Staff Report –
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Are you better off than you were three years ago?
That’s a perennial question that pops up like a weed every four years in Washington politics, or at least the media coverage of it.
Think about it. Three years ago, in November 2020, the global Covid-19 pandemic was at its worst, as the Trump administration botched all efforts to contain it. The Republican president and candidate for reelection came down with the coronavirus in the White House, had to be hospitalized, spread it to many on his staff and the cabinet, but still bashed scientists like Andrew Fauci and told his followers not to wear masks.
That may have been popular with dumbass rednecks in the South and West. But much of the country was appalled.
Don’t forget.
This week, as we enter the 2024 presidential election year one year from now, a lot of attention this week focused on the latest polls, which shows President Biden not so popular and Trump still somehow clinging to a majority of Republican support.
There’s much hand-wringing about why Biden is not so popular, much of it focusing on his age and high prices due to inflation. But inflation is not a sign of a bad economy. It is a sure sign of an overheated economy, which the Federal Reserve has been trying to balance by raising interest rates.
The New York Times poll raised a warning about support for Biden waning among Black and Hispanic voters, even though his administration has been doing more to help minorities than any in recent memory.
I suspect the reason the public doesn’t know this is because it is not being covered fairly or at all by all the conservative press and media outlets, or shared much even by Democrats on social media. Spending money to replace lead pipes may not be a sensational, clickbait sort of story. It won’t be as popular on TikTok as a large chested celebrity babe twerking on video.
But it is one thing the federal government can do to make life better for many Americans, especially minorities, and provide some high paying union jobs replacing lead pipes.
Since nobody else is covering it, we will.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreversible harm. The EPA notes that low levels of exposure in children are linked to damage to the brain and nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and harm to blood cells. Exposed adults can suffer from cardiovascular disease and adverse impacts on reproduction and the kidneys, among other harmful health effects.
Yet, despite these known health risks, millions of Americans are still exposed to lead every day because their drinking water runs through lead pipes, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“Because no safe blood level has been identified for young children, all sources of lead exposure for children should be controlled or eliminated. EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels,” they say. “Lead is a toxic metal that is persistent in the environment and can accumulate in the body over time. Risk will vary depending on the individual, the chemical conditions of the water, and the amount consumed. For example, infants who drink formula prepared with lead-contaminated tap water may be at a higher risk of exposure because of the large volume of water they consume relative to their body size.”
Signed in November, 2021, just two years ago, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided a historic $50 billion investment in water and wastewater infrastructure, dedicating more than $15 billion to replacing lead service lines.
A new initiative funded by the law will help 200 underserved communities access technical assistance to identify and remove lead service lines and ensure safer drinking water, according to an EPA press release.
Three years ago, the Trump EPA had stopped doing anything, gutted long-standing environment regulations, wiped its website of years of accumulated data on global warming and lead pollution in drinking water. Scott Pruitt, an attorney, lobbyist and Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma was Trump’s choice to run the agency. On July 9, 2018, Pruitt resigned while facing at least 14 federal investigations for malfeasance.
This week, Water Radhika Fox, the EPA Assistant Administrator, announced the Get the Lead Out Initiative “that will help ensure safer drinking water for communities as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.”
Through the program, which is funded entirely by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is in partnership with the Department of Labor, EPA will partner with 200 underserved communities nationwide to provide the technical assistance they need to identify and remove lead service lines and help communities remove the barriers to lead pipe removal. It will help participating communities identify lead services lines, develop replacement plans, and apply for funding to “get the lead out.”
“An estimated 9.2 million pipes that provide drinking water to homes across the United States still contain lead, and they are most commonly found in older homes. This means they disproportionately impact families with the fewest resources to remove them. That’s why this new initiative is so critical – it will provide the kind of assistance that’s needed to accelerate the removal of lead where it’s needed most,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, EPA is positioned to help connect more communities to historic federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and move our country closer to President Biden’s goal of getting 100 percent of lead pipes out of water-once and for all.”
Through its Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and Get the Lead Out Partnership, the Biden-Harris administration has made accelerating the removal of lead service lines a top priority, with a goal of replacing 100 percent of lead service lines.
“EPA is committed to using every tool available including our statutory authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act, water technical assistance, infrastructure investments, and more to replace lead pipes and protect children and communities across America from lead in drinking water,” the agency said.
“Clean water is essential to our health and wellbeing. Yet, lead service lines exist in every state across our country, carrying drinking water to millions of homes and putting families at risk of a number of serious health problems,” said Senator Tom Carper of Delaware, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Thanks to our unprecedented investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is helping provide more communities with the necessary tools to find and replace sources of lead in their drinking water systems. I applaud the Biden Administration for their work to ensure that more Americans have access to safe, reliable, and clean drinking water, especially those with the greatest need.”
House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone of New Jersey said every American has a fundamental right to clean, safe drinking water.
“That’s why I fought to make sure that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included funding to remove and replace dangerous lead service lines that continue to contaminate millions of Americans’ drinking water,” he said. “Today’s announcement from EPA ensures that hundreds of communities across the country will soon get the resources they need and the relief they deserve to address this public health crisis. I’m grateful that EPA and the Biden Administration have been such strong partners in this fight, and I look forward to the day when every family can trust the water coming out of their tap.”
Throughout his years in Congress, Congressman Paul Tonko, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials, said he has pushed to repair the “crumbling water systems” because he believed no one should be drinking water from lead pipes.
“I was thrilled to take vital steps in that effort with the enactment of key provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to invest in water and wastewater infrastructure, and EPA’s exciting announcement today brings us even closer to a lead-free future,” he said. “Grateful to this administration for their dedicated work to ensure every community and household has access to safe, clean drinking water.”
Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu said President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that no parent should have to worry that their child might be exposed to lead when they take a sip of water.
“That’s exactly why the President’s Investing in America agenda includes a historic $50 billion to deliver safe, clean water across America,” he said. “Through this initiative, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can provide resources needed to reach our goal of removing every lead service line in the country.”
White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said President Biden launched the most ambitious strategy in history to replace all lead service lines across the country. But are people finding out about it? Do you see it covered on any other news channel?
“Today, less than a year after piloting the Get the Lead Out Initiative, we celebrate another milestone on our way to meeting that historic goal – bringing five times as many communities nationwide into the fold for lead service line replacement,” Zaidi said “The ‘GLO’ initiative is a bright example of the President’s progress in delivering clean, safe drinking water to all communities through and with partners.”
Learn more about the program here.
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