Bill Clinton: “I want to make very clear to the Senator, and to everyone who represents large and small water systems, we need to give…”

“I want to make very clear to the Senator, and to everyone who represents large and small water systems, we need to give more help to communities to comply with water standards. This is one of those issues where the Federal Government must help our communities. I certainly will work with the Senator from New Mexico and everyone on both sides of the aisle to make sure a standard is put into place, to protect the public health and well-being of our people, that is matched by funds from the revolving fund aimed at cleaning up drinking water and any other resource available, so we do not leave people hanging on their own, not knowing what to do once the standard is set. I appreciate the financial challenge confronting some of our communities in meeting this standard. I went to Fallon, NV, with my good friends Senator Reid and Senator Ensign, a community that has 100 parts per billion of arsenic in the water. We know we have to deal with this. This amendment puts us on record to enforce a statutory requirement and does the right thing for the public health, but then we have to come back and make sure we have the resources to clean up the water supply so people can meet the standard.”