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THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2001

By a vote of 97-1, the Senate on Wednesday required the Environmental Protection Agency to implement a tough arsenic in drinking water standard.

EPA Chief Christie Whitman earlier this year announced it would reconsider a 10 parts per billion standard approved by the Clinton administration. Unlike the House, however, the Senate proposal is not specific on a new standard.

A chief opponent of the revised standard, Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), helped come up with the proposal. To address concerns that small and local communities would bear unfair burdens as a result of a lower standard, he is proposing $1.9 billion in grants to aid them.

The House last week voted to keep the 10 ppb standard. It would not go into effect until 2006 and it would replace the current 50 ppb limit.

Arsenic can cause bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause liver and kidney cancer, according to a 1999 study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. The report, however, did not provide a formal risk assessment of arsenic in drinking water.

Get the Story:
Senate votes for new arsenic standards for drinking water, Republican says acceptable to White House (AP 8/1)

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