U.S. PIRG
applauds the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for voting to
better protect swimmers, surfers and boaters at America’s beaches.
The Beach
Protection Act of 2007 (H.R. 2537), sponsored by Representative Frank Pallone, would
reauthorize and improve the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health
(BEACH) Act of 2000, which has expanded water quality monitoring and public
notification programs at beaches across the country.
The Beach
Protection Act builds on this progress by increasing the amount of grant money
available to states each year and expanding the program to include tracking of
beach water pollution sources.
The bill
should be strengthened when it comes before the full House to require U.S. EPA
to approve the use of rapid testing methods that reveal water contamination in
two hours or less and mandate the use of this testing. Rapid testing is critical to alerting the
public promptly when beachwater is unsafe.
To protect
the health of beachgoers, Congress should pass the Beach Protection Act with
mandatory rapid testing of water quality.
