President Biden’s plan to replace lead pipes faces funding challenge

By On Sep 3, 2021

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – President Biden has promised to replace every lead pipe in the country, but some experts warn that the funds provided in the bipartisan infrastructure bill will not be enough to get the job done.

Biden’s American Jobs Plan originally allocated $ 45 billion to remove lead pipes from the country’s water systems, but the bipartisan infrastructure bill only provides for a third of that – $ 15 billion.

A leading industry group, the American Water Works Association, estimates the project could cost $ 60 billion or more.

“Ultimately, we’re a little concerned that families will be left behind,” said Tom Neltner, a lead and chemical policy expert with the Environmental Defense Fund.

Neltner was disappointed with the allocation of the bill, among other things, because half of the money should flow to the municipalities as loans that they have to repay.

“That means we have to top up the money – we have to somehow get the full funding up to $ 45 billion,” he said.

The distribution of funds in the form of loans ultimately puts a strain on communities and residents could raise their water prices as a result.

“This is wrong,” said Richard Diaz, chairman of the Milwaukee coalition on the lead emergency. “We need grant dollars.”

Nevertheless, the infrastructure law is a “glimmer of hope” for Diaz. Milwaukee has more than 70,000 lead service lines, and at the current replacement rate, it will take decades to remove them all.

“The infrastructure of our water system is so old that lead can leak at any other point, from that person’s house to that person’s house – you just don’t know,” Diaz said.

Milwaukee is not alone. According to EPA data, at least 57% of counties in the United States are served by water systems that have discovered lead at some point in the past four years.

Experts agree that there is no such thing as safe lead exposure. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of lead poisoning, which can slow their development and lead to learning and behavioral problems.

Adults are also at risk – exposure to lead can stress the heart and kidneys.

The EPA didn’t crack down on lead lines fully until the 1980s, leaving homes built beforehand at the highest risk of dangerous pipes being made or soldered with lead. In some parts of the country, particularly the Northeast and Midwest, more than 80 percent of housing units fall into this category, according to census data.

The EPA estimates that there are still between 6 and 10 million lead lines in the United States, the underground lines that connect homes to municipal water systems.

At an average cost of $ 4,700 to replace the soak line, the current allocation in the bipartisan Infrastructure Act wouldn’t even come close to replacing the EPA’s lowest estimate.

Biden’s national climate adviser Gina McCarthy acknowledged a possible need for more funding, but is optimistic about what municipalities can do with the $ 15 billion Congress is making available.

“We were certainly hoping for the largest possible amount of money we can get, but we know what we get will take us a long way to the finish line and if we’re smart it will get through.” “, she said.

McCarthy was unable to provide an exact schedule for the pipeline overhaul, but said the administration would work with local governments to get it done quickly. While the Senate passed its version of the massive infrastructure package last week, funding won’t run out until the House of Representatives votes on it.

“These problems have been with us in some cases for over a century,” said McCarthy. “And we have to realize that we can’t take a century to fix it.”