PA:Ag Committee OKs bill to aid dairy farmers, milk haulers

Working to ensure dairy farmers will be able to move their milk even in wintry weather conditions, the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee has approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter) that would exempt milk trucks from weather-related commercial vehicle travel bans. House Bill 915 was introduced in response to the Wolf administration issuing a disaster emergency declaration this winter in which commercial vehicles were banned three times from some portions or all of the state’s interstate highways in anticipation of snow or ice accumulations.“While I understand the public safety concerns that may prompt officials to impose a travel ban on commercial vehicles, it causes a major problem for our dairy farmers,” Causer said. “Cows simply don’t have an ‘off switch,’ nor can their milking schedules be changed to comply with weather and travel conditions.