As most people are aware, the state legislature here in PA operates the same way as the federal government.  The legislature makes and passes bills, and the governor signs them into law.  However, the role of state legislatures goes well beyond that scope.

    One of the most important aspects of individual legislators is their ability to interact with local municipalities.  While many broad policies originate at the state level, in the end it is the county and local governments that end up dealing with most issues.  Roads, water/sewer, garbage removal, even electric production for some; all of these are regulated in some sense by the state, but local government is the first entity put to the grind stone when residents are dissatisfied.   

    It is also important for legislators to be aware of what their individual constituents are interested in having done.  However, local issues are best taken care of by local officials with assistance from the state.  Not by a state law that ignores that level of government that is best suited to deal with those issues.

    While I am a lover of the outdoors, I do feel that there needs to be a compromise between conserving and protecting our environment and the monetary cost of doing so. 

    The Chesapeake Bay may be a 'national treasure', but bankrupting municipalities, businesses, farmers, and individual tax payers in central Pennsylvania is NOT the proper way to go about it.  Particularly when such actions have not been satisfactorily shown to appreciably improve the quality of the Bay.

    The Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 2000 (or maybe 2001) is merely the most expensive and most publicized of such projects to date.  Such squandering of money has been going on for years. 

    The goal of many individuals is to ultimately own their own home.  It is economically irresponsible to force homeowners to pay as much as $35,000 to catch and reconstitute the rainwater from their property.  When one works hard and pays good money to purchase property, hire a builder, and create their dream, that extra expense comes as a pretty big surprise.  Especially as that is money that gets paid up front.

    If this trend continues, farmers (particularly dairy farmers) won't be safe either.  At this point in time the conservation district assists farmers to install fencing and stream crossings as well as other improvements.  With budgets getting tight that money will be drying up while the regulations continue to grow stricter.