Although the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed a decade ago, it has failed to achieve its goal. A recent EPA survey found that more than 25% of all city water systems were contaminated by toxic chemicals. The government has been very slow to set standards for these toxic contaminants, let alone clean them up.

The vote is on the Waxman motion to pass new legislation strengthening the Safe Drinking Water Act. It contained several important new provisions: (1) it established timetables for EPA to use in setting contamination standards; (2) it gave EPA more power to get compliance with these standards; and (3) it created a new program to protect groundwater, which supplies half the nation's drinking water and it very difficult to clean up once contaminated.

Waxman motion to pass the Safe Drinking Water Amendments adopted 366-27; September 18, 1984. YES is the pro-environmental vote. (Waxman motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 5959.) The Reagan Administration opposed the motion. The bill died in the House-Senate Conference Committee.