When I turn on my tap in the morning, I wonder if the water is contaminated. You see, 11 percent of Michigan water service lines are made of lead. While there is no safe level of lead exposure, state and federal rules have allowed water providers like mine to use ineffective tools to manage lead instead of eliminating it completely.

Fortunately, the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