Pa. Lawmakers Debate State Soil
Posted on: Friday, 21 May 2004, 06:00 CDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. - State lawmakers are throwing mud over a proposal to name an official state soil. The state House voted 177-22 last week to designate Hazleton soil as the official state soil. The soil, named for the city in Luzerne County, is found in 34 counties.
The Pennsylvania Association of Professional Soil Scientists has pressed for the designation, which awaits Senate action, but some lawmakers say the Legislature should be dealing with more important issues.
State Rep. Kelly Lewis, R-Monroe, voted against the proposal.
"Enough is enough," said Lewis, who previously cast votes against naming celestite the state mineral and polka the state dance. "I'm sure Hazelton soil is important to someone in the state. My people didn't elect me to worry about that stuff."
But Bruce P. Willman, president of the soil association, said that having a state soil would bolster Pennsylvania's credibility when it hosts the 18th World Congress of Soil Science in Philadelphia in 2006.
"We are asking only a symbolic acknowledgment from our state government for the value of soils in our state," Willman said. "This is not a trivial undertaking and is not presented as a whimsical pursuit."
Erik Arneson, chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill, R-Lebanon, said the Senate has not discussed an official soil.
Hazleton soil will be featured with 52 other soils in the Smithsonian Soils Exhibit in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
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Information from: The Patriot-News, http://www.patriot-news.com
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