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Biden administration announces plan to replace 100% of lead pipes in US homes
The Biden administration on Thursday announced a "whole of government strategy" to remove dangerous lead from Americans' drinking water, including billions of dollars to begin replacing 100% of the lead pipes servicing the nation's homes.
Environmental groups praised the plan, which includes a promise to begin the process of strengthening the nation's drinking water standards to reflect the science showing that lead is toxic for children at any level.
But lawyers at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which has been leading efforts to fight lead, said they worry that the plan lacks a solid timeline and fails to deliver enforceable requirements.
The set of actions announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) included the release of the first $2.9bn of $15bn approved in Biden's infrastructure plan for local water agencies to begin replacing lead pipes and called for the efforts to focus on the low-income communities who face the most risk of lead poisoning. It also listed 15 new actions across 10 federal agencies to address lead dangers from both water and paint.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 18 2021, @12:31AM (1 child)
Wealthy people are more likely to live in areas with better pipes, are more likely to test their water and are more likely to be able to afford to filter the water for lead or buy bottled water than poor people are. At pretty much every step along the chain, the wealthy are more likely to have some way of reducing their risk that are less affordable or impossible for those with less money.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 18 2021, @08:23AM
Um... I think that's a feature, not a bug.