Do you like heavy metal? Probably not in your drinking water. Let's get the lead out!
#Contamination #DrinkingWater #Lead #Biden #Congress #Crisis #Letter #Petition
"Children all over the U.S. are drinking water contaminated with lead.
This water comes through deteriorating lead pipes into the taps in their homes and old drinking fountains in their schools. Lead-contaminated water harms children's brains and nervous systems, causing learning disabilities and impairing their hearing — and has been for decades.
We need action now — and President Biden's American Jobs Plan will help us get there.
Biden's plan will invest more than $100 billion in fixing our water infrastructure, including replacing all lead service lines across the country. He also has called for action on lead in school water. Now we need Congress to save our children from lead poisoning by passing strong legislation to fix our infrastructure, create jobs, and invest in our communities.
Our water infrastructure is failing. There are still 6 to 10 million lead service lines in place across the U.S., some of which are more than 100 years old. As they corrode, they release lead into the water we drink, threatening people's health.
And through decades of neglect and disinvestment, the problem is even more severe in low-income communities and communities of color.
Flint, Michigan made headlines six years ago for its contaminated water after engineers found high levels of lead in the tap water in homes — and doctors found dangerous amounts of lead in children's blood.
But Flint isn't the only city that has suffered from widespread lead problems: Lead service lines are found in all 50 states, from big cities to small towns. Newark, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Jackson, Atlanta and dozens of other cities have found dangerous levels of lead in many residents' tap water.
The Senate took a step forward last month when senators overwhelmingly passed the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021, which would authorize modestly increased funding for clean water programs, including replacing some lead service lines — but it's not nearly enough to remove them all.
And the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a new, stronger Lead and Copper Rule, a woefully outdated and inadequate federal protection meant to limit lead in drinking water.
But our work is far from done. We won't stop until all the nation's children are safe from lead poisoning from drinking water.
President Biden's American Jobs Plan will:
- Remove all lead service lines in every state at no direct cost to homeowners
- Get people back to work and create new good-paying jobs removing lead service lines
- Expedite the removal of lead service lines in low-income communities and communities of color suffering disproportionately from the impacts of lead-contaminated water, and begin to tackle the crisis of lead in school drinking water
- Make drinking water infrastructure across the country stronger and more resilient in the face of climate change-driven extreme weather, like the winter storms in Texas and other states that cut water service for millions
We need Congress to make these goals a reality. But our senators and representatives are unlikely to act without a lot more pressure from millions of people across the country who care deeply about clean water for all.
Thank you for your commitment to creating a healthy, livable future for everyone. I'm truly grateful.
Sincerely,
Erik D. Olson
Senior Advisor, NRDC Action Fund"
