HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania State Rep. Mike Armanini, R-Clearfield/Elk, is part of a legislative effort to confront the difficulty faced by local municipalities when attempting to maintain waterways in their jurisdiction and address the threat of flooding.

“Pennsylvania is well known for the hoops it requires small businesses to jump through when they are trying to get their feet on the ground,” Armanini said. “In this case, my House colleagues and I are hoping to remove similar types of hurdles placed in front of our boroughs and townships as they attempt to perform simple upkeep on streams and waterways.”

Armanini’s proposal is one eight pieces of legislation in the Stream Maintenance Package. His House Bill 2408 would do away with the requirement that permits must be obtained in order to preserve culverts.

“As opposed to a bridge, maintaining a culvert is comparatively simple because the makeup of the structure isn’t as complicated,” added Armanini. “Conducting the necessary repairs and maintenance are just as important, but having to go through the rather exhaustive process of obtaining a permit before any work can be done isn’t warranted.”

Another bill from this package, belonging to Rep. Clint Owlett, R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter, would allow local government organizations to apply for a permit for continuing maintenance for a period of at least 10 years for the streams within their jurisdiction. This permit would grant an affirmative duty to the local government entity to properly maintain the streams and would not require the local government to get pre-approval for maintenance projects. This proposal would also help with permit requirements for general upkeep.

Questions about this or any legislative issue may be directed to Armanini’s DuBois office at (814) 375-4688 or his St. Marys office at (814) 781-6301.