Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that in lieu of in-person free potassium iodide, or KI, tablet distribution the department has provided in previous years, the tablets are available to all Pennsylvanians who live or work within 10 miles of the state’s five nuclear power plants by calling the Department of Health at 1-877-724-3258 (1-877-PA-HEALTH) or at county and municipal health departments or state health centers.

“Emergency preparedness is an important aspect of public health and having potassium iodide tablets for residents who live or work within 10 miles of a nuclear facility is an essential preparedness action in the case of a radiological emergency,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “However, with continuing to efforts to limit indoor gatherings, we want Pennsylvanians to know about alternative ways to obtain these tablets.”

KI helps protect the thyroid gland against harmful radioactive iodine and can be taken by anyone, if they are not allergic to it. It is safe for pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding, people on thyroid medication, children and infants. Individuals who are unsure if they should take potassium iodide should ask a health care provider first.

“It’s important to remember potassium iodide should only be taken when instructed to by state health officials or the governor, and it is not a substitute for evacuation in the case of a radiological emergency at one of Pennsylvania’s nuclear facilities,” Dr. Levine said.

With the current COVID-19 pandemic and Governor Tom Wolf’s and Sec. Levine’s Targeted Mitigation Order limiting indoor gatherings to 25 people, the decision was made to cancel the KI distribution events for 2020. KI tablets are still recommended for people living and working within 10 miles of the Three Mile Island Generating Station, which closed in September 2019.

Individuals requesting KI tablets may do so for other family members or those who are unable to get the tablets on their own. School districts and employers within a 10-mile radius can also arrange to obtain their supply of KI tablets from the department.

Information sheets explaining how many KI tablets should be taken, when to take the tablets, and how to store them are provided with the packages. Health nurses can answer questions about the process over the phone as well.

The state’s five nuclear facilities are closely regulated, secure and well-maintained. The facilities are: Beaver Valley Power Station; Limerick Generating Station; Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station; Susquehanna Steam Electric Station; and recently closed Three Mile Island Generating Station.

Additional information on potassium iodide (KI) tablets and nuclear power plant safety can be found on the Department of Health’s website at health.pa.gov or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:             Nate Wardle, 717-787-1783 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Butler Township Pollutant Reduction Plan - Public Notice

As required by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (PA DEP’s) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Individual Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) Renewal Application, Butler Township has prepared and must implement a Pollutant Reduction Plan (PRP) for the Storm Sewershed of the Urbanized Area of Butler Township. The purpose of the PRP is to select Water Quality Stormwater Management Best Management Practices (BMPs) to be constructed within the Township to achieve a minimum 10% reduction of Sediment, a minimum 5% reduction of Total Phosphorus and a minimum 3% reduction of Total Nitrogen Pollutant Loads in pounds per year during a five (5) year time period.

The proposed PRP developed by Butler Township can be viewed at the Butler Township Municipal Building located at 83 Corporate Drive in Butler Township, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or by accessing the Butler Township Website at www.butlertownship.org. Written comments shall be accepted by Butler Township for thirty (30) days from the date of this Public Notice. A copy of the written comments will be attached to the Final PRP submitted to the PA DEP by Butler Township. Furthermore, Butler Township shall accept and make a record of any oral comments received at any public meeting or public hearing held by Butler Township during the thirty (30) day public comment period. All public comments, whether received orally at a public meeting, or written, will be considered in the Township’s Final PRP submitted to the PA DEP.

Butler Township Draft Pollutant Reduction Plan (May 12, 2020)19.41 MB

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State Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) is warning residents of ascam targeting Property Tax or Rent Rebate recipients.

Schwank’s office was notified of a scam that consists of unsolicited calls from a person claiming to work for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. The caller says an application for Property Tax or Rent Rebate has been approved and then asks if the recipient would like the rebate directly deposited into a bank account – and asks for his or her bank information.

This is a scam. The Department of Revenue does not make live calls regarding Property Tax or Rent Rebate applications and does not collect applicant banking deposit information over the phone.

The Department of Revenue does contact applicants via automated calls to confirm their information has been received and approved. If the department needs more information about an individual’s Property Tax or Rent Rebate application, it sends a letter through the U.S. Postal Service.

Individuals can request that their rebate be directly deposited; those requests, however, must be made when the signed application is submitted to the Department of Revenue.

If you receive a phone call from an individual claiming to represent the Department of Revenue and is requesting personal bank account information, DO NOT give out any banking information or any personal information (including Social Security numbers) to these callers. 

If you received one of these calls and provided your banking information or other personal information, immediately call your bank to make them aware of this potential fraud. Additionally, you can file a scam complaint with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Consumer Protection by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or by visiting www.attorneygeneral.gov.  Consumer Complaint forms are also available by contacting Senator Schwank’s District Office at 610-929-2151.

