[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13617-13618]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ACT

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I come to the floor once again to make an 
attempt at passing a very important, commonsense piece of legislation 
that is bipartisan. It helps to ensure that the drinking water supplies 
in northern Ohio, Lake Erie, and throughout our State, the freshwater 
reservoirs and other lakes that are providing water--and also around 
the country--to make sure that will be something the U.S. Federal 
Government is helping with as much as possible through new legislation 
to get the EPA more involved.
  I bring this legislation to the floor for the third time in the last 
several days to try to pass it. I do so with the hopes that we can get 
this done tonight.
  I thank my colleague from Ohio, Sherrod Brown, who has been 
cosponsoring and supporting this effort. I thank my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle for working with us. We have been working for 
several weeks to get this cleared. Most recently, we had an issue with 
regard to legislation the Democrats wanted to add to it. I think we 
have now resolved those issues. I thank Robert Duncan of the floor 
staff for working so closely with us on this. I thank my colleague from 
Rhode Island, Senator Whitehouse, for working with us. This is 
legislation which is both important and urgent.
  This week marks the 1-year anniversary since the water supplies in 
Toledo, OH, had to be cut off because there were toxic algal blooms in 
the lake that were going into the water intake system. There were 
500,000 people who were told they couldn't drink the water. It was a 
crisis. I was there. I was given bottled water along with others.
  Unfortunately, this year we are seeing toxic algal blooms growing 
again. We are seeing it not just near the water intake valve for the 
city of Toledo but also near other water intake valves where 3 million 
Ohioans get their drinking water, from Lake Erie. By the way, about 8 
million people from other States get water from Lake Erie, including 
Michigan and other States represented here in this Chamber.
  I am also very concerned by the fact that we have other reservoirs in 
Ohio that are seeing increased levels of toxic algal blooms. This 
includes Grand Lakes St. Marys, Buckeye Lake, and it includes the 
reservoirs in Columbus.
  It is time to ensure that we are doing everything we possibly can at 
the local, State, and Federal level to ensure that we can deal with 
this issue and that it can be resolved.
  Finally, I will say this is not just about drinking water; it is also 
about the recreational value of these waterways, including Lake Erie, 
which is an incredibly important economic asset for the State of Ohio, 
our No. 1 destination for tourism. Having been on the lake a couple of 
weeks ago fishing, I will tell you that toxic algal blooms make a huge 
difference and create a real problem for the recreational value of 
fishing but also people being able to use the beaches, people being 
concerned about having their pets in the water, and people being 
concerned that their kids may not be safe even being close to these 
bodies of water.
  We passed legislation previously to help get the Federal Government 
more involved. About a year ago, we passed legislation to get EPA but 
also NOAA--the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration--USGS, 
and other Federal entities more involved and engaged and working 
together better.
  We also passed legislation to try to help with regard to getting EPA 
to give us what the standards ought to be in terms of the drinking 
water.
  Now it is time to pass this legislation that requires the EPA to put 
out a report on how to mitigate the problem and how to encourage the 
local community and incentivize the local community to do more in terms 
of ensuring that the intake valves are in the right place, ensuring 
that the treatment is done properly, and provide the good science and 
the best practices that only the EPA can provide to be able to help 
with regard to the very serious problem we face on Lake Erie and 
throughout the State of Ohio.
  With that, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to 
H.R. 212, which is at the desk, and that the bill be read a third time 
and the Senate vote on passage of the bill with no intervening action 
or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.

[[Page 13618]]

  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 212) to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to 
     provide for the assessment and management of the risk of 
     algal toxins in drinking water, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  The bill was ordered to a third reading, and was read the third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the bill having 
been read the third time, the question is, shall the bill pass?
  The bill (H.R. 212) was passed.
  Mr. PORTMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Rhode Island.

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