Upton, Subcommittee Advance Legislation to Help Rural and Small Community Water Systems

Bipartisan Legislation will Help Communities in Southwest Michigan Comply with Federal Regs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 30, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, joined the majority of his colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy in advancing S. 611, Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Act. The legislation advanced by a voice vote and will now move to the full Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.

“Many smaller and rural communities across Southwest Michigan face significant challenges in replacing, maintaining, and upgrading their drinking and waste-water infrastructure,” said Upton, who chairs the full committee. “These communities often face increased costs and burdens of meeting the complex regulatory requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act. This bipartisan bill is a common sense win for smaller and rural communities in Southwest Michigan and across the country and I look forward to seeing it signed into law by the president.”

S. 611 will amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to help alleviate the financial burden the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed on small and rural drinking supply systems. It would reauthorize the EPA program that provides technical assistance to small public water systems and authorize EPA to provide technical assistance programs to small public water systems through grants or cooperative agreements made to non-profit organizations. S. 611 was advanced by the U.S. Senate on June 9, 2015.

A small or rural community is defined as one with 10,000 residents or less.