Pass Biden, House proposal for $45 billion to remove lead pipes

The fact that lead is a highly toxic metal and can affect almost any organ in the body and nervous system is not new to most, especially since the Flint, Michigan water crisis five years ago. We have known for decades that children under 6 and developing fetuses are most susceptible to lead exposure because they ingest more lead than adults and their brain and nervous system are still developing. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that lead in drinking water can account for 20% or more of a person’s lead exposure. We must address the key problem at its source. The most effective way to limit exposure to lead in drinking water is to remove lead supply lines (LSLs). These pipes connect a house or other older building to the public water supply.

There is no safe lead content in drinking water. Lower-income communities, communities with higher populations of colored people, and large numbers of immigrants and English learners, are often not replaced as quickly as more affluent, predominantly white, communities. As a result, lead poisoning is particularly bad in these communities. It is a major health, racial, and economic justice issue because if a person is lead poisoned it can affect their learning and economic opportunities for the rest of their lives.

Safe and affordable drinking water is a basic human right, but making sure everyone has access is not free. We want communities to be proactive in removing lead service lines, but we recognize that it isn’t cheap. The EPA estimates it will cost up to $ 45 billion nationwide to completely replace all LSLs. In Minnesota, the Department of Health estimates it will cost up to $ 350 million. For an individual homeowner, the cost of removing an LSL can range from $ 3,000 to $ 11,000, depending on several factors. This is a major obstacle for many people, especially those with lower or fixed incomes. EPA’s environmental justice analysis of the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) proposal found that customer obligations to contribute to replacement costs have different effects on people of skin color and low-income communities. We should advocate federal funding that will cover the entire cost of replacing lead service lines, whether the pipe is publicly or privately owned, to remove this built-in inequality and ensure equal opportunities for all Americans.

The cost of replacing lead service lines has been the biggest barrier to both critical federal regulation and proactive water system and community action. At the end of the lead pipe, however, there can finally be light. The Biden government and the U.S. House have both proposed investing $ 45 billion over 10 years to resolve this issue and help states and cities completely remove all LSLs. The U.S. Senate proposal is much lower at $ 100 million a year for the next five years. If it costs a total of $ 45 billion and the Senate is only looking to invest $ 100 million a year, it will take 450 years to solve this environmental justice issue.

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We know that lead is in some people’s drinking water now. If we wait longer to replace LSLs, Minnesotans will continue to experience more health problems, some of which are lifelong. How can we justify waiting? Unlike many other pollution problems, we can easily identify and fix these – for one price. Families with health problems due to lead in their drinking water cannot and should not have to wait 450 years or 10 years.

Steve Schultz

For too long, color and poverty communities have been excluded from the benefits of much of our water investments. We need to have policies and funding in place to remove all LSLs from all homes and buildings in Minnesota and the United States. This includes doing an inventory to determine the extent of the problem, doing increased testing of the water and blood to find hotspots where lead poisoning occurs, and prioritizing pipe removal in those areas. We need funding to remove all LSLs and guidelines to make sure it is simple and equitable so that all families have access to safe and affordable drinking water. We need the U.S. Senate, which follows the House of Representatives and von Biden administration, which is providing $ 45 billion to ensure that all states, counties and cities can afford to have all of these potentially toxic pipes remove.

Steve Schultz is the water program coordinator for Clean Water Action Minnesota.

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