Federal Legislation Passed Senate

Legislation penned by Sens. Brown and Portman to require the Environmental Protection Agency to publish a health advisory and submit reports on the level of microcystins in drinking water passed in the Senate. "It's critical that all levels of government work together to determine if our drinking water is safe for human consumption," Sen. Portman said. "As we continue to work to ensure that Ohioans have access to safe and clean drinking water, the passage of this legislation is an important step toward knowing what is safe and what is not."  The bill was introduced in response to the high level of microcystin in the western Lake Erie basin, which disrupted the water supply of about 500,000 people in the area in August. It now goes to the House for consideration.  "This is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that will ensure Ohioans are confident in the safety of their drinking water," Sen. Brown said. "Our bill will address a void in our current monitoring efforts to protect our water and address potential public health threats."