{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7249d394-5d1b-45e5-95d4-559e843269f5", "Senate Approves Portman Measure to Stop EPA's Dangerous Regulation of Fire Hydrants", "2013-12-17", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) applauded the Senate passage of legislation to bolster fire safety and protect local governments from a dangerous and expensive new mandate.\u00a0 Last week, Portman cosponsored bipartisan legislation with Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to prohibit EPA oversight of fire hydrants, which is identical to the House companion legislation that passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent today.\u00a0 The bill has passed both chambers of Congress and is set to go to the President\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\r\n\u201cToday\u2019s passage of our bill ensures that this onerous, nonsensical regulation on fire hydrants will permanently be put to rest, and I applaud my colleagues for helping us get it over the finish line to protect Ohio communities,\u201d Portman said.\u00a0\r\nWatch Portman\u2019s remarks on the Senate floor here.\r\nOn October 22, 2013, EPA announced through guidance that fire hydrants would be covered under the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, set to go into effect on January 4, 2014, because they are occasionally used in emergencies to provide drinking water.\u00a0 Local communities were caught off guard by the announcement because fire hydrants had not been previously discussed, and because similar items were already excluded from the rule.\u00a0 As a result of the new EPA interpretation, any hydrant manufactured or installed after January 4th must have a lead content that meets the statutory standard.\u00a0 Spare hydrants or parts that cities in Ohio keep on hand not meeting the standard will become obsolete.", 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.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7249d394-5d1b-45e5-95d4-559e843269f5"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5549089293926954, "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"}