Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Must Read: Post Gazette Confirms Governor Corbett Restores DEP Inspectors' Authority

Don Hopey of the Post Gazette has a front page story in which a DEP spokesperson confirms that Governor Corbett has restored DEP Inspectors' authority to issue notices of violation without preclearance from officials in Harrisburg.  See http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11123/1143606-503-0.stm?cmpid=newspanel4.  Good news, indeed.

The restoration comes 5 weeks after the directive was issued requiring DEP inspectors to first get approval before issuing a notice of violation.  The directive broke with the practices of 3 Governors and 5 previous DEP secrtaries and caused statewide alarm and opposition.

The news of the reversal emerged from a letter that Governor Corbett sent responding to more than 40 environmental and civic organizations that expressed their opposition to the original directive and asking the Governor to reverse the directive.  The Governor now has done so.

I don't fully understand why DEP or the Governor did not a formal press release to the public generally about the restoration of the DEP inspectors' authority.  But the substance of the decision is more important than how the decision is communicated.

1 comment:

  1. Agreed, the substance of any decision is more important than how the decision was communicated...the messenger really matters a whole lot less than the message. In this case the message is very good news...now speaking of messages...heard one loud and clear once upon a time about a water line for the Carter Rd. folks...in that particular situation-the messenger was an extremely important voice, the message? Signed, sealed....undeliverable.

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