasked with reducing the amount of phosphorus coming from their wastewater treatment plants," Brubaker said. "More often than not, this requires large capital investments to install nutrient reduction technology." 

However, Brubaker continued, approximately seven to 12 percent of the phosphorus entering such a plant comes from automatic dishwashing detergents. 

"Phasing out the level of phosphate in these detergents will help our communities make progress toward their phosphate reduction goals in a small but significant way that is also cost-effective," Brubaker said, adding that a similar phase-out has already occurred in liquid hand dish detergents and laundry detergents. 

Senate Bill 1017 requires that the phosphate in household automatic dishwashing detergents be reduced from 8.7 percent by weight as allowed under current law to 0.5 percent by weight by July 1, 2010. This is consistent with the detergent industry's goal to reduce phosphate in these detergents nationwide on the same timeline, which provides time to develop formulas that meet consumer satisfaction for performance and allows for a smooth transition to the new standard. 

Senate Bills 1002, 1003 and 1004 would allow townships and boroughs to work with nonprofit organizations to initiate and maintain public recreation projects. These bills won the unanimous support of the Senate Local Government Committee today; Brubaker is a member of the Committee. 

"Although recreational facilities such as pools, playgrounds and recreation centers are an important part of any community, they can also be expensive," Brubaker said. 

Local governments already have the authority to work cooperatively with other local governments on such projects, Brubaker said, which helps them to stretch their dollars and provide services to a greater number of people. Senate Bills 1002, 1003 and 1004 extend this authority to allow boroughs and townships to work jointly with nonprofit organizations as well. 

"These measures will provide even more opportunities to form creative partnerships and leverage additional funding for projects," Brubaker said. "In addition, they are mutually supportive of the goals of local governments and nonprofit organizations to serve their communities." 

Similar legislation introduced by state Representative Scott Boyd (R-43) was approved by the House Local Government Committee in June. 

"I appreciate my colleagues' support on these bills," Brubaker said. "These are very important pieces of legislation that will truly make a difference to our communities and assist them in providing services to their residents in a cost-effective manner."