Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Funding to Combat Lead Exposure

Today in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has made $500 million available for local and state governments to protect Americans from lead-based paint and other home health hazards. The announcement is part of the Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan released this past December that lays out a comprehensive approach to getting the lead out of homes and drinking water, including a commitment to remove all lead pipes within 10 years.

Lead exposure is a danger to families all across America, with lead pipes in use in all 50 states. Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead because lead affects children at lower levels than adults – a negligible dose of lead for an adult could be a dangerous one for a child. Furthermore, schools across the nation have lead-contaminated drinking water due to lead-containing pipes, plumbing, or fixtures.

Last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law provided a major jumpstart to the administration’s efforts to remove lead pipes by allocating $15 billion to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund specifically reserved for lead pipe removal. The law also sets forth an additional $200 million to address lead in our schools’ drinking water.

Sean Hoffmann

Former Federal Legislative Advocate, Environment America

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