October 08, 2024

Duckworth, Durbin Applaud Finalization of New Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, Announcement of Over $75 Million in New Funding to Help Remove Lead Pipes in Illinois

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—co-founder of the U.S. Senate Lead Task Force and the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus—and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today lauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to finalize the Biden Administration’s proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), which would lower the lead action level to better protect human health and require water systems to replace old and deteriorating lead pipes within a decade. In addition to the LCRI, EPA also announced that Illinois will receive $75,558,000 in newly available drinking water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to support lead-related activities, including lead pipe replacement projects. The finalized rule comes ahead of the October 16th finalization deadline to not only help ensure these important improvements are implemented as quickly as possible, but also prevent water systems from being forced to temporarily comply with the prior rule proposed by the Trump Administration—also known as the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR)—which would put public health at risk.

“Every American, no matter their zip-code, deserves access to safe drinking water,” said Senator Duckworth. “We’ve been working hard in Congress to achieve our goal of removing every lead pipe in America over the next decade, and this historic rule from the Biden Administration and $75 million in new funding for Illinois to replace lead pipes will help us make it a reality while preventing Trump-era policies that would harm human health from going into effect. This is a win-win for all Americans.”

“The newly finalized Lead and Copper Rule Improvements is nothing short of historic.  For decades, we have understood the severe risks of lead exposure, which have disproportionally harmed low-income families and communities of color.  Today, EPA has made a commitment to Americans to replace all lead pipes over the next ten years because everyone deserves to have safe, clean drinking water,” said Durbin.  “We have a monumental task ahead of us in replacing lead service pipes in Illinois, particularly in Chicago, but I’m encouraged by this significant step by the Biden-Harris Administration to support states in lead pipe remediation and look forward to supporting this plan in Congress.”

The finalized rule also improves communication within communities so that families are better informed about the risk of lead in drinking water, the location of lead pipes and plans for replacing them. Illinois has reported more than 667,000 lead service lines (LSLs) and another almost 820,000 service lines of unknown material, which the newly announced funding will help remove. Exposure to lead is harmful to health, especially for young children. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and impaired formation and function of blood cells. 

Duckworth has led the charge in the U.S. Senate to remove lead drinking water pipes across the country. Her Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA), which was included in the BIL, is the most significant federal investment in water infrastructure in history, including $15 billion for national lead pipe replacement. DWWIA, which focuses on disadvantaged communities, is helping rebuild our nation’s crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure and enable communities to repair and modernize their failing wastewater systems.

Last month, Duckworth called on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to expedite its review of LCRI. In May, Duckworth announced over $240 million in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund investment to help Illinois identify and replace lead service lines and prevent lead poisoning among our state’s children and families—funding that comes directly from Duckworth’s DWWIA—and in August she and Durbin announced more than $1 million to address lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities in Illinois.

Following the 2016 report of lead in Chicago’s drinking water, Durbin and then-Rep. Duckworth urged EPA to use its full authority and resources to address the issue, including reviewing the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) and immediate notification of lead contamination. In March 2021, Durbin and Duckworth sent a letter to EPA urging it to update the LCR.

Duckworth, Durbin and Sen. Booker, members of the Senate Lead Taskforce, led 87 of their colleagues supporting EPA’s proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) and urging for more community protections and expedited removal of all lead pipes. Last March, Durbin and Duckworth sent letters to five Medicaid managed care companies (MCOs) in Illinois, urging them to address lead poisoning risks to children in Chicago by preemptively sending drinking water test kits, water filters, home visitors, and educational materials to all enrolled children in the city.

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