We are asking you to answer the call for assistance that we as legislators are receiving from our constituents, farm organizations and a number of our Republicans and Democrats alike, in the legislature. If we do not address it in a responsible way, at the state level, it will surely result in a measurable loss of farmers and farmland. We must take additional steps to provide much needed assistance to Pennsylvania's family farmers. As to our water supply, already Pennsylvanians across the state are having problems with their wells and creek beds drying up and there is no sign of relief in sight. The adequacy of the Philadelphia water system may be threatened in the near future.
Water supply is already an ongoing concern in a Greene County school where water is unavailable.
A clean and adequate water supply is essential to the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians. We urge you to consider a special session to take up these issues. With budget surpluses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, we have resources now available that may be used to assist with the immediate and meaningful relief of this emergency situation. By this letter we urge you to use your authority to call the legislature into Special Session to take up these critical legislative issues relating to the severe drought situation in our Commonwealth.