Portman, Stabenow introduce amendments to help states with drinking water emergencies

U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) recently filed an amendment they are co-sponsoring that would protect drinking water around the country by allowing the federal government to better respond to drinking water emergencies.

The amendment is the result of bipartisan negotiations and would provide additional resources to states once the President has declared an emergency — a measure that would be helpful in addressing the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where the residents’ water has unsafe levels of lead contamination.

Under the amendment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be required to report any findings suggesting toxic lead levels in public water systems within 15 days of seeing test results.

“Our focus should be on ensuring that all Americans have access to safe and clean drinking water,” Portman said. “I’m grateful for the bipartisan cooperation from Senator Stabenow over the last week. The amendment we drafted would address not only the crisis in Flint, Michigan, but also help Ohio and other states should emergencies arise. I look forward to working with Senators Stabenow and [Lisa] Murkowski (R-AK) to resolve this issue on a bipartisan basis and to pass this energy bill expeditiously.”