Pete Domenici: “Just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of…”

“Just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science. For the past 8 years I have questioned numerous collections of facts put out by the Environmental Protection Agency in the name of science and I have found sound science has been left out of the regulation equation too often. A prime example is the new arsenic standards in drinking water proposed last week. This new standard dramatically reduces the arsenic level allowable in drinking water from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb, a reduction of 80 percent. I believe it is essential to protect and ensure the safety of our nation's water supply and to uphold the principles and goals set forth in the Safe Drinking Water Act, but these standards were not based on sound science and there is no proof that they will increase health benefits. They were put into effect because it was the politically expedient thing to do. That is why at this time I am introducing this bill which would terminate the effectiveness of these new drinking water standards.”