NRDC Statement on EPA's Proposal to Weaken Drinking Water Health Protections for Small Communities

 

“The Administrator of the EPA, Stephen Johnson, has proposed weakening protections for America’s drinking water. In the past seven years, this administration has cut funding for water infrastructure, opposed strong health standards for rocket fuel and other chemicals in our water supply, and ignored the growing evidence of pharmaceuticals and chemicals from other personal care products in our drinking water.

 

“New data continue to emerge on the possible health effects of the variety of chemicals in our drinking water. For  example, the latest issue of Environmental Health Perspectives published a new study linking arsenic in drinking water to erectile dysfunction. Yet one of Administrator Johnson’s top priorities this year is to issue a final policy that will undermine the quality of drinking water provided to the nation’s poorest communities, under pressure from the White House and despite the advice of scientific advisers and some members of Congress. It is Administrator Johnson’s responsibility to protect our communities, not put them in danger.

 

“We support Congressman Henry Waxman’s  call for the administration to abandon its efforts to weaken drinking water protections, and urge Administrator Johnson to listen to his science advisors and spend his final months at EPA leading an effort to address seriously the problems that threaten the safety of our nation’s drinking water.”