President Joe Biden’s recent announcement of new regulations on lead in drinking water is the final act of an impressive four-year effort to rid the nation of toxic lead pipes. It is perhaps one of the greatest legacies he will leave behind.
Ten years ago, the nation was shocked by the crisis in Flint, Mich., where majority-Black residents were exposed to lead-poisoned water. In Flint and elsewhere, children have borne the brunt of lead poisoning, suffering irreversible brain damage and other lifelong health problems.
Now, thanks to Biden-Harris regulations, we have a 10-year timeline for replacing some 9 million lead pipes that continue to pose a risk to people across the country.
Issued Oct. 8, the new rules will, as The Washington Post reported, “establish a national inventory of lead service lines and require that utilities take more aggressive action to remove lead pipes on homeowners’ private property.” It also mandates that schools and child-care facilities test for lead contamination.
Lead has had a devastating effect on Americans, especially kids and families. And the health impacts of lead affect Americans in both red and blue states.
Five of the 10 top lead-pipe-burdened states, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, voted for Donald Trump in 2020 and five voted for Biden. Surprisingly, Trump’s home state of Florida sits at the top of the estimated lead-pipe list. Ohio, home to Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, is third.
As elections loom, the burning question is what will happen to the Biden-Harris administration’s bold trajectory on lead pipe removal. Will a new administration and Congress flip the script, even though public opinion is solidly in favor of replacing lead pipes? Recent polling shows that seven in ten Americans believe lead pipes are either a crisis or a major problem.
We look to the candidates for clues as to what may happen. In the June presidential debate, Trump said he wanted “absolutely immaculate clean water,” a strong statement lacking policy specifics. But Project 2025, a public policy document drawn up by Trump affiliates, calls for cuts to EPA staff and budgets, and makes no mention of lead pipes. Trump, if reelected, is unlikely to continue Biden’s initiatives on environmental justice.
By contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris, a self-professed “water policy geek,” was in Flint on Oct. 4 declaring, “clean water should be a right for everyone, not just for the people who can afford it.” Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, as Minnesota’s governor, enacted nation-leading state legislation and funding on lead pipe replacement during his tenure.
One question is whether Congress will foot the approximate $90 billion bill for lead pipe replacement. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was not bipartisan enough for the 200 House and 30 Senate Republicans who voted against it in 2021. A Republican-led Congress is unlikely to repeat Biden’s historic investment in clean drinking water.
Though the future may be unclear, the need for lead pipe replacement as a matter of public health is not. There is no greater urgency than the health of all Americans.
I urge the next administration and Congress to rise above party politics and honor President Biden’s final act by setting a path for 100% lead pipe replacement. We owe it to our children to close the curtain, once and for all, on lead pipes.
About the author: Maureen Cunningham is the chief strategy officer and director of water at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) and an elected town councilmember in Bethlehem, NY.
