Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise today to introduce the Clean Drinking Water for Rural Communities Act of 2023 and thank my colleague Senator Padilla for joining me as an original cosponsor. Our bill would change the eligibility limit for the water and wastewater programs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development from 10,000 residents to 20,000 residents for investments to treat contaminated drinking water that does not meet Federal and State standards. Modifying the threshold would correct an oversight that is a barrier for many rural and agricultural communities to access clean drinking water. Many rural communities across the United States lack access to safe drinking water because their aging systems have not kept pace with worsening pollution. In many of these communities, agricultural runoff has caused nitrate concentrations to soar, which can cause cancer, thyroid disease, and developmental defects. The problem has become widespread in low-income, rural, and farmworker communities in California's Central Valley, where the majority of residents get their water from wells without any treatment system. Unfortunately, the cost of addressing this problem can be prohibitive for small water systems that serve mostly low-income residents. Many of these communities exceed the 10,000-resident limit for USDA programs but are too small to be competitive for other drinking water assistance programs.…”