[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 26 (Friday, February 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT IMPROVED COMPLIANCE AWARENESS ACT

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                               speech of

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 10, 2016

  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4470, the 
Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Act. This legislation will 
help ensure no community in America ever experiences what is happening 
in Flint by ensuring that federal and state regulators promptly notify 
a local community if there are elevated levels of lead in their water 
systems.
  Specifically, the bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) to notify a local water system if EPA receives data indicating 
high lead levels in the water. The local water system must immediately 
notify their customers, and if they do not act quickly then EPA must 
notify local residents themselves.
  It is critical that a community is immediately notified when there is 
a problem with their drinking water. Transparency is essential to 
ensuring water lead contamination never poisons another community, and 
this bill helps us achieve this important goal.
  The facts about the Flint crisis are being gathered right now through 
multiple investigations, and every person responsible must be held 
accountable for the lack of appropriate action. Government at every 
level failed the people of Flint, but this is a man-made disaster led 
by the state of Michigan, and we must take action at the federal level 
to prevent this from ever happening again.
  Every Member of the Michigan delegation co-sponsored this bill, and 
we thank our colleagues Congressman Kildee and Congressman Upton for 
their good work on it. This is an example of what can happen when we 
work together to solve the problems facing our nation, and we need more 
of it. Clean water is one of the most fundamental, basic rights we 
should guarantee anyone living in America.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this critical legislation.

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