[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 751 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 751

  To express the sense of the Senate concerning a new drinking water 
                         standard for arsenic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 6, 2001

 Mrs. Clinton introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To express the sense of the Senate concerning a new drinking water 
                         standard for arsenic.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING A NEW DRINKING WATER STANDARD 
              FOR ARSENIC.

    (a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--
            (1) the National Academy of Sciences concluded in a 1999 
        report that there is sufficient evidence that chronic ingestion 
        of arsenic causes bladder, lung, and skin cancer;
            (2) the National Academy of Sciences also concluded in that 
        report that ``the current [maximum contaminant level] for 
        arsenic in drinking water of 50 [micrograms per liter] does not 
        achieve the Environmental Protection Agency's goal for public-
        health protection and, therefore, requires downward revision as 
        promptly as possible'';
            (3) the 50 microgram per liter standard for arsenic in 
        drinking water has not been revised since 1942;
            (4) the World Health Organization has established a 
        provisional guideline for arsenic in drinking water of 10 
        micrograms per liter, indicating that the guideline value would 
        be lower than 10 micrograms per liter if based on health 
        concerns alone;
            (5) a recent scientific study has shown low concentrations 
        of arsenic to have hormone-disrupting effects;
            (6) in the amendments made by the Safe Drinking Water Act 
        Amendments of 1996 (Public Law 104-182), Congress required the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to propose 
        a national primary drinking water regulation for arsenic not 
        later than January 1, 2000, and to promulgate the regulation 
        not later than January 1, 2001; and
            (7) in title III of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and 
        Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies 
        Appropriations Act, 2001 (114 Stat. 1441, 1441A-41), Congress 
        extended the date by which the Administrator is required to 
        promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for 
        arsenic to June 22, 2001.
    (b) Sense of the Senate.--
            (1) In general.--It is the sense of the Senate that to 
        provide maximum protection for public health and a maximum 
        period of time for communities to implement a new standard for 
        arsenic in drinking water, the Administrator should promulgate 
        a national primary drinking water regulation for arsenic not 
        later than June 22, 2001, as specified by Congress in the 
        matter under the heading ``environmental programs and 
        management'' in title III of the Departments of Veterans 
        Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent 
        Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (114 Stat. 1441, 1441A-41).
            (2) Conformity with policy.--To ensure protection of public 
        health, the regulation should conform with the stated risk 
        management policy of the Environmental Protection Agency for 
        setting drinking water standards for contaminants that are 
        known human carcinogens.
                                 <all>