| With more people living in the United States each | | | | needs—today's and tomorrow's drinking water |
| day and local, state and national budgets strained | | | | challenges—we must use the law more |
| to their breaking point, the Environmental | | | | effectively and promote new technologies. That |
| Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that | | | | means fostering innovation that can increase |
| they are developing new "strategies to strengthen | | | | cost-effective protection. It means finding |
| public health protection from contaminants in | | | | win-win-win solutions for our health our |
| drinking water," according to a press release from | | | | environment and our economy. And it means |
| the group. | | | | broad collaboration. To make our drinking water |
| Part of the strategy includes utilizing new | | | | systems work harder, we have to work |
| technologies and using the law more effectively in | | | | smarter." |
| order to attain their goals. | | | | In this new era of tight budgets, the EPA's |
| Part of this new strategy includes: tackling | | | | decision to pursue new strategies for ensuring |
| contaminants as a group rather than individually; | | | | drinking water safety is commendable—albeit |
| assisting development of water treatment | | | | challenging. However, new and more |
| technologies; utilizing authority of statutes to | | | | cost-effective technologies can help improve the |
| address drinking water issues; and working with | | | | process and make enforcing water quality |
| states in sharing more data. | | | | standards more amenable to communities and |
| Lisa P. Jackson, EPA administrator, said via the | | | | states. |
| press statement: "To confront emerging health | | | | In addition, the EPA plans to revise standards for |
| threats, strained budgets and increased | | | | four contaminants that they say cause cancer. |