Perchlorate -- a chemical used in rocket fuel -- has permeated California's water supply and contaminated 350 drinking water sources from the Mexican border to Sacramento.

California is not alone -- 34 other states face perchlorate contamination as well. This means that hundreds of drinking water supplies across the country are unfit for human consumption.

But this is only half the story. A recent study at Texas Tech University demonstrates that perchlorate is now being transmitted from mother to child through breast milk.

Furthermore, perchlorate has been detected in lettuce and cow's milk, and there is strong reason to believe that it will be found in dozens of other foods highly concentrated with water.

Unless we take action now, more water supplies will be contaminated. That's why I plan to introduce legislation that will address the problem:

First, we must determine the scope of the contamination. The legislation would expand efforts to determine the extent to which perchlorate has entered the water supply. And the FDA would be required to continue to study and monitor the concentration of perchlorate in the nation's food supplies.

Second, the Environmental Protection Agency must establish a national standard as soon as possible. The National Academy of Sciences recently completed a study on the health effects of perchlorate contamination, and the EPA issued a reference dose based on this study. EPA now must establish a national drinking water standard that takes into account all perchlorate ingestion.

Third, the legislation would require the Defense Department to take responsibility for its role in the crisis. The Defense Department and its contractors are the primary cause of the vast majority of the contamination, and they must play a major role in the cleanup.

Fourth, the legislation would authorize $200 million for cleanup efforts.

Cities in the Inland Empire of California like Rialto and Colton are on the front lines of this effort. While they have been battling perchlorate contamination for more than two years, this is not just an Inland Empire problem. It is a national problem, and it requires a national solution.