Mr. Chairman, in my view, we clearly need to do more to help our states and cities repair and upgrade their water and wastewater treatment facilities. We also should do more to deal with the problem of combined sewer overflow. Every time it rains, Mr. Chairman, stormwater and untreated wastewater is released directly into our rivers and streams from pipes that simply cannot handle the volume. This discharge of pollutants leads to a high level of bacteria that in turn can lead to widespread beach closures and killing of fish.
In New Jersey, there are many older cities and municipalities that have large, aging sewer systems. These localities often lack the financial resources to bring their systems into compliance with combined sewer overflow regulations. They need help to make this happen.
By helping our cities with their sewer infrastructure problems, Mr. Chairman, we are also making them more attractive places to live and work. This, in turn, helps reduce sprawl and protects our open space.
As this is a hearing on water issues, I also want to take this opportunity to express my disappointment with the Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision to withdraw a regulation to reduce the level of arsenic in drinking water. This decision leaves in place an out-of-date standard that was first established in 1942. I think this latest decision was a serious mistake. There is no doubt in the scientific community that arsenic is a carcinogen. And, in my view, if we have to err in this type of regulatory decision, we should err on the side of safety.
In a press statement issued at the time of the decision, Administrator Whitman said that she wanted to be sure that regulations about arsenic are supported by the "best available science". I hope today she will explain her concerns and clarify what new information would be sufficient to justify the proposed reduction in allowable arsenic from 50 parts per billion to ten parts per billion.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.