# Robinson Township v. Commonwealth

> Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · September 28, 2016 · 637 Pa. 239

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4970827

## Case

- **Full name:** ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Brian Coppola, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Supervisor of Robinson Township, Township of Nockamixon, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Township of South Fayette, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, David M. Ball, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Councilman of Peters Township, Township of Cecil, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Borough of Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Maya Van Rossum, The Delaware Riverkeeper, Mehernosh Khan, M.D. v. COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Gladys M. Brown, in Her Official Capacity as Chairman of the Public Utility Commission, Office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Kathleen Kane, in Her Official Capacity as Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and John H. Quigley, in His Official Capacity as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection Appeal of: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Robert F. Powelson, in His Official Capacity as Chairman of the Public Utility Commission Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Brian Coppola, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Supervisor of Robinson Township, Township of Nockamixon, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Township of South Fayette, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, David M. Ball, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Councilman of Peters Township, Township of Cecil, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Borough of Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Maya Van Rossum, The Delaware Riverkeeper, Mehernosh Khan, M.D. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Gladys M. Brown, in Her Official Capacity as Chairman of the Public Utility Commission, Office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Kathleen Kane, in Her Official Capacity as Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and John H. Quigley, in His Official Capacity as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection Cross Appeal of: Washington County, Pennsylvania, Brian Coppola, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Supervisor of Robinson Township, Township of Nockamixon, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Township of South Fayette, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, David M. Ball, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Councilman of Peters Township, Township of Cecil, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Borough of Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Maya Van Rossum, The Delaware Riverkeeper, Mehernosh Khan, M.D.
- **Court:** Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- **Decided:** September 28, 2016
- **Citations:** 637 Pa. 239; 147 A.3d 536; 2016 WL 5597310
- **Precedential status:** Published
- **Opinion:** Concurring in part by Baer
- **Judges:** Baer, Donohue, Dougherty, Eakin, Saylor, Todd, Wecht
- **Cited by:** 31 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

## Citator (automated)

- No negative treatment found by the automated citator. That is not the same as a confirmation that the case is good law; read the citing cases.
- Full citator and citing cases: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4970827

## How later opinions describe it (automated extraction)

- explaining the precedential aspects of our prior decision in Robinson Twp. v. Commonwealth, 623 Pa. 564, 83 A.3d 901 (2013), which produced, in part, a majority holding but not a majority opinion

## Opinion text

JUSTICE BAER,
concurring and dissenting
I join the third paragraph of Chief Justice Saylor’s concurring and dissenting opinion, concluding that Section 3218.1 of Act 13, 58 Pa.C.S. § 3218.1 (requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to notify any public drinking water facility of a spill), does not constitute a special law in violation of Article III, Section 32 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
In all other respects, I concur in the result of the Majority Opinion.

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4970827. Public record. Not legal advice.