The Natural Resources Defense Council said the suspension of new arsenic protections is scientifically unwarranted and illegal. The official announcement of the nine-month suspension was published on Tuesday in the Federal Register.
Environmentalists say mining interests pushed for delays.
The Natural Resources Defense Council said the administration's suspension of the arsenic rule is illegal because 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act required EPA to put a final rule in place by Jan. 1, a date that was pushed back to June 22 by congressional maneuvering during the appropriations process. That rule requires that starting next year, water utilities must inform consumers about arsenic levels in their water, including specific arsenic-related information if the water contains from 5 parts to 10 parts per billion of arsenic. The council said it believes the EPA should have lowered the standard for arsenic in drinking water to 3 parts per billion. The agency proposed a 5 parts per billion standard last June, but increased it to 10 parts per billion in response to industry pressure, they said. All rights reserved.