The Biden-Harris administration Tuesday issued a sweeping requirement for utilities to remove lead pipes across the U.S., a move meant to improve drinking water for millions of Americans and help define President Joe Biden’s environmental legacy.
Water utilities will have 10 years to remove and replace water pipes made of lead, a heavy metal that is toxic to humans and especially harmful for children, under EPA’s final rule.
There are an estimated 9 million lead pipes in service nationwide, and they’re located in every state.
The president is scheduled to be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday to tout the rule and billions in federal funding to help remove lead pipes.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris promised to address the issue after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, put lead pipes in the national spotlight.
Harris has also made clean drinking water a central issue of her vice presidency and her campaign for president, highlighting it Sunday in Flint.
Compared to last year’s proposal, EPA’s final rule tightens the compliance timeline for cities like Chicago and Cleveland with a large number of lead pipes, agency officials said.
The rule also gives utilities a stricter limit for lead levels in drinking water, lowering it from 15 to 10 parts per billion.
