In a response to the chemical spill in West Virginia this month that left more than 300,000 people without drinking water, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) reached agreement on legislative language that will help protect Americans from chemical spills that threaten drinking water.

This bill, the??Chemical Safety and Drinking Water Protection Act,? brings together in one place the tools to provide oversight of chemical facilities. It strengthens states? ability to prevent chemical spills like the Jan. 9 spill that contaminated the water supply in nine West Virginia counties and impacted hundreds of thousands of West Virginians.

The legislation includes common sense measures designed to ensure industrial facilities are properly inspected by state officials and both the chemical industry and emergency response agencies are prepared for future chemical incidents or emergencies.

?No West Virginian or American should have to go through something like this again, and that is why I plan to introduce common sense legislation to make sure all chemicals are appropriately monitored,? Sen. Manchin said. ?We can work to improve the safety of Americans by ensuring that chemicals are properly managed, while also balancing the positive impact the chemical industry has made to our country.?

Key Principles in the Chemical Safety and Drinking Water Protection Act:

1)?Requiring regular state inspections of above-ground chemical storage facilities.

2)?Requiring industry to develop state-approved emergency response plans that meet at least minimum guidelines established in this bill.

3)?Allowing states to recoup costs incurred from responding to emergencies.

4)?Ensuring drinking water systems have the tools and information to respond to emergencies.

?This legislation protects children and families across the nation by providing the tools necessary to help prevent dangerous chemical spills that threaten their drinking water,? Sen. Boxer said.

?The fact that there was a lack of regulations which allowed this particular storage facility to go uninspected for so many years is absurd,? Sen. Rockefeller added.??I?m encouraged we are taking these steps to bring some accountability to industry that will help protect West Virginia families and our state?s economy.?

Additional information on the bill can be found at Sen. Manchin?s website, at www.manchin.senate.gov/public.