在2001年1月克林顿政府的最后几天，美国环境保护署署长卡罗尔·布朗纳， 将饮用水中的砷标准从之前的50微克/升修订为10微克/升 即将上任的布什政府对这一决定提出了挑战，并于2001年3月20日批准了新的环保署 行政长官克里斯蒂·托德·惠特曼州长宣布，她的机构将开始一项新规定- 制定重新评估砷标准的程序。惠特曼要求三个专家小组对所有问题进行审查 新材料和现有材料。美国国家科学院（NAS）将审查健康风险；这个 科学咨询委员会（SAB）将审查其益处；以及国家饮用水咨询委员会 委员会（NDWAC）将审查国家实施成本。在2001年5月的 NDWAC是一个由来自全国各地的17名专家组成的工作组，将 评估实施砷标准的成本。该工作组在两个月之间举行了五次会议 2001年5月29日和8月3日，以及许多临时电话会议、电子邮件和小组会议。这个 工作组在8月中旬完成了报告和建议。2001年8月22日，国家 饮用水咨询委员会一致投票同意接受该报告，并将报告转发给公众 向环保署署长克里斯蒂·惠特曼提出的建议。2002年10月4日，最终报告发布 提交给美国众议院科学委员会。 本文讨论了该报告的三个主要建议领域: 如何改进现行的国家成本估算； EPA应该如何进行未来的成本估算；和 可承受性应如何应用于规则实施。 环境保护局局长宣布，截至2002年10月31日，砷的最终标准将为10微克/升 到2006年1月，供水系统将被要求达到新标准。97%受影响的系统 根据裁决，这些系统都是小型系统。其中许多项目的实施成本将非常巨大。 目前的估计为20美元- 每户每月580美元，高于当前水费。A. 然而，截至4月，国会已经提出了许多法案，试图减轻这一巨大成本 2002年1月1日，没有一项获得通过。包括3个参考文献、表格。

During the final days of the Clinton Administration in January, 2001, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Carol Browner, amended the Arsenic standard in drinking water form a previous MCL of 50 ug/l down to 10 ug/l. The incoming Bush Administration challenged that decision and on March 20, 2001 the new EPA Administrator Governor Christie Todd Whitman announced that her agency would begin a new rule- making procedure to re-evaluate the arsenic standard. Whitman asked three expert panels to review all new and existing materials. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) would review the health risks; the Science Advisory Board (SAB) would review the benefits; and the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) would review the national cost of implementation. At the May, 2001 meeting of the NDWAC, a Working Group consisting of 17 experts from around the country was established that would evaluate the costs of implementing the arsenic standard. This Working Group met five times between May 29 and August 3, 2001, plus numerous interim conference calls, e-mails, and subgroup meetings. The Workgroup completed its report and recommendations by mid-August. On August 22, 2001, the National Drinking Water Advisory Council voted unanimously to accept the report and forward its recommendations to EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. On October 4, 2002 the final report was submitted to the House Science Committee of the United States House of Representatives. This paper discusses the report's three major areas of recommendations: how to improve the current national cost estimate; how should future cost estimates be done by EPA; and, how affordability should apply to rule implementation. The EPA Administrator announced that as of October 31st, 2002, the final arsenic standard will be 10 ug/l and water systems would be required to meet the new standard by January, 2006. 97% of the systems affected by the ruling are small systems. The cost of implementation to many of these will be very substantial. Current estimates range from $20 - $580 per month per household over and above current water rates. A number of bills have been introduced in Congress to attempt to mitigate this huge cost, however as of April 1, 2002 none have been passed. Includes 3 references, tables.