Our state senator, Kim Ward, announced on June 10 that the Senate had passed Senate Bill 691 to rename the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to the Department of Environmental Services. Sounds innocuous, and they basically say it’s just a name. However, there may be sinister plans with the department title change that could leave citizens with less protection and at the whims of special interest groups.
Ward notes: “Senate Bill 691, which now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration, will have no effect on the jurisdiction or current statutory or regulatory authority of the department.”
The word “protection” in the department’s name carries a law enforcement connotation rather than that of an environmental resource and partner to the citizens of Pennsylvania. Emphasizing that the department is focused on services will be a major step forward in instituting a needed culture change.
DEP is charged with administering the laws of the commonwealth as enacted by the General Assembly. The General Assembly is responsible for ensuring the protection of the commonwealth’s environment and natural resources.
Frankly, this simple rewording could have drastic negative ramifications that affect the DEP’s mission. Currently that mission is defined as follows: to protect Pennsylvania’s air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health … and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment.
Protection keeps things and people safe.
Service is the action of helping or doing work for someone — in this case, the people of Pennsylvania, or, more likely, special interest groups.
Louis F. Pochet
Hempfield