A bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act, and for other purposes.
Public Law 96-502 · H.R. 8117 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Dec 5, 1980 · Environmental Protection
Sponsor: Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA-24)
Cosponsors (24): Rep. Tim Carter, Rep. Phil Gramm,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to extend by three years the date by which public water systems which have been granted an exemption from contaminant level and treatment technique requirements must meet such requirements.
Provides an alternative procedure by which a State with an underground injection control program relating to oil or natural gas production or recovery may receive approval for obtaining primary enforcement responsibility for protecting its underground water sources. Authorizes a State to demonstrate that its underground injection control program meets the minimum requirements of State program regulations and will prevent underground injection which endangers drinking water sources, rather than file an application which meets the regulations established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection AGency.
Authorizes a State which has made such a demonstration to make a similar demonstration with respect to any amended requirement of underground injection rather than file a notice that the State program meets the new requirement.
Prohibits the application of requirements to determine whether a State retains primary enforcement responsibility if the State initially acquired the responsibility because of such a demonstration. Authorizes the Administrator to determine, after an opportunity for public hearing, that such a demonstration is no longer valid and to remove primary enforcement responsibility from the State.
Permits a State which has primary enforcement responsibility to exempt a public water system from a contaminant level or treatment technique requirement if the system was not in operation at the time the requirement took effect and no reasonable alternative source of drinking water is available.
Prohibits underground water source protection grants to any State which has not assumed primary enforcement responsibility within a specified time.
Directs the Administrator to make grants to a public water system which is required to meet more stringent standards relating to drinking water turbidity than the standards of the Act. Requires that such grants be used for the development and demonstration of any water filtration system which will demonstrate a new or improved method of meeting such more stringent standards.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Dec 5, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-502.
- Nov 26, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Nov 25, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Nov 19, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- Sep 24, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- Sep 23, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- Sep 22, 1980FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Sep 19, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Sep 15, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.