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For Immediate Release A Conversation with Senator Brubaker Center for Rural PA serves small communities The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is an important resource for both rural and small communities in the Commonwealth as well as for the General Assembly. There are approximately 3.4 million people living in rural areas of the state, and this population is continuing to grow. Rural life has many benefits, including an abundance of beautiful scenery, lower levels of pollution and noise, and a lower cost of living than urban areas. However, these areas also face unique challenges the gap in personal per capita income between rural and urban areas has doubled since 1970, while the earning gap between the two has increased nearly 36 percent during the 1990s. In addition, rural areas have fewer primary care physicians and fewer dentists and less access to other resources. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania provides assistance to these rural and small communities to help them maintain their vitality and their way of life. Each year, the Center approves one-year grants to qualified members of state universities and Penn State University to conduct applied research or identify local strategies that can result in legislative or policy recommendations. It also publishes a Rural Access Guide that provides information about state, federal and nonprofit/foundation grants, loans and technical assistance resources. The issues facing rural communities are important to me as chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. By creating awareness of the issues facing our rural areas, we can use that information to develop an agenda that benefits all Pennsylvania citizens. Senate Committee addresses safety on college campuses In the aftermath of the horrible tragedy at Virginia Tech, colleges and universities across the state and the country are reexamining their security plans to address ways in which they can improve their responses to emergencies and even to prevent them from happening. On May 2, the Senate Education Committee brought together several representatives of Pennsylvanias higher education institutions to hold a hearing on campus security. This hearing was very significant because it provided a chance to air concerns and to suggest areas in which improvements can be made. The security of all of our students, from kindergarten on up, is always a source of concern for my colleagues and me. Children and young adults should not be afraid to go to school, and we will continue working to develop legislation that helps to provide a safe learning atmosphere. National Drinking Water Week Water is a resource that is very easy to take for granted since we use it on a daily basis to cook, shower and wash our clothes and dishes. However, the demand for water continues to grow while the supply is often affected by conditions beyond our control, such as droughts. In recognition of National Drinking Water Week, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission offered educational exhibits and materials from May 8 to May 10 that centered around the theme Prepare Now: Be Water Wise. There are many water conservation techniques that you can use to save money and use water wisely, from simple steps such as fixing leaky faucets to more elaborate measures such as installing water-saving technologies in your home. We cannot live without water, and therefore it is up to us to ensure that we are protecting this vital commodity. I encourage you to take the time to learn more about the ways in which you can play a part in water conservation and to appreciate the role water plays in our everyday life.
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