Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 2016

Bill: 114-hr-6116
Sponsor: Rep. Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6]
Introduced: 2016-09-22 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Alternative and renewable resources
American Samoa
Atmospheric science and weather
Business records
Buy American requirements
Child health
Civil actions and liability
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Consumer affairs
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental health
Environmental regulatory procedures
Environmental technology
Floods and storm protection
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Guam
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Hydrology and hydrography
Infrastructure development
Labor standards
Low- and moderate-income housing
Northern Mariana Islands
Oil and gas
Pollution liability
Public contracts and procurement
Public utilities and utility rates
Residential rehabilitation and home repair
State and local finance
State and local government operations
U.S. territories and protectorates
Virgin Islands
Wages and earnings
Water quality
Water resources funding
Water storage
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-22
text: 

Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 2016

 
This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to revise regulations for drinking water contaminants, including by:
 
 
requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine whether or not to regulate no fewer than 10 contaminants every 3 years (current law requires 5 contaminants every 5 years);
 
revising the process and requirements for setting maximum containment levels in national primary drinking water regulations;
 
directing the EPA to revise national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper;
 
setting deadlines for the EPA to publish maximum contaminant level goals and promulgate national drinking water regulations for perchlorate, perfluorinated compounds, and microcystin (algal) toxin;
 
establishing grant programs for reducing lead in drinking water in schools;
 
requiring community water systems to assess their vulnerabilities to contamination, including vulnerabilities from climate change or sabotage, and develop plans for addressing those vulnerabilities;
 
establishing the Drinking Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program, under which the EPA may award grants for community water systems to increase their resiliency to those threats;
 
removing a regulatory exemption for hydraulic fracturing; 
 
requiring the EPA to develop a strategic plan for assessing and managing the risks of drought to drinking water provided by public water systems;
 
revising requirements for the drinking water state revolving fund (SRF);
 
creating a process for consolidating water systems that repeatedly fail to comply with drinking water standards;
 
requiring the EPA to create an inventory of data about drinking water violations;
 
directing the EPA to revise regulations for consumer confidence reports;
 
establishing research grants for monitoring technology; and 
 
requiring the EPA to study the presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking water sources. 
 
 
The bill reauthorizes specified programs under the Act, including reauthorizing through FY2021 the SRF.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-22
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2016-09-22
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2016-09-22
text: Introduced in House