Staff Report –

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden administration announced a major national initiative on Friday to begin work to replace lead pipes across the country using funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which is still trying to recover from being gutted and corrupted by the Trump administration, will lead the effort with the goal to replace 100 percent of the harmful, contaminated lead pipes in water systems around the country. The initiative is a partnership with the Department of Labor, and is being pioneered in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin and will begin by working with 40 communities across those states in 2023.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the initiative, and says the agency will work with state and local community leaders and provide targeted technical assistance services to help underserved communities access funds provided by the law and begin replacing lead pipes that pose risks to the health of children and families.

“The science is clear—there is no safe level of exposure to lead,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in the announcement. “EPA is committed to partnering with states and communities to protect children and families and ensure our nation’s drinking water pipes are lead-free.”

While some conservative Republicans might take issue with this government spending and seek to cut it in the debate over the debt ceiling, the administration might point out that this is actually a useful way to spend federal tax money to help the American people, make them healthier and less costly to the overstretched health care system and thus save the government money in the long run. It also funds thousands of high paying and even union jobs as well, generating tax money from the rise in incomes.

The Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators will serve to demonstrate the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that every community has access to safe, clean drinking water. In the law an unprecedented $50 billion was set aside to begin revamping the nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure, and $15 billion is dedicated to lead service line replacement. Another $11.7 billion will go to general Drinking Water State Revolving Funds that can also be used for lead service line replacement and other water infrastructure needs.

“By leveraging the historic investment made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are moving one step closer to achieving President Biden’s vision of 100 percent lead-free water systems for all,” Regan said.

While all communities deserve access to safe, clean, lead-free water, too many families and children across America are still impacted by lead pipes. The science is clear that lead pipes pose serious health risks, particularly for children. However, many communities, particularly underserved communities and communities in rural and inner urban areas, lack necessary tools and resources to make rapid progress on lead service line replacement.

The primary source of lead in drinking water, when present, is pipes. Lead can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels and can accumulate in the body over time. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells.

Through the Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators, EPA will provide hands-on support to guide communities through the process of lead service line removals, from start to finish. This will include support in developing lead line replacement plans, conducting inventories to identify lead pipes, increasing community outreach and education efforts, and supporting applications for the infrastructure law funding so more communities will be able to access their fair share of federal funds to secure a lead-free future.

“Connecticut is proud to be one of the four states involved with the Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators Community Initiative, which is critical toward investing in safe drinking water and ultimately protecting the health of our communities,” Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said. “The Lead Service Line Accelerators will address existing barriers and accelerate progress on these projects. Inviting input from our residents, providing educational resources, and engaging affected members of the community are necessary components in identifying and ultimately replacing these lead service lines.”

Partnership is core to the LSLR Accelerators initiative, and EPA will collaborate each step of the way with Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin and applauds their leadership in seeking innovative new ways to accelerate lead pipe removal, Regan said.

“Our historically underserved communities know all too well the severe damage that lead exposure can inflict upon children and families,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “As a result of my Administration’s aggressive and ongoing lead pipe replacement efforts, we also know that no state in the country is better suited to continue serving as a national model for lead remediation than New Jersey. We are eager to continue working alongside our federal and regional partners to eradicate this grave public health threat once and for all.”

The initiative will support these states in more strategically deploying funding while developing best practices and creative approaches that can serve as a roadmap for the rest of the country. As this program moves forward, EPA and the Department of Labor will collaborate to provide tools aimed at increasing job quality standards, equity, and resources to accelerate the development of the skilled water workforce needed to undertake these community and system-wide lead pipe replacement programs.

“Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air and pure water, but far too many communities here in Pennsylvania suffer from old and outdated lead pipes that endanger the health of our children and families,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said. “My administration is ready to work with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and our federal partners to make life-saving investments that will deliver clean drinking to families across the Commonwealth, especially in communities that have been left behind for too long. Working with our federal partners, we can rebuild our infrastructure, create good-paying jobs, and guarantee that constitutional right holds for all Pennsylvania, regardless of their zip code.”

With the boost from these water infrastructure investments, the Biden-Harris administration released its Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan as well. EPA will oversee this work and will be using every tool available — statutory authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act, technical assistance, funding for lead line replacement — to protect all Americans from lead in drinking water.

“Every Wisconsinite deserves access to safe, clean drinking water. We’ve been working to address the lead crisis and other water quality issues affecting our state since Day One of my administration—from declaring 2019 the Year of Clean Drinking Water to our ongoing work with the EPA to replace lead service lines across our state,” said Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. “The Biden Administration and the EPA have been critical partners in these efforts. I look forward to continuing our work together to ensure Wisconsinites can trust the water coming from their taps.”

With the help of the law and funding, EPA is strengthening its technical assistance efforts to ensure every community gets its fair share of this historic investment.

See more information about water technical assistance for communities and the Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators online here.

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