So, let me see if I get this right. The people responsible for clean and SAFE water in local water treatment plants don't have to report their own monitoring that will go on anyway. The change in regulation by the EPA Secretary openly states no one should be cheating on water quality in the USA during the pandemic, but, the federal authority that enforces the "Clean Water Act" isn't bothering to worry about it.
??????
So, EPA Secretary Andrew Wheeler and former lobbyist is stating local water authorities need to maintain their water supplies according to the law, but, due to the COVID-19 national emergency, they don't have to report the monitoring results. See, quality water has to be monitored. Every water treatment facility runs tests on water quality all the time. It is the way water is maintained. Those records that Wheeler is no longer interested in enforcing or even receiving into the US EPA are being conducted anyway.
Local water authorities need to be sure the water quality is as good as it gets because the hospitals caring for an enormous number of patients need the water to be high quality so there is no other illnesses that manifest during the global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2.
What Secretary Wheeler should have done is offer help to local authorities that might be overwhelmed by additional steps to keep employees safe during a global pandemic. I would expect the EPA to more closely monitor water quality during a global pandemic and be able to find changes in water quality early to prevent other diseases.
I guess at this point the responsibility for maintaining a close watch over water quality falls to the mayors and possibly the governors so there is no conflict of interest.
I JUST CAN'T GET OVER THE BLATANT DISREGARD TO HUMAN LIFE BY TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE. The federal government is supposed to provide more help to the states and not simply allow opportunistic deregulation to cause greater problems. But, then how would Trump know if there are greater problems, he isn't interested in reporting or enforcing.
Contact Information:
Press Office (press@epa.gov)
The nation’s largest (clilck here) Native American tribe and several environmental groups are waging a legal challenge to a revised federal rule that lifts protections for many streams, creeks and wetlands across the U.S.
Washington - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (click here) is mindful of the health and safety of the public, as well as our staff, and those of Federal Agencies, State and Local Governments, Tribes, Regulated Entities, Contractors, and Non-governmental Organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency is taking these important considerations into account as we all continue our work to protect human health and the environment. Accordingly, EPA is announcing a temporary policy regarding EPA enforcement of environmental legal obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
EPA's temporary enforcement discretion policy applies to civil violations during the COVID-19 outbreak. The policy addresses different categories of noncompliance differently. For example, under the policy EPA does not expect to seek penalties for noncompliance with routine monitoring and reporting obligations that are the result of the COVID-19 pandemic but does expect operators of public water systems to continue to ensure the safety of our drinking water supplies. The policy also describes the steps that regulated facilities should take to qualify for enforcement discretion.
"EPA is committed to protecting human health and the environment, but recognizes challenges resulting from efforts to protect workers and the public from COVID-19 may directly impact the ability of regulated facilities to meet all federal regulatory requirements," said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "This temporary policy is designed to provide enforcement discretion under the current, extraordinary conditions, while ensuring facility operations continue to protect human health and the environment."...
