PA Act 24,
2008 will help guard PA’s portion of Trail from encroaching
overdevelopment and other threats
[Philadelphia, PA]—While most eyes are currently focused on
the impending budget battle in Harrisburg, the state legislature and Governor Ed
Rendell took the last step to protect PA’s portion of the Appalachian Trail when the governor signed HB1281 into law
(PA Act 24, 2008) yesterday afternoon. This legislation will take much-needed
action to preserve the state’s section of this important national treasure
that from encroaching development and other threats. Since its introduction,
PennEnvironment has tirelessly advocated for the legislation’s passage.
“While the budget season may often be seen as a contentious time
of year in Harrisburg, it’s reassuring that members of the state House
and Senate and the governor could work in a bi-partisan fashion to pass this
important piece of environmental legislation to protect one of
Pennsylvania’s greatest natural resources—our portion of the
Appalachian Trail,” said PennEnvironment Director David Masur.
HB1281 was introduced by state Representative Bob Freeman (D-Easton,
Chair of the House Local Government Committee) to amend the original Appalachian
Trail Act (Act 41, 1978) and ensure that those municipalities through which the
Trail runs must adopt and implement zoning in harmony with protecting the
Appalachian Trail.
“More and more, encroaching development threatens
Pennsylvania’s section of the Trail, and HB1281—now Act 24—is
meant to tackle this threat,” state Masur. “We know that
Pennsylvanians from all walks of life see the Appalachian Trail as an important part of the
state’s natural heritage, so protecting it must be a top priority.”
The urgent need for Act 24 had been highlighted by a recent decision by
the Commonwealth Court to give municipalities the choice
of remaining un-zoned if they so desired. This decision could directly
affect efforts to preserve Pennsylvanian’s piece of the Appalachian Trail, allowing for irresponsible development
near the Trail. Without legislation
like Act 24, many parts of the Trail could lose their aesthetic and natural
qualities forever.
“Pennsylvanians from all walks of life care deeply about wild
places like the Appalachian Trail, if they’ve hiked parts of the Trail or
not,” said Masur. “The state’s residents want to ensure that
the Appalachian
Trail is
protected for now and for future generations of Pennsylvanians. The legislature and the governor showed that
they understand this support for preserving our wild places through the passage
of Act 24.”
Pennsylvania’s portion of the Appalachian Trail runs for 229
miles from the Delaware Water Gap in northeastern Pennsylvania, following
the eastern rim of the Alleghenies (north of Reading and Allentown) before
crossing the Cumberland Valley (near Harrisburg) on its way to Maryland at Pennsylvania’s
southern border along the Susquehanna River.
The Trail is part of the National Park Service and is the first scenic
trail in the U.S., designated in 1968. Besides its historic importance, the
Trail is home to dozens of threatened and endangered species, and many
ecologists believe that the Appalachian Trail may contain the greatest level of biodiversity
for any unit of America’s National Park Service.
