Senator, EPA Spar on Safety of Water

By MARLA CONE, SPECIAL FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

WASHINGTON A top Environmental Protection Agency official told a Senate committee Tuesday that there "is a distinct possibility" that the agency will not limit the amount of perchlorate, a toxic ingredient of solid rocket fuel, that is allowable in drinking water.

State officials and water suppliers across the U.S. have been waiting for EPA to set a standard for several years because perchlorate has contaminated the water supplies of at least 11 million people.

Benjamin Grumbles, the EPA’s assistant administrator for water, said the EPA will decide by the end of the year whether to regulate perchlorate. Scientific studies have shown that the chemical blocks iodide and suppresses thyroid hormones, which are necessary for the normal brain development of a fetus or infant.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, told Grumbles that she heard from EPA staffers that there is a strong likelihood that the agency will decide against setting any standard for perchlorate.

In response, Grumbles said that is "a distinct possibility."

Boxer reacted angrily, saying that EPA is leaving Congress with little choice but to act on its own. She has introduced two bills that would order the testing of water supplies for perchlorate and require EPA to set a standard within one year.

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