PRINTER'S NO. 3151
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
666
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY DONATUCCI, BIZZARRO, KORTZ, YOUNGBLOOD, HARKINS,
WARREN, SCHLOSSBERG, BOBACK, CIRESI, LONGIETTI, RAVENSTAHL,
BURNS, MURT, MILLARD, HILL-EVANS, KIM, HOHENSTEIN, ISAACSON,
GAINEY, ULLMAN, SONNEY, McCLINTON, KINSEY, GALLOWAY, ROEBUCK,
SCHWEYER, McNEILL, MADDEN, HANBIDGE, T. DAVIS, WILLIAMS,
PASHINSKI AND BROOKS, JANUARY 17, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY,
JANUARY 17, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of January 2020 as "Safe Drinking Water
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Safe drinking water is necessary to an individual's
well-being and survival; and
WHEREAS, Access to pure water is deemed a public right under
section 27 of Article I of the Constitution of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Section 27 of Article I of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania provides that "The people have a right to clean
air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic,
historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's
public natural resources are the common property of all the
people, including generations yet to come"; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Government began pushing for greater
protections of water resources during the 1970s; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act was passed by
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Congress in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the
nation's public drinking water supply; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act authorizes the
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set
national health-based standards for drinking water to protect
against naturally occurring and man-made contaminants that may
be found in drinking water supplies; and
WHEREAS, According to the EPA, the improper disposal of
chemicals, animal waste, pesticides, human threats, waste
injected underground and naturally occurring substances all
contribute to the contamination of drinking water; and
WHEREAS, Originally, the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act
focused primarily on the treatment of water as the means for
providing safe drinking water to people; and
WHEREAS, However, in 1996, amendments to the Federal Safe
Drinking Water Act 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; and
WHEREAS, The EPA sets national standards for drinking water;
and
WHEREAS, The EPA requires that water systems test for
contaminants, provides guidance, assistance and public
information about drinking water, collects data on drinking
water and oversees state drinking water programs; and
WHEREAS, The EPA provides grant funding for the
implementation of state drinking water programs and helps each
state set up a special fund to provide financial assistance to
public water systems for water quality improvements; and
WHEREAS, States may apply to the EPA for the authority to
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implement safe drinking water standards if those standards meet
the standards set by the EPA; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act provides
for safe drinking water standards and enforcement of the
standards in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, The EPA and states may issue administrative orders,
take legal actions and fine utility companies that do not comply
with safe drinking water standards; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of January 2020 as "Safe Drinking Water Month" in
Pennsylvania.
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