Milwaukee, Wisconsin – President Biden on Tuesday announced $2.6 billion in funding to replace all lead pipes in the United States as part of a new EPA rule that will require lead pipes to be identified and replaced within 10 years using the new funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
The EPA estimates that nine million homes in the U.S. still have lead pipes. The city of Milwaukee, where Mr. Biden is making the announcement, has 65,000 lead pipes, which the city says will cost an estimated $700 million to remove.
“We’re here today because we’re finally addressing an issue that should have been addressed a long time ago in this country — the danger that lead pipes pose to our drinking water,” Mr. Biden said. “For too long, local communities have known how important it was to deal with this problem. It hadn’t been given the national priority that it demanded though. I’m here today to tell you that I’m finally insisting that it gets prioritized and I’m insisting it get done.”
The president said this effort is about “fairness,” and nearly half of the funding will go to disadvantaged communities “that have borne the brunt of lead pipe poisoning for damn too long.”
“Studies show … communities of color have been the hardest hit,” Mr. Biden said. “One study showed Black children were at least two times more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood than children of other racial groups. We have an obligation to make things right.”
EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters on Monday that the “science has been clear for decades — there is no safe level of lead in drinking water.”
The final rule will require better lead testing requirements and mandating a complete inventory of lead water pipes. The $2.6 billion is the latest disbursement by the Biden administration for lead pipes in the $50 billion from the 2021 infrastructure law for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
Legal challenges could arise but a senior administration official believes the ruling is within the EPA’s “statutory authority” and on solid legal footing.
Mr. Biden’s visit comes amid a flurry of stops to the swing state of Wisconsin by both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Mr. Biden’s last visit was nearly a month ago to Westly, Wisconsin for an announcement on providing electricity to rural America.
The political focus on Wisconsin by Mr. Biden reflects the hopes that Democrats can hold on to the state that they flipped in 2020 by a slim margin after losing it in 2016.
Wisconsin is one of six states where lead levels in the blood of children are more than double the national rate, according to a 2021 study published in JAMA pediatrics.
Even low lead levels can cause small amounts of intellectual impairment depending on the child, according to Dr. Adam Blumenberg, emergency medicine physician and toxicology expert at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
“If there’s any amount of concerning lead in the child, you really want to figure out where it’s coming from and remove the source of exposure. That’s always going to be one of the most important things to do,” says Blumenberg.
Deanna Branch, a mother and lead-poisoning awareness activist from Milwaukee, told CBS News that she is finally seeing the money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act being used to remove lead pipes in her community.
Branch’s son Aidan suffered from lead poisoning while they were living in a home with lead in the paint, windows, pipes and soil. Her son’s lead levels were so high they had to move out of the home and into a homeless shelter for almost three months while they searched for safe housing. Branch said the experience was terrifying for her son and left him with health issues he will have to face for the rest of his life.
The Branch’s live in a lead paint free home now, but they still have lead pipes.
“When I first started advocating there was a 50 year plan that went down to a 40 year plan, now there is a nine year plan to remove all the lead pipes in Milwaukee, Branch tells CBS News. “I should be alive to see the lead pipes being removed out of Milwaukee and that gives me hope for other places as well.”
There is still more the Milwaukee community needs to live in a lead-free safe environment: more housing and more clinics.
Branch says there is not enough safe housing available in the community. Her old home where her son was lead poisoned was still being rented out as recently as a few years ago according to Branch. As for the Next Door Pediatrics Clinic where her son was first tested for lead positioning, it has since shut down, creating a healthcare gap in the community. Branch credits the work of the clinic for her youngest daughter being lead free.
There is a sense of shame for parents whose children suffered from lead poisoning, but Branch wants to remove the shame from the equation of asking for help.
“I want them to know it’s not on you,” says Branch. “We’re not receiving justice, And it’s a human right to have clean drinking water.”