Butler Township held a ribbon cutting recently for its new municipal building and police station complex in the CAN DO Corporate Center in Drums. Pictured are, from left: Walter James, representing American Legion Butler Township Post 795; Atty. Donald Karpowich, solicitor for the Butler Township supervisors; Kevin O’Donnell, CAN DO president and CEO; Mary Malone, Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce president; Rep. Tarah Toohil; Rev. Michele Kaufman, pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church; Jennifer Pecora, Butler Township manager; Dr. Frank Polidora, Butler Township supervisor; Brian Kisenwether, chairman of the Butler Township supervisors; Charles Altmiller, Butler Township supervisor; Brian Sabatini, Butler Township police chief; Senator John Gordner; David Pedri, Luzerne County manager; and William Magnotta, chairman of the CAN DO Board of Directors.

Butler Township hosted an evening of Halloween fun on October 14 at the Butler Township Community Center.

Dozens of area children came dressed in their best Halloween costumes and joined in some ghoulish fun, including a Halloween parade, pumpkin decorating and arts and crafts.

Click below to view more pictures from the festivities.

Read more: Butler Township hosts Halloween event

Butler Township officials hosted a groundbreaking on Wednesday at the future home of the Butler Township municipal building and police station on Site 11 in the CAN DO Corporate Center in Drums.

The $4 million building project includes a 13,500-square-foot facility that will house Butler Township’s police station, detention area, administration building and zoning office and an additional 4,300-square-foot police storage garage. Township officials expect to move into the new facility in February of 2018.

Butler Township officials finalized the purchase of the five-acre lot on Site 11 in the Corporate Center late last year. Butler Township was looking for a location that would help it better serve the township’s growing population in terms of emergency response time and convenience when conducting municipal business.

Brian Kisenwether, chairman of the Butler Township board of supervisors, said, “I speak for my fellow board members and myself when I say that public safety has always been a top priority for this administration. We want to make sure we have a strong and effective police department for our residents. As our population grows, so must our services. We outgrew our current municipal building about a decade ago but we did not want to make a move of this magnitude until we had sufficient revenue resources to do so without impacting our current tax rate. We are also hopeful with this progressive move to the CAN DO Corporate Center that we can attract more business and jobs to this beautiful area in the Butler valley.”

Although township officials considered several properties for the new municipal building, they ultimately found several benefits from the CAN DO Corporate Center location that helped finalize the selection process. The pad-ready site will allow the township to save a significant amount of money in construction costs and access to the Corporate Center’s natural gas resources will provide a savings for a building that will be operational around the clock.

Butler Township Manager Maryanne Petrilla said working with CAN DO to select the site and finalize the deal was a smooth process and township officials are looking forward to their new home.

“CAN DO has been a great partner to us over the years in improving our economic development and creating jobs. They have been extremely easy to work with and we look forward to a continued relationship,” she said.

CAN DO President and CEO Kevin O’Donnell said, “CAN DO’s relationship with Butler Township goes all the way back to 1989 when a search committee recommended that CAN DO purchase 1,025 acres of land here at the intersection of Route 309 and 80 to be used principally as a business park. That was the start of the CAN DO Corporate Center.

“Our vision for this business park was shared by the Butler Township Board of Supervisors in 1989, and Butler Township remains a supportive partner in economic development and we are excited to have the township’s office complex in the Corporate Center.”

The CAN DO Corporate Center is located along State Route 309 and just minutes from Interstates 80 and 81. The park offers a number of infrastructure incentives including easy access to utilities as well as a telecommunications network. The state-of-the-art telecommunications system features 100-percent digital switching, a fiber-optic network and available, dedicated internet access.

Pictured, from left, are: Brian Sabatini, Butler Township police chief; Dr. John Madden, CAN DO Board of Directors chairman; Kevin O’Donnell, CAN DO president and CEO; Dan Guydish, representing the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce; Charlie Altmiller, Butler Township supervisors vice-chairman; David Pedri, Luzerne County manager; Brian Kisenwether, Butler Township supervisors chairman of the board; Bob Dougherty, from RJD Engineering; Dr. Frank Polidora, Butler Township supervisors secretary/treasurer; Maryanne Petrilla, Butler Township manager; Gregg Pavlick, from Barry Isett, Inc.; Joe Calabrese, from RJD Engineering; John Sidari, from M&J Excavation, Inc.; Jim Vozar, construction manager from JVI, Inc.; and Paul Lewis, architect from Williams Kinsman Lewis Architechture.