ARSENIC TESTING SUNSET

House Bill 5758

Sponsor: Rep. Ruth Johnson

Committee: Land Use and Environment

Complete to 4-12-02

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5758 AS INTRODUCED 2-28-02

Public Act 165 of 2001 (House Bill 4626), among its many provisions, requires the Department of Environmental Quality to implement an arsenic testing program under which free testing would be conducted of private drinking wells in geographic areas of the state where the department knows or suspects there are high levels of arsenic. The act also requires the DEQ to establish an arsenic education program for local health departments; to produce maps on a county by county basis denoting areas known to contain arsenic, nitrates, or volatile organic compounds; and submit reports to the legislature. The arsenic testing program and the arsenic education program were to be established "beginning on the effective date of the regulation that provides a new federal drinking water standard for arsenic", and the section requiring the establishment of the programs was to be repealed effective December 31, 2002. House Bill 5758 would eliminate that repealer and instead repeal the section effective September 30, 2003.

According to information from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the new standard became effective on February 22, 2002, and the date by which systems must comply with the new standard is January 23, 2006. The new standard for arsenic is 10 parts per billion.

In several places in Section 5419 the provisions refer to "the new federal drinking water standard for arsenic". House Bill 5758 would revise the section to refer instead to "the federal drinking water standard for arsenic of 10 parts per billion".

MCL 324.5419

 

Analyst: C. Couch

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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.