Providing for Congressional Disapproval of A Rule Submitted By the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency

Floor Speech

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Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say, please, Members, vote ``no'' on this resolution. It is a very bad idea. What is happening here, for the folks listening, is that the EPA has come up with a rule that is going to strengthen protections for drinking water for 117 million people.

Our Republican colleagues have brought forth a resolution to disapprove of the rule, leaving people vulnerable to the status quo. This comes out to about one in three Americans across the country and perhaps one in five Minnesotans in my home State.

Now, I am critically concerned about all of America--I am a U.S. Congressman--which leads me to the situation in Flint. The fact is that, by clarifying that waters are protected under the Clean Water Act, the rule would reduce the amount of pollution entering major rivers and waterways. This would mean less corrosive water, which is part of what led to the water crisis being seen in Flint, Michigan, right now.

When the highly corrosive water of the Flint River passes through Flint's service pipes, it leaches lead out of the pipes and into residents' drinking glasses, bathtubs, and swimming pools. The water crisis in Flint reminds us that failure to step up and protect our water supply puts the lives of the public in danger. Eight thousand children are now facing poisoning because of this nasty situation.

In Flint, residents were forced to pay for water that was poisoning them, by an unelected emergency manager. A mother and Flint resident, Lee Ann Walters, started bathing her children with bottled water, as she learned that her children were showing signs of lead poisoning and that the lead levels in her tap water were seven times higher than the minimum safety standard. The entire city has been exposed to dangerous lead levels, including as many as 8- to 10,000 children.

If this does not compel us to stand up and fight for clean water, I don't know what will. We absolutely need to say ``no'' to this resolution that would expose us to dirty water.

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