Earlier this month, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that all lead pipes nationwide must be replaced within the next ten years. Following this decision, the agency awarded Maine nearly $25 million to help support the replacement of lead pipes throughout the state.
Around this same time, the state also received more than $11 million to help protect children from being poisoned by lead paint in older homes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to lead is particularly harmful for children under the age of six and can cause a number of complications, including “developmental delays, difficulty learning, and behavioral issues.”
Click Here for More Information on Lead Exposure
The EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) released last week make a number of changes to the rules governing lead pipes and drinking water.
In addition to requiring the replacement of all lead pipes within the next decade, the LCRI also mandates “more rigorous testing of drinking water and a lower threshold for communities to take action on lead in drinking water to protect people from lead exposure.”
The LCRI also aims to improve communication and education within communities currently serviced by lead pipes so that residents can be “better informed about the risk of lead in drinking water, the location of lead pipes, and plans for replacing them.”
According to the EPA, as many as 9 million homes nationwide are currently serviced by lead pipes.
“Many of [these homes] are located in lower-income communities and communities of color, creating disproportionate lead exposure burden for these families,” the EPA wrote in a press release last week.
The agency goes on to estimate that the “health and economic benefits” of the new rule are estimated to be “up to 13 times greater than the costs.”
“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 in a press release.
“President Biden is putting an end to this generational public health problem,” Regan continued. “With the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements and historic investments in lead pipe replacement, the Biden-Harris Administration is fulfilling its commitment that no community, regardless of race, geography, or wealth, should have to worry about lead-contaminated water in their homes.”
“Everyone deserves safe, clean water in their homes, no matter where they live or how much they earn,” said EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash.
“Today, we’re announcing improvements to the Lead and Copper Rule that require better testing and quicker action, while also providing critical funding to Maine,” Cash said. “These important changes, alongside funding from the Biden-Harris Administration, are helping to ensure that families and communities across New England are getting the support they need to create a safer, lead-free future for our children.”
In conjunction with these updated regulations, the State of Maine was awarded $24,898,000 through the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRFs) to help support lead pipe replacement and “inventory projects.”
According to an EPA study from April 2023, there are an estimated total of more than 18,000 lead service lines in Maine, accounting for about .2 percent of all the service lines in the state.
The EPA’s press release goes on to explain that 49 percent of this funding “must be provided to disadvantaged communities as grant funding or principal forgiveness that does not have to be repaid.”
An additional $35 million in competitive grant funding has also been made available to help reduce the amount of lead present in drinking water.
Click Here for More Information on the EPA’s Final Rule
Around the same time that these final rules were published, Sens. Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I) announced that Maine was set to receive $11,117,960 to mitigate the prevalence of lead paint in older and affordable homes, particularly those in which children under the age of six reside.
“The majority of Maine’s housing stock was built prior to 1978, the year that lead-based paint was banned, which has resulted in our state having one of the highest levels of lead paint contamination in the country,” said Sen. Collins. “This federal investment in lead hazard abatement will increase the safety of housing for families in Portland and Lewiston, helping to further alleviate this public health threat.”
“Lead exposure and poisoning can pose extreme health risks, especially for young children who are still growing and developing,” said Sen. King. “Even small amounts of lead from paint chips and flakes can build up in the body and cause serious health problems. Families should be focused on helping their children grow and thrive, not worried about whether or not their house is hazardous. This robust funding will help more Maine families and children have a healthy and safe place to call home.”
The Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program — through which this grant was awarded — is funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
My guess is, all the money will be handed out to democrat run NGOs that blow the money on salaries, ‘n the lead pipes will still be in the ground delivering water to our homes,….