HARRISBURG– Following another weekend of flooding that damaged Potter Brook Road and surrounding areas in Westfield Township, Tioga County, Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23) is reinforcing his call for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to advance his legislation giving local governments the authority they need to proactively maintain streams and reduce future damage.

The latest round of flooding serves as another reminder that Northern Tier communities remain vulnerable to destructive storms and state government has yet to provide local officials with the tools they have repeatedly requested to better protect lives, homes and infrastructure.

“For our communities, this isn’t a hypothetical discussion or a once-in-a-generation event,” Yaw said. “Families in Tioga County are once again dealing with washed-out roads and flood damage. Every time this happens, we hear the same message from local officials, emergency responders and residents: let us maintain our streams before disaster strikes.”

Yaw has championed stream maintenance legislation for several legislative sessions. His measures, Senate Bill 403 and Senate Bill 404, would modernize Pennsylvania’s permitting process by allowing local governments to obtain long-term maintenance permits for streams within their jurisdictions and create an optional county-based emergency stream maintenance program in consultation with county conservation districts. The bills are designed to reduce unnecessary permitting delays while maintaining environmental protections.

Following Tropical Storm Debby in 2024, Yaw spent weeks meeting with residents, municipal officials and emergency responders throughout the region. The consistent concern, he said, was that local communities are forced to navigate lengthy permitting requirements before they can remove sediment, gravel bars, fallen trees and other obstructions that contribute to flooding.

The legislation has received bipartisan approval in the Senate on multiple occasions but continues to await action in the House of Representatives, where Democrats hold the majority and have not advanced the bills from committee. Yaw said the most recent flooding in Tioga County should serve as another wake-up call for lawmakers.

“Every time another road washes out or another family is impacted, we’re reminded that delaying action has real consequences,” Yaw said. “House Democrats should act on these practical, commonsense steps to protect our communities and lessen the severity of flooding.”

CONTACT: Elizabeth Weitzel
717-787-3280