Showing posts with label 114th Congressman Payne statement on Newark Water Crisis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 114th Congressman Payne statement on Newark Water Crisis. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Congressman Payne’s statement on the Newark water crisis


NJ Congressman Donald Payne Jr. released the following statement concerning the Newark Water Crisis:

”As a resident and representative of Newark, I’m very concerned about this development. Traditionally, Newark has been known for the quality of its water and had been known for some of the cleanest water in the country. We need to find out what is happening in the pipes that carry this water from the aquifers to our faucets to solve and rectify this issue immediately.

The greatest threat with this water issue is the health of our children. I introduced a bill in 2016 that would establish stronger tests for lead in school drinking water to avoid such problems in the future. The bill received 44 co-sponsors and I hope more of my colleagues support and pass it soon.

But I’m not going to wait for that bill to help improve Newark’s drinking water. I’ve called Newark’s mayor, Ras Baraka, personally to ask what I can do. I’m going to call Grace Napolitano, chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resource and the Environment and my colleague on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to discuss solutions on a national level. We need to work tirelessly and immediately to guarantee what happened in Flint, MI. doesn’t happen anywhere else.”