Doug Bereuter: “in one of our communities, a community of 23,000, the estimated initial cost would be $1 million for water treatment…”

“in one of our communities, a community of 23,000, the estimated initial cost would be $1 million for water treatment equipment, $250,000 per year for treatment. Unfortunately, it would result in no health benefits. That community has wells in 14 different locations. None of them are interconnected. There is no central point for decontamination, disinfection, or copper treatment. That is a very typical situation in our State. We are unique in that respect. We have the largest groundwater supply in the continent. Although this Member is obviously most familiar with the problems in our communities, it is important to keep in mind that dozens of States will be affected by this rule. If Members have not heard from communities in their districts, they should expect in the near future to hear from them as the EPA pushes for enforcement. This Member has had repeated contacts with the EPA on the issue dating back to 1993. Unfortunately, the EPA has resisted a commonsense approach, and this Member has come to the conclusion that Congress must act to correct the situation. This amendment does not go nearly as far as I would like, but it does require them to move ahead in consultation with the National Academy of Sciences to find a proper copper action level. I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for his work and the work of his staff with me in trying to find some accommodation on this issue.”