Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, today hailed the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to accelerate removal of lead pipes and lead paint nationwide by 2031, including swift distribution of $3 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to help states replace lead service lines.

“Lead pipes were banned nationwide in 1986, yet nearly 40 years later millions of Americans are still ingesting this harmful neurotoxin in their tap water. The Biden-Harris Administration’s interagency lead removal plan will be transformative for American communities – and comes not a moment too soon,” said Chair Pingree. “We know there is no safe level of lead consumption, especially for children, and low-income areas continue to be disproportionately exposed to lead-based paint and pipes. That’s why I voted for this clean-up funding in both the American Rescue Plan and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, I have also prioritized funding in the FY2022 omnibus package to provide technical assistance to states and tribes as they work to clean-up this well-documented environmental hazard. Now it’s time for Republicans to come to the table so we can pass a full spending bill and make investments to ensure everyone can trust their water is safe to drink.”

The Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan takes a bold step forward to ensure America’s drinking water and homes are safe with more than 15 new actions, including: 

• Collaborating with local, state, and federal partners to accelerate the replacement of lead pipes over the next decade;  
• EPA allocating $3 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to states, Tribes, and Territories for lead service line replacement in 2022, and calling on states to prioritize underserved communities;
• EPA launching a new regulatory process to protect communities from lead in drinking water;  
• Treasury clarifying that the $350 billion State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund provided in the American Rescue Plan can be used for lead service line and lead faucet and fixture replacements;
• EPA and DOL establishing regional technical assistance hubs to fast track lead service line removal projects in partnership with labor unions and local water agencies;  
• HUD awarding grants to remove lead paint and other home health hazards in low-income communities to protect children and families;  
• CDC closing gaps in childhood lead testing through the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program;  
• HUD, USDA, and DOI committing to remove lead service lines and paint hazards in federally-assisted housing, including Tribal housing; and  
• Establishing a new Cabinet Level Partnership for Lead Remediation in Schools and Child Care Centers.

This funding builds on $350 billion provided in the American Rescue Plan that states, localities, and Tribes are able to utilize for lead pipes and the replacement of faucets and fixtures inside schools and child care facilities.

Read more about this announcement here.

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