OAN Staff James Meyers
10:08 AM – Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Almost a decade after the disastrous Flint water crisis, the Biden administration is requiring the removal of most of the nation’s lead-contaminated water pipes within 10 years.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a final rule that will force water systems to replace water lines containing lead within a decade. The agency also expects that between 96% and 99% of systems will be able to achieve this.
Meanwhile, Biden is expected to announce the new rule during a visit to Milwaukee on Tuesday, as his administration claims that federal funds have helped push the timeline for replacing lead pipes from 60 years down to 10.
Exposure to lead is known for causing brain and nervous system damage in children. As for adults, lead can cause reproductive problems, nerve disorders, high blood pressure and even memory problems.
The Biden administration says that it expects its rule will prevent 900,000 infants from having low birth weight, 2,600 children from developing ADHD and 1,500 premature deaths from heart disease each year.
“President Biden is the president who is finally putting an end to this generational public health crisis,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan.
“Delivering a lead free America is President Biden’s legacy,” he added. “This is a matter of public health, a matter of environmental justice, a matter of basic human rights, and it is finally being met with the urgency it demands.”
The latest announcement comes more than a decade after the start of the nation’s well-known lead contamination crisis. In 2014, a water supply switch caused lead pipes in Flint, Michigan, to corrode and resulted in the city’s water becoming contaminated and exposing almost 100,000 people to lead.
“Once you have these chronic health conditions, the only thing you could do is manage it,” said Nayyirah Shariff, director of the local advocacy group Flint Rising. “We’re still fighting for … funding for those support systems that our community needs.”
Public health supporters applauded the new rule as a win in the fight against lead exposure.
“It’s going to really be the most significant improvement in protections against lead-contaminated tap water in more than three decades,” said Erik Olson, senior strategic director for health at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
However, Olson said the rule contains some “gaps,” including not requiring utilities to pay the full cost of replacing lead service lines. He claimed this could cause tenants and landlords to be on the hook for the damages.
Furthermore, during his visit to the Badger State this week, Biden is expected to announce the use of $2.6 billion in water infrastructure funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In total, the new law will put $15 billion toward lead lines and an additional $11.7 billion for clean water.
Experts are estimating that the total cost of replacing lead service lines could be up to $60 billion. Similarly, the EPA estimated that its new rule would cost between $1.47 billion to $1.95 billion each year over a 35-year period.
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