EPA is Good

Disadvantages.....................................................................................................................2
1) Decreased water quality...............................................................................................2
) Decreased Water security..............................................................................................3
) Damaged Wetlands........................................................................................................4
Harmed species................................................................................................................5
 Disadvantages

1) Decreased water quality

Link: SDWA is implemented by the EPA

US Environmental Protection Agency website March 17,2009 “Safe Drinking Water

Act” http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/sdwa/

The Safe Drinking Water Act is the main federal law that ensures the quality of
Americans’ drinking water. Under SDWA, EPA sets standards for drinking water quality
and oversees the state, localities, and water suppliers who implement those standards.

Link: SDWA ensures quality water

US Environmental Protection Agency website March 17, 2009 “Safe Drinking Water
Act- Basic information” http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/sdwa/basicinformation.html

Millions of Americans receive high quality drinking water every day from their public
water systems, (which may be publicly or privately owned). Nonetheless, drinking water safety cannot
be taken for granted. There are a number of threats to drinking water: improperly
disposed of chemicals; animal wastes; pesticides; human wastes; wastes injected deep
underground; and naturally-occurring substances can all contaminate drinking water.
Likewise, drinking water that is not properly treated or disinfected, or which travels
through an improperly maintained distribution system, may also pose a health risk.
Originally, SDWA focused primarily on treatment as the means of providing safe
drinking water at the tap. The 1996 amendments greatly enhanced the existing law by recognizing
source water protection, operator training, funding for water system improvements, and public information
as important components of safe drinking water. This approach ensures the quality of drinking
water by protecting it from source to tap.

Link: SDWA assures quality of water.

Mary Tiemann (Specialist in Environmental Policy Resources, Science and Industry

Division) November 26, 2008 “Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA): Selected Regulatory
and Legislative Issues” Congressional Research Service
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34201_20081126.pdf

“Much progress has been made in assuring the quality of public water supplies since the
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was first enacted in 1974. Public water systems must meet extensive
regulations, and public water system management has become a much more complex and professional endeavor. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulated some 91 drinking water contaminants, and more
regulations are pending. In 2005, EPA reported that the number of systems reporting no violations
of drinking water standards reached a new high of 94% in 2003.”
 Internal link: EPA regulates pollutants in water for health concerns.

Mary Tiemann (Specialist in Environmental Policy Resources, Science and Industry

Division) November 26, 2008 “Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA): Selected Regulatory
and Legislative Issues” Congressional Research Service
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34201_20081126.pdf
Starting in 2001, and every five years thereafter, the EPA is required to determine whether or not to regulate at least five of the listed
The act requires the EPA to evaluate contaminants that present the greatest
contaminants.
health concern, and then to regulate those contaminants that occur at concentration levels
and frequencies of public health concern, where regulation presents a meaningful
opportunity for health risk reduction.

Internal Link: Regulations apply to many people.

Mary Tiemann (Specialist in Environmental Policy Resources, Science and Industry

Division) November 26, 2008 “Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA): Selected Regulatory
and Legislative Issues” Congressional Research Service
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34201_20081126.pdf

Federal drinking water regulations apply to some158,200 privately and publicly owned
water systems that provide piped water for human consumption to at least 15 service connections or that
regularly serve at least 25 people. (The law does not apply to private residential wells.) Of these
systems, 52,837 are community water systems (CWSs) that serve most people in the
United States — a total residential population of roughly 282 million year-round. All
SDWA regulations apply to these systems.

Impact: Health hazard from polluted water

) Decreased Water security

Link: EPA lead agency for protecting water supply.

Mary Tiemann (Specialist in Environmental Policy, Resources, Science and Industry

Division) June 2, 2008 “Safeguarding the Nation’s Drinking Water: EPA and
Congressional Actions” Congressional Research Service
http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/08July/RL31294.pdf

“In 2003, President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HPSD-7),
which affirmed EPA as the lead federal agency for coordinating the protection of the
nation’s critical infrastructure for the water sector. To carry out its water sector
responsibilities, EPA established a Water Security Division within the Office of Ground
Water and Drinking Water. This Division works with drinking water and wastewater utilities, states, tribes, and other
stakeholders to improve the security of these utilities and improve their ability to respond to security threats and breaches. Among
its responsibilities and activities, the Water Security Division provides security and
antiterrorism-related technical assistance and training to the water sector. Although the Water
Security Division was established in 2003, the Office of Water had provided assistance to its stakeholders for a number of years.”
 Congress provides fund to EPA for security projects.

