[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 28, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S3054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS--MARCH 27, 2001

      By Mr. DODD:
  S. 635. A bill to reinstate a standard for arsenic in drinking water; 
to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 635

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Arsenic Standard 
     Reinstatement Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) in 1996, Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.) to require the Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency to revise the standard for 
     arsenic in drinking water;
       (2) after conducting scientific and economic analyses, the 
     Administrator, on January 22, 2001, promulgated a final rule 
     to reduce the public health risks from arsenic in drinking 
     water by reducing the permissible level of arsenic from 50 
     parts per billion (.05 milligrams per liter) to 10 parts per 
     billion (.01 milligrams per liter);
       (3) the new standard would provide additional protection 
     against cancer and other health problems for 13,000,000 
     people;
       (4) the National Academy of Sciences has determined that 
     drinking water containing 50 parts per billion of arsenic 
     ``could easily'' result in a 1-in-100 risk of cancer;
       (5) 50 parts per billion of arsenic causes a cancer risk 
     that is 10,000 times the level of any cancer risk caused by 
     any carcinogen that the Environmental Protection Agency 
     permits to be present in food;
       (6) 10 parts per billion of arsenic in drinking water is 
     the standard used by the European Union, Japan, and the World 
     Health Organization;
       (7) public water systems may apply for financial assistance 
     through the drinking water State revolving loan fund under 
     section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-
     12);
       (8) since 1996, the revolving loan fund program has made 
     $3,600,000,000 available to assist public water systems with 
     projects to improve infrastructure; and
       (9) on March 20, 2001, Administrator of the Environmental 
     Protection Agency proposed to withdrew the pending arsenic 
     standard that was promulgated on January 22, 2001, and due to 
     take effect on March 23, 2001.

     SEC. 3. REINSTATEMENT OF FINAL RULE.

       (a) In General.--On and after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the final rule promulgated by the Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency entitled ``Arsenic and 
     Clarifications to Compliance and New Source Contaminants 
     Monitoring'' (66 Fed. Reg. 6976 (January 22, 2001)), and the 
     amendments to parts 9, 141, and 142 of title 40, Code of 
     Federal Regulations, made by that rule, shall have full force 
     and effect.
       (b) Maximum Contaminant Level.--The maximum contaminant 
     level for arsenic in drinking water of .01 milligrams per 
     liter established by the final rule described in subsection 
     (a) shall not be subject to revision except by Act of 
     Congress.

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