Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking my friends, Dan Kildee and Chairman Upton, for their work on this bipartisan legislation and ensuring a swift congressional response to the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

What have we learned, and what will we do both now and into the future, Mr. Speaker, is the question.

What happened in Flint is not a natural disaster. It is a human disaster and a failure of government at every level.

In my questioning at last week's Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, it became very clear that individuals with the EPA knew about the high lead levels in the drinking water for months but failed to communicate this information to the people of Flint, even under repeated Freedom of Information Act requests.

The bill we are considering today takes important steps to strengthen Federal requirements on the EPA to notify the public when concentrations of lead in drinking water are above Federal requirements.

I am glad the entire Michigan delegation is backing this bill; and I am committed to continuing to work together to get answers and help the families in Flint who need clean water and, for that matter, Mr. Speaker, learning from this for the families in the entire United States to make sure that this doesn't happen to them as well.

Mr. Speaker, in America, in the 21st century, children should not have to worry about safe and clean drinking water. The Flint water crisis never should have happened, and we must take action to ensure it never happens again.

Making things right must be a cooperative effort at every level, and this bill takes important steps to ensure proper coordination going forward.

I offer all of my support, all of my assistance, all of my help and my votes to make sure this happens.

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