Article Summary –
During her visit to Pittsburgh, Vice President Kamala Harris announced more than $5.8 billion funding for the upgrading and repair of water infrastructure across the US. The main source of this investment, allocated for the removal of all lead pipes in the country, is the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Pennsylvania alone will receive over $200 million from the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, as part of the $50 billion earmarked for water projects, the largest investment in water infrastructure in US history.
Vice President Kamala Harris Announces Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects
Vice President Kamala Harris announced in her statement during a recent Pittsburgh visit that the Biden administration plans to fund projects for repairing and upgrading water infrastructure in Pennsylvania and nationwide.
More than $5.8 billion will be invested from the Investing in America agenda for this initiative. The main goal is to ensure safe, reliable drinking water for all Americans by removing every lead pipe in the country.
A significant part of these new investments will be made through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
The EPA estimates that over $200 million will be allotted to Pennsylvania from the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. This fund provides low-interest loans for water infrastructure projects in individual states.
With funding being sent to all 50 states, tribal communities, and U.S. territories, EPA Administrator Michael Regan expressed that this $50 billion investment in water projects is “the largest in our nation’s history.”
In Pennsylvania, previously announced awards have already funded several projects. For instance, the Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority used a received grant to replace around 1,000 lead water service lines in 2023.
Water passing through such pipes can introduce lead into the water supply, causing severe health problems, including brain damage and learning disabilities in children. Adults can also face consequences like nerve disorders and high blood pressure.
Black communities are disproportionately affected by lead exposure due to long-term systemic effects of racially biased urban planning. The Biden administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan, announced in 2021, is aimed at replacing all lead pipes in the next decade.
Democratic Rep. Summer Lee welcomed this new round of funding, especially in light of recent elevated lead level disclosures in Pennsylvania schools. Many schools in western Pennsylvania tested positive for lead in 2022.
Lee asserted that this funding will result in fewer sick children and a safer environment for families.
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