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HARRISBURG, Feb. 22, 2007 - At today’s legislative
hearing investigating last week’s chaotic winter storm response
on Pennsylvania’s interstates, state Sen. J. Barry Stout called
on the General Assembly to search for solutions, including the
possible reconstitution of a disbanded state police force tasked
with patrolling the interstate highways.
“This is not a political issue,” said Stout
(D-Allegheny/Beaver/Greene/Washington/Westmoreland). “This
hearing is not to take ‘the blame ball’ and throw it until it
sticks. This is a concern for the safety and well-being of our
citizens, our motoring public, your family and mine.”
Today the Senate Transportation and Veterans Affairs and
Emergency Preparedness Committees held a joint hearing, where
senators heard testimony from Transportation Secretary Allen
Biehler, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Colonel Jeffrey
Miller, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director James
Joseph and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Adjutant
General Jessica Wright.
Stout noted that Troop S, the Pennsylvania State Police force
that exclusively patrolled the state’s interstates, was
disbanded in 1997. Troop S had been slated for cuts even
earlier, but performed admirably during a winter storm in 1993
and avoided the budget axe until four years later. Stout
suggested that reconstituting Troop S could prevent future
events like last week’s disordered interstate closings.
Stout also questioned if the state Department of Transportation
may have cut too close to the bone and sacrificed public safety
for budget savings. For example, the department currently has
117 anti-icing trucks, compared with 135 just five years ago.
“We have bridges falling down, highways falling apart, and now a
storm response system that is falling down on the job,” said
Stout. “At some point, we have to question if we need more
resources for our state’s transportation network.”
Stout is currently serving as the Democratic chairman for the
Senate Transportation Committee.
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