Citizen Safety versus Bush
Republican-Controlled House Votes for Safety, Against Bush
| Below are excerpts from an Associated Press news article on the Republican revolt against George Bush. |
by Jim Abrams
The U.S. House of Representatives succeeded in blocking the Bush administration from weakening or delaying tough new standards on arsenic levels in drinking water."The bottom line," said Rep. Bill Luther, D-Minn., "is that the U.S. standard for arsenic should not be among the worst in the world."
The House, in a 218-189 vote, approved a measure that would prevent the EPA from weakening the drinking water standard set by the Clinton administration in January. Nineteen Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the proposal. The Clinton administration set the standard at no more than 10 parts per billion of arsenic in drinking water, compared to the current 50 ppb level set in 1942.
The National Academy of Sciences in 1999 released a report calling for the stricter standards, saying arsenic is a potent human carcinogen linked to lung, bladder and skin cancer.
The 10 ppb level has been adopted by the World Health Organization and the European Union.
The Bush White House was trying, said a sponsor of the measure, to "ignore 25 years of research, cast aside extensive expert testimony, override official recommendations and reject the clear will of the American people."
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