Mary Tiemann (Specialist in Environmental Policy, Resources, Science and Industry

Division) June 2, 2008 “Safeguarding the Nation’s Drinking Water: EPA and
Congressional Actions” Congressional Research Service
http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/08July/RL31294.pdf

Since 2001, Congress has provided funds annually to EPA to improve the security of
public water supplies. The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY2002 (P.L. 107-117) provided EPA with
$175.6 million for emergency expenses to respond to the September 11 attacks and to support counterterrorism activities. The
accompanying conference report, H.Rept. 107-350, specified that approximately $90 million was for improving security at EPA
laboratories, performing drinking water vulnerability assessments, and anthrax decontamination activities. Another
$5
million was for state grants for counterterrorism coordinators to work with EPA and
water utilities in assessing drinking water safety. Congress has continued to provide
roughly $5 million for these state grants each year.

EPA responsible for surveillance of water security.

Mary Tiemann (Specialist in Environmental Policy, Resources, Science and Industry

Division) June 2, 2008 “Safeguarding the Nation’s Drinking Water: EPA and
Congressional Actions” Congressional Research Service (brackets added)
http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/08July/RL31294.pdf

“Some additional articulation of EPA’s role was provided by [Homeland Security

Presidential Directive] HSPD-9, which established a national policy to defend the
nation’s water, agriculture, and food systems against terrorist attacks, major disasters, and
other emergencies. This directive instructed EPA to develop a comprehensive
surveillance and monitoring program to provide early detection of contaminants in water
systems. HSPD-9 also directed EPA to develop an integrated network of water quality
laboratories to support the surveillance program. EPA has pursued these responsibilities
through its Water Security Initiative and Water Alliance for Threat Reduction program.”

) Damaged Wetlands

Link: Clean Water Act under the EPA.

US Environmental Policy July 30th, 2009 “Summary of the Clean Water Act”
http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/cwa.html [brackets added]

“Under the CWA [Clean Water Act], EPA has implemented pollution control programs
such as setting wastewater standards for industry. We have also set water quality
standards for all contaminants in surface waters.”

Brink: Without Clean Water Act waters, including wetlands, would still be polluted.

Melinda Kassen, July 2, 2009, "Restore the Clean Water Act", The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12736157
 Many people may not remember what America's waters were like before the Clean Water
Act. The Cuyahoga River caught fire. Lake Erie was a dead zone. Rivers and streams
across the country were foaming, foul-smelling dumps for industrial waste. Reckless
development destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat
each year. The sorry state of our waters was more than a national disgrace — it also was
a clear and present threat to public health. Then, in 1972, Congress passed the Clean
Water Act. The law ushered in a new era of stewardship of all "water of the United
States," and it was widely understood to protect every stream, river, marsh and lake in the
nation.

Impact: Wetlands Are Extremely Valuable (damaging them is not a good idea.)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "Economic Benefits of Wetlands" May 2006

http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/pdf/EconomicBenefits.pdf

Wetlands provide an essential link in the life cycle of 75 percent of the fish and shellfish
commercially harvested in the U.S., and up to 90 percent of the recreational fish catch.
Wetlands provide a consistent food supply, shelter and nursery grounds for both marine
and freshwater species. Landings of crab, shrimp and salmon were valued at $1,167
billion in 2004. These species are dependent on wetlands for at least part of their life cycles.
In 2004 the dockside value of fin fish and shellfish landed in the United States was $3.7 billion and was the basis for the $7.2 billion
fishery processing business.

Harmed species

Link: EPA protects endangered species.

US Environmental Protection Agency July 1st, 2009. “Endangered Species Protection

Program” http://www.epa.gov/espp/

“EPA's Endangered Species Protection Program (ESPP) helps promote the recovery of
listed species. The ESPP is a program designed to determine whether pesticide use in a
certain geographic area may affect any listed species.”

Internal Link: EPA regulates pesticides to protect species.

Clyde L. Ogg (Extension Pesticide Safety Educator) and Erin C. Bauer, (Extension
Assistant) September 2008 “Pesticides and the Endangered Species Protection
Program” (peer reviewed) University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension (a Division of the
institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
cooperating with Countries and the United States Department of Agriculture.)

“The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is designed to protect animal and plant species in
danger of becoming extinct. The registration of pesticides is required by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because some pesticides may harm certain
threatened or endangered species, a review of potential impacts is required by the EPA.”
http://www.utexas.edu/law/journals/tlr/assets/archive/v86/issue7/shapiro_steinzor.pdf

http://www.energyindepth.org/PDF/Brief/BRIEF-Environmental-Statutes.pdf