The Biden-Harris Administration released a major announcement today, outlining a significant investment in the nation's water infrastructure. According to the White House, a whopping $3 billion is earmarked to replace toxic lead pipes, with the ambitious aim of ensuring all Americans have access to clean and safe drinking water. This considerable expenditure hails from President Biden's Investing in America agenda and seeks to make good on his promise to replace every lead pipe in America within ten years.
Over 9 million homes along with a slew of schools, daycares and businesses are serviced by lead pipes, leading to potential lead exposure, which is known to cause severe health issues, particularly in children. "President Biden believes that every American should be able to turn on the tap and drink clean, safe water," the White House statement proclaims. To confront this pressing issue, all states and U.S. territories will receive funding to target lead in drinking water, the removal of which is expected to create many good-paying jobs, many of them union jobs. Notably, this program falls under the President's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of benefits from specific federal investments reach disadvantaged communities that are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning.
In a demonstration of the plan's reach, Wilmington, North Carolina will receive $76 million as part of this push. EPA estimates place the number of lead pipes in the state at around 300,000 — a figure that President Biden spotlighted as a particular goal for replacement. The President also made a point of visiting a local school that, thanks to funds from his American Rescue Plan, traded a lead-contaminated water fountain for a safer alternative.
Support for these initiatives builds on past commitments, as the Biden administration previously funneled more than $20 billion from the American Rescue Plan into state and local government water infrastructure projects. In North Carolina alone, close to $2 billion has been allocated to clean water, stormwater, and wastewater projects, as well as $150 million to test for and remove lead hazards in schools and childcare centers. Today’s announcement from the EPA includes nearly $90 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to address residential health hazards in public housing, covering dangers beyond just lead, but also including carbon monoxide, mold, and fire safety risks.
With Wilmington having already set a precedent by using over $4 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to identify and replace 325 lead pipes, today saw the Biden administration announce that Wilmington would see the first federally-funded lead pipe replacement project get underway. "The President has now delivered $250 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to North Carolina for lead pipe replacement," according to the White House statement. This significant funding has already reached over 60 communities in the state to initiate lead pipe identification and replacement efforts, marking a substantial move towards the administration's goals of water safety and infrastructure improvement.
