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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Bob
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State Rep. Todd Eachus |
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House committees ask tough questions about snow removal
HARRISBURG, Feb. 23 – An unprecedented joint bipartisan hearing of the House Policy and Transportation committees was held today in Harrisburg to seek answers from officials about the state’s much-maligned response to the Valentine’s Day storm. This storm stranded thousands of motorists – some for more than 24 hours -- on interstates 78, 80 and 81, paralyzed highways and turned negative national attention on Pennsylvania.
“When the best thing you can say is ‘at least nobody died while sitting stuck on an interstate because of these mistakes,’ that’s not the standard Pennsylvania’s officials should be happy with,” Majority Policy Committee Chairman Todd Eachus said. “We have to do everything possible to make sure the mistakes made during this storm are never repeated again, and that means we need to closely examine the communication breakdowns that put lives at risk.”
“Pennsylvania was doused with a particularly debilitating concoction of snow, sleet and freezing rain that paralyzed three of our major roadways,” Majority Transportation Committee Chairman Joe Markosek said. “Without pointing fingers, we need to evaluate what happened in regards to preparation, response, technology, reporting and public communications so when the next storm of this nature hits the Commonwealth, travelers on Pennsylvania’s highways will have a better level of comfort and information if they need to traverse our roads.”
The hearing – also co-chaired by Minority Policy Chairman Mike Turzai and Minority Transportation Chairman Rick Geist – brought in the heads of the state police, Pa. Emergency Management Agency, Pa. Department of Transportation, the Pa. Turnpike Commission and the adjutant general of the Pa. National Guard. The hearing also included testimony from Maryland officials who offered their take on how that state handled the road conditions.
“This hearing is just the first step,” Eachus said. “Now, it’s up to my colleagues and me to craft the legislative solutions that will help keep Pennsylvanians on the move during the next storm.”
A special Web site also has been established to allow residents to submit comments and testimony about the storm and the state’s response to it. The Web site is at www.pahouse.com/stormfeedback. More than 200 responses were logged at the feedback site in just two days.
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