{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/senate-passes-casey-toomey-measure-to-stop-epas-dangerous-regulation-of-fire-hydrants", "Senate Passes Casey-Toomey Measure to Stop EPA's Dangerous Regulation of Fire Hydrants", "2013-12-17", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Bob Casey", "C001070", "www.casey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) successfully teamed up to pass bipartisan legislation to bolster fire safety and protect local governments from a dangerous and expensive new mandate.\u00a0\r\nThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a policy that will require local governments to replace malfunctioning fire hydrants with new independently certified lead-free fire hydrants.\u00a0 This EPA regulation essentially makes it impossible for local governments to repair fire hydrants or replace them with existing inventory.\u00a0 Additionally, it is uncertain whether fire hydrants that meet the new criteria are actually available for purchase.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nLast week, the Senators introduced legislation (S. 1779) to exempt fire hydrants from the mandate.\u00a0 The Senate unanimously passed House legislation identical to S. 1779 today.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe notion that people drink from fire hydrants often enough to warrant this kind of regulation is ridiculous and in no way justifies the cost of replacing hydrants in every city and town in the country,\u201d said Sen. Toomey.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s great news that the Senate and the House have both acknowledged this absurdity.\u00a0 The implementation of this EPA rule would have forced local governments to leave malfunctioning fire hydrants idle until adequate funds and products are available \u2013 which poses an undeniable threat to public safety.\u00a0 The passage of our bipartisan bill is a great victory for common sense, and I look forward to President Obama signing it into law.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased that the Senate has come together in a bipartisan fashion to pass this legislation which will allow our first responders to continue their lifesaving work without the fear of a new, burdensome regulation,\u201d Sen. Casey said. \u201cPassing this bill will help municipalities replace aging fire hydrants and prevent the EPA from moving forward with this unworkable regulation.\u201d\r\nAs a result of this rule, local governments across the country will be forced to leave malfunctioning fire hydrants out-of-service until sufficient numbers of new compliant fire hydrants can be purchased and installed.\u00a0 The cost of purchasing new fire hydrants every time an existing fire hydrant malfunctions will place considerable financial strain on local governments, and place the safety of communities across the country at risk.\u00a0\r\nSens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.),\u00a0 Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) have also supported Sen. Toomey\u2019s bipartisan legislation to exempt fire hydrants from this EPA regulation.\u00a0\r\nThe legislation has been sent to the President and is now awaiting his signature.\r\nSeveral of Pennsylvania\u2019s local government associations and municipalities support the efforts of Sens. Toomey and Casey on this issue: \r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML) applauds Sen. Toomey and Sen. Casey for introducing the Community Fire Safety Act of 2013.\u00a0 This legislation will save local governments across the nation millions of dollars by exempting fire hydrants from lead content standards for drinking water infrastructure.\u00a0 Like most communities, Pennsylvania\u2019s municipalities are very budget conscious and cannot afford the substantial mandate the EPA\u2019s interpretation would impose.\u00a0 PML supports S. 1779,\u201d said PML Executive Director Richard J. Schuettler.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe PA State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) applauds Sen. Toomey and Sen. Casey in addressing an unfunded mandate that will result in substantial cost to local governments and their residents with minimal benefits,\u201d said PSATS Executive Director David Sanko.\r\n\u201cAn unfunded mandate of this magnitude could cost boroughs across Pennsylvania thousands of dollars in retrofits and inventory loss.\u00a0 The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) thanks Sen. Toomey and Sen. Casey for their support of this common-sense legislation,\u201d said PSAB Government Affairs Director Ed Troxell.\r\n\u201cExcluding fire hydrants from the No-Lead Rule is imperative to the continued efficient operations of the Erie Water Works.\u00a0 Without the appropriate legislation, dozens of hydrants currently in inventory at the Water Works would be rendered useless, costing the Water Works tens of thousands of dollars in replacement costs.\u00a0 Additionally, not having hydrants readily available in stock to replace broken or unusable fire hydrants would also lead to a degradation of public fire protection, as inoperable hydrants would remain \u2018out of service\u2019 until compliant hydrants were available,\u201d said Erie Water Works CEO/CFO Paul D. Vojtek.\u00a0\r\n###\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\r\n\t\t\t\t\tJohn Rizzo (Casey) 202-228-6367Steve Kelly (Toomey) 717-782-3951", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/senate-passes-casey-toomey-measure-to-stop-epas-dangerous-regulation-of-fire-hydrants"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2651118449866772, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}