The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) proposed a new rule Thursday that would effectively mandate the replacement of every lead water pipe in the country.
The agency’s proposal would bolster the “Lead and Copper Rule” to require water systems nationwide to remove and replace every lead pipe within ten years if finalized in its current shape. The proposal is a key advancement of President Joe Biden’s long-term goal to get rid of every lead pipe in the U.S.
The EPA estimates that the proposal could cost as much as $30 billion for utility companies across the country to execute over 10 years, costs which the utilities are likely to pass on to ratepayers. The bipartisan infrastructure law allocates $15 billion to help cover those expenses, but the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, a trade and policy group for urban water suppliers, says it has “repeatedly” highlighted several issues that could complicate the EPA’s ambitious proposal, such as elevated costs, supply chain problems, labor shortages and inadequate building records. (RELATED: Biden Admin To Pour $3.5 Billion Into Electric Grid Projects That Benefit Pro-Dem Union)
Everyone should be able to turn on the tap and have #SafeDrinkingWater. Today, EPA brought America one step closer to that goal by proposing improvements to the Lead and Copper Rule that will help reduce lead in drinking water. Learn more ⬇️ https://t.co/IC6Vh4Ze9z pic.twitter.com/CaDeO2HpWj
— U.S. EPA (@EPA) November 30, 2023
“EPA’s proposed Lead and Copper rule is grounded in the best available science and successful practices utilized by drinking water systems to protect children and adults from lead in drinking water,” EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox said of the proposal.
Up to 10 million U.S. homes are connected to lead water pipes, according to the White House. Notably, the EPA’s proposal pays particular mind to removing lead pipes from poor communities.
“The whole notion that there is no safe level of lead is just junk science,” Steve Milloy, a senior legal fellow for the Energy and Environment Legal Institute and a member of the Trump EPA’s transition team, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Biden’s whole program here is a way to funnel money to favored constituencies. It has nothing to do with public health.”
Environmentalists frequently cite the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, as evidence that America’s lead pipe drinking water infrastructure can prove to be especially damaging for poor communities with disproportionately large minority populations. However, that crisis started when the poor state of Flint’s municipal finances forced the city to switch its water supply to the Flint River, which corroded lead pipes and contaminated the drinking water, according to NBC News. The crisis was made worse by slow and ill-advised policy responses by local, state and federal officials, Milloy told the DCNF.
While “the water in Flint was bad and polluted,” Milloy emphasized that “it is important to underscore that the whole crisis in Flint had nothing to do with lead.”
Neither the EPA nor the White House responded immediately to requests for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.