{"id":10475,"date":"2021-07-29T15:39:24","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T20:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/?p=10475"},"modified":"2021-11-24T09:49:22","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T14:49:22","slug":"fixing-americas-lead-in-water-crisis-must-be-a-priority-for-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2021\/07\/29\/fixing-americas-lead-in-water-crisis-must-be-a-priority-for-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"Fixing America\u2019s lead in water crisis must be a priority for Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Eric Jjemba<\/strong>, Health Legislative Intern, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/people\/joanna-slaney\"><strong>Joanna Slaney<\/strong><\/a>, Legislative Director, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/people\/tom-neltner\"><strong>Tom Neltner<\/strong><\/a>, Chemicals Policy Director<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last week, over 100 House members led by Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Daniel Kildee (D-MI), Gwen Moore (D-MI), and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) <a href=\"https:\/\/tonko.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3412\">sent a letter<\/a> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking that she prioritize funding for full lead service line (LSL) replacement in \u201cany major infrastructure legislation moving through the chamber.\u201d Additionally, a group of 8 medical and health associations led by the American Academy of Pediatrics <a href=\"https:\/\/downloads.aap.org\/DOFA\/Infrastructure%20Letter%20Lead%20Prevention%20Health%20Final.pdf\">sent a letter <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of their own urging Congressional leadership \u201c\u200b\u200bto fully fund this proposed public health measure with $45 billion.\u201d These letters highlight the broad support around treating America\u2019s lead in water crisis as one that necessitates federal action. EDF, and many others, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2021\/06\/10\/momentum-is-building-to-fund-lead-pipe-replacement-across-the-country-new-video\/\">have advocated <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0for $45 billion in funding to fully replace the more than <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2021\/04\/19\/lead-pipes-are-in-the-news-heres-why-that-matters\/\">9 million remaining LSLs <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For too many families in this country, turning on the faucet for water essentially means drinking through a lead straw. This hundred year old legacy problem of LSLs impacts communities across the nation, but it disproportionately harms <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/document\/EPA-HQ-OW-2017-0300-0008\">already overburdened communities<\/a>\u2013 those that experience racial, economic, and environmental disparities together. To make sure that necessary assistance reaches those that need it most, including low-income communities, communities of color, and rural communities, the federal government needs to adequately fund full LSL replacement across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EDF applauds the members of Congress and key public health organizations that are continuing to push for this investment, of which we have <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2020\/04\/16\/infrastructure-stimulus-bill-lead-pipe-replacement-funding\/\">frequently outlined<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0the clear and tangible benefits. Among these are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Protecting health<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">especially for children, who are likely to have their brain development impaired by lead, contributing to learning and behavioral problems and lower IQs. While children of color and those from low-income families remain at the greatest risk of lead exposure, adults are also at risk of heart disease \u2013 even at low exposure levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reducing disparities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by advancing equity for low-income communities and communities of color (including small and rural ones) that may lack the capacity to pursue federal funds, have not developed an inventory of their LSLs, and would not otherwise have the resources to do the work.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Creating good paying jobs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in construction and plumbing through shovel-ready work. Most communities have a good sense of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/health\/where-are-lead-service-lines\">where many of the LSLs are<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0in their water systems, meaning this work can get off the ground quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no safe level of lead exposure. LSL replacement is known to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2021\/03\/25\/an-issue-nearly-everyone-agrees-on-its-time-to-fund-lead-pipe-replacement\/\">only permanent, durable solution <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with a track record of cost effectiveness to address the risk of lead exposure through drinking water. In recent years we\u2019ve seen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/health\/recognizing-community-efforts-replace-lsl\">communities across the country<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including those in Colorado, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin work to efficiently replace LSLs. The City of Newark, for example, initiated an aggressive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newarkleadserviceline.com\/replacement\">Lead Service Replacement Program <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u202fthat\u202fhas\u202freplaced\u202flines for over 20,000 homes in less than 3 years. But even where states and localities are taking action, the cost of replacement continues to be a challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the benefits of LSL replacement accrue to a community over time, the costs of this work are immediate. Covering the upfront cost to address the risk of outdated water infrastructure is not a burden that all communities can afford to bear alone. In many cases, the lack of federal assistance can result in drawn out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/opinion\/editorials\/ct-editorial-chicago-lead-pipe-removal-50-year-deadline-20210531-wrl5eweiyrgcrjv4qeyfw34jd4-story.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">replacement timelines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and increased <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cleanwateraction.org\/2021\/04\/14\/there-finally-light-end-lead-pipe\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">burdens on ratepayers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The most rapid, equitable, and lasting solution for all families across the country \u2013 and thus an approach worthy of federal investment \u2013 is full funding for LSL replacement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/media\/new-poll-overwhelming-bipartisan-support-funding-lead-pipe-replacement\">national poll <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">released earlier this year by Black Millennials for Flint, BlueGreen Alliance, and EDF found that 79% of voters believe it should be a priority for lawmakers to fund lead pipe replacement, including 71% of Republicans, 85% of Democrats, and 79% of Independents. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EDFHealth\/status\/1387501137486508034?s=20\">Further polling <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by Climate Power and Data for Progress have reaffirmed this support.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These results, and the recent letters to Congressional leadership, demonstrate the widespread commitment to tackling this issue. With the necessary investment by the federal government, towns across America can finally be empowered to get the lead out of our drinking water once and for all.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eric Jjemba, Health Legislative Intern, Joanna Slaney, Legislative Director, and Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director Last week, over 100 House members led by Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Daniel Kildee (D-MI), Gwen Moore (D-MI), and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking that she prioritize funding for full lead &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[114106,39263],"tags":[113990,39158,91857,91787],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-10475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lead","category-public-health","tag-federal-funding","tag-lead","tag-lead-service-line-replacement","tag-lead-service-lines"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10475"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=10475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}