Environmental hazardous spill cleanup bill approved by House committee
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus April 27, 2026 | 3:17 PM
HARRISBURG, April 27 – State Rep. Perry Warren today announced that his legislation to strengthen Pennsylvania’s response to hazardous substance releases was reported out of the House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee.
House Bill 2178, also known as the Environmental Clean Up and Responsibility Act, would require immediate action when hazardous substances are released, including mandatory containment, investigation and cleanup. The text of the legislation was drafted by state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, who introduced the companion bill in the Senate, S.B. 1157.
The bill is rooted in the ongoing experience of residents in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County, where private wells in a residential neighborhood were contaminated by a leak from an interstate pipeline transporting jet fuel from Delaware County to Newark, N.J. A resident first detected a fuel smell in their drinking water more than two years ago, but the leak was not acknowledged by the pipeline operator until January 2025.
Federal and state agencies, local officials and the pipeline’s corporate operator have responded. However, in the absence of clear statutory timelines, guidance and cleanup requirements, much of the contaminated fuel remains in the ground, and water and soil have not been fully remediated.
Currently, Pennsylvania relies on two primary cleanup statutes: the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act and the Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act. Neither law was designed to address active spills, pipeline leaks or emergency situations where contamination poses an immediate threat to residents.
“These gaps in cleanup standards undermine public confidence, threaten public health, and delay protections for our communities,” Warren said. “House Bill 2178 ensures that when hazardous substances spill, there will be no delay in action and no ambiguity in responsibility. It requires swift containment, thorough investigation, and complete cleanup, while holding polluters—not taxpayers—accountable. Further, the existence of clearly defined cleanup standards and responsibility will incentivize companies to prevent spills before they happen.”
“I applaud the PA House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee for moving ECRA forward,” Santarsiero said. “I’ve seen firsthand how a corporate spill hurt my neighbors in Upper Makefield Township. Clean up was voluntary and our state government didn’t have the power to act under our current laws. The Environmental Clean Up and Responsibility Act would empower state government to start a clean-up immediately and collect payment from polluters later. We need fast clean up and polluters must pay, not taxpayers. I hope we will see similar action on this important legislation in the PA Senate. I will continue to advocate with Representative Warren for legislation that protects Pennsylvanians’ constitutional right to clean water.”
House Bill 2178 now moves to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
Warren represents the 31st Legislative District in Bucks County, which includes Lower Makefield, Newtown Borough, Newtown Township, Upper Makefield and Yardley.
Santarsiero represents the 10th Senatorial District in Bucks County, comprised of Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, Buckingham, Chalfont, Doylestown Borough, Doylestown Township, Falls, Lower Makefield, Morrisville, New Britain Borough, New Britain Township, New Hope, Newtown Borough, Newtown Township, Plumstead, Solebury, Tullytown, Upper Makefield and Yardley.
Please click here for coverage of a January news conference introducing the bills.
###rjb/2026/agh
l:\print\releases\
|
CONTACT: Ryan Bevitz
House Democratic Communications Office
Phone: 717-787-7895
Email: rbevitz@pahouse.net
|