The major water pipeline break in Harrisburg last week and a fatal gas pipeline explosion in Allentown in February bring into stark relief the tragic consequences of Pennsylvania's aging infrastructure.  We'll take a closer look at our crumbling water, sewer and gas lines, as well as our dangerous highways and bridges, on Smart Talk, Thursday night at 8 on witf TV.

The grades are in, and frankly, Pennsylvania is doing quite poorly when it comes to maintaining our infrastructure.  The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2010 Report Card gives Pennsylvania a D+ for drinking water, a D- for stormwater and a D+ for wastewater.  To give you a flavor of just how bad it is, consider the finding that, "Aging wastewater management systems discharge billions of gallons of untreated sewage into Pennsylvania's surface waters each year."  Okay, who wants a glass of tap water?!

In our first half hour Thursday night, we'll tackle the issues surrounding Pennsylvania's water, sewer and gas systems.  When a contractor for HARSCO hit a water main on the company's property in Harrisburg, the resulting break shuttered the state Capitol Complex, closed businesses and schools for several days and left the city badly shaken.  The sight of throngs of people lined up outside port-a-potties and the excuse by the driller that "a beaver" caused the damage, added to the city's ongoing woes.

Our guests include Kathy Pape, president of Pennsylvania American Water Company.  PAWC is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing water and waste water services to more than 2 million Pennsylvanians.   Paul Marchetti, executive director of PENNVEST,the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, also joins us.  Since its inception in 1988, PENNVEST has green lighted more than $6.5 billion in revolving loans for drinking water, storm water and sewer improvement projects across the state.  Marchetti explains, "The single most important criterion in determining whether a drinking-water project gets PENNVEST funds is improvement to public health.  On the waste water side, it's improvement to water quality.  And in both cases, we also look at economic development by which we mean permanent job creation."

Dave Sanko, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, also will add his expertise to our panel.  Sanko is a former executive director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency under Gov. Ed Rendell and a former chief of staff to Gov. Mark Schweiker.  He also served as chief operating officer of Bucks County.

A gas pipeline blast in February cost five people their lives and leveled a city block in Allentown.  The state Public Utility Commission is studying the pipeline involved in the explosion (reportedly dating to 1928) and is expected to issue a final report on what caused the blast.  PUC Commissioner James Cawley will appear on the program.   The Allentown Morning Call reported that Pennsylvania has fallen behind many states in replacing aged pipelines.  The paper cites Georgia as a national leader on the issue.  Georgia assesses a fee on gas users that is directed toward the replacement of old, cast-iron and bare-steel gas pipes that are subject to safety breakdowns.  Within two years, all the old pipes in Georgia reportedly are expected to be replaced.

The PUC, gas companies and consumer advocates have not agreed on a plan to address Pennsylvania's pipeline situation.  Gradually, gas utilities are replacing more than 12,000 miles of cast-iron and bare-steel pipes.  UGI, for example, says it will spend $41 million across the state to replace gas lines and mains this year.  UGI also notes that it has not increased rates since 1995 but gas utility companies might file rate increase requests in order to raise money for capital improvements.  Last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood convened a national safety summit to address concerns about America's gas infrastructure.   He emphasized that starting this summer the federal government will enforce a new rule that gas pipeline operators identify all threats to the system and prioritize their level of risk.  In an interview after the conference with The Morning Call's Colby Itkowitz, UGI's CEO John Walsh said, "There's a lot you can learn when you look at what everyone else is doing.  The goal is to learn from that and better understand the root cause and incorporate it in plans to move forward."

In our second half hour, we'll examine the crisis facing Pennsylvania's roads and bridges.  The ASCE's 2010 report card gives our road system a D-.  And Transportation for America, a broad-based coalition of interest groups lobbying for more money and attention for transportation issues, ranks PA #1 in deficient bridges with 26.5% of them rated in poor condition.  Last year, a commission appointed by former Gov. Rendell pegged our unmet transportation funding needs at $3.5 billion a year.  Last Thursday, Governor Tom Corbett signed an executive order creating a Transportation Funding Advisory Commission and said, "We need a comprehensive, strategic blueprint for how we pay for years of underinvestment in our roads, bridges, and mass transit systems.

"Pennsylvanians expect and deserve to have a transportation system that improves not just their safety, but their overall quality of life. The time has come to put a financial plan in place that not only addresses our transportation needs but also takes into account our nation's energy objectives and realities," the governor added.  Commission members are to make their recommendations to the governor by August 1st.  PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch chairs the commission and will appear on the show.

Schoch stresses that members need to find recurring revenue sources and disregard choices like raising the gas tax or relying on federal funding.  With federal energy policies mandating better gas mileage and a national drive to conserve fuel, counting on gas-tax revenues could be futile.  Gov. Rendell's panel came up with some funding sources, including user fees based on miles driven, tolls on certain highways, P3s or public-private partnerships on a variety of transportation projects, including a lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  They also suggested loans, increasing the sales tax on cars and taxing natural gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale region.

Robert Latham, executive director of Associated Pennsylvania Constructors, a trade association for the road and bridge construction industry, is a member of the new funding commission.  He says increased fees for driver licensing and vehicle registration also are on the table.  The list of possibilities is exhaustive but Latham  insists this commission has the chance to both modernize and improve the safety of our transit systems while ensuring adequate funding.  "What's going to come out of this is a blueprint for where we go in the future," adds a hopeful Latham.

We want to hear YOUR solutions for our infrastructure funding problems.  What benefits do you want to derive before paying higher fees and which fees or taxes would you be willing to pay for better roads, bridges, mass transit, water, sewer and gas systems?  Call in live Thursday at 8 to1-800-729-7532.  Or send us an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or post a comment to www.facebook.com/witf.org.