This New Biden Rule Means Healthier Water for Black Communities

By Jennifer Porter Gore | Word In BlackOverview: Lead-contaminated drinking water is a long-known health hazard that can cause developmental problems in children and health issues in adults. But many households still get their drinking water from utilities that use lead pipes — especially in Black communities.(WIB) – A decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis made national headlines, the Biden administration finalized a landmark rule on Tuesday requiring water utilities nationwide to locate and replace all lead pipes in their infrastructure systems by 2034.Speaking at a public works field office in Milwaukee, President Joe Biden called the new rule an overdue environmental-justice win for underserved communities, which he said had “borne the brunt of lead poisoning for damn too long.”LEARN MORE: Ten years later, Flint is still fighting.The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements addresses what is widely known as a major public health threat that is particularly dangerous to infants and children. Lead exposure in public drinking water is a longstanding issue that has disproportionately affected the nation’s Black communities for decades.Black Neigborhoods PrioritizedAlong with the new rule, EPA announced $2.6 billion in newly available drinking water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These funds will support lead...