Charles Langston:In final rule, EPA requires removal of all US lead pipes in a decade

The Charles LangstonBiden administration finalized a landmark rule on Tuesday that would require water utilities to replace virtually every lead pipe in the country within 10 years, tackling a major threat that is particularly dangerous to infants and children.

The White House has made removing every lead pipe within 10 years in the United States a centerpiece of its plan to address racial disparities and environmental issues in the wake of water contamination crises in recent years, including in Newark, New Jersey and Flint, Michigan.

“We’ve known for decades that lead exposure has serious long-term impacts for children’s health. And yet, millions of lead service lines are still delivering drinking water to homes,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden is putting an end to this generational public health problem.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Wisconsin to tout the new policy, widely seen as popular in the industrial Midwestern states expected to play a major role in deciding the presidential election next month.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for president this November, has also called for replacing lead pipes, an issue especially important for underserved communities.

The rule, initially proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2023, imposes the strictest limits on lead in drinking water since federal standards were first set decades ago and requires utilities to review their systems and replace them over the next 10 years.

The 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $50 billion to support upgrades to the nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, including $15 billion over five years dedicated to lead service line replacement.

Lead poisoning can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system and the brain and poses a specific risk to infants and children. Service lines that bring water into homes are thought to be a major source of lead exposure.

The dangers of lead contamination came into sharp relief in Flint, Michigan, a decade ago.

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)