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Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - AMSA in the News

WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2002 (ENS) - A bill introduced in the Senate today
would authorize $185 million to increase the safety and security of the
nation's wastewater treatment plants.

The bill was authored by Senator Jim Jeffords, the Vermont Independent who
chairs the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee.

"We cannot forget the vital importance of protecting our nation's wastewater
facilities," Jeffords said in introducing the bill.

"Everyday we take for granted the hundreds of thousands of miles of pipes
buried underground and the thousands of wastewater treatment works that keep
our water clean and safe," Jeffords continued. B"ut, like all our nation's
critical infrastructure, the disruption or destruction of these structures
could have a devastating impact on public safety and health."

The Wastewater Treatment Works Security and Safety Act of 2002 provides funds
to assess vulnerabilities at wastewater plants and implement security
improvements. The bill will help ensure long term safety and security at these
plants by providing funds to research new technologies.

The bill also provides $15 million for grants to help small communities
conduct vulnerability assessments, develop emergency response plans, and
address potential threats to the treatment works. The Association of
Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies has endorsed the legislation.

The House of Representatives passed a similar bill, HR 5169, on September 5.
Jeffords plans to move his bill forward in cooperation with other members of
the Environment and Public Works Committee and the House.

(c) Environment News Service (ENS) 2002. All Rights Reserved.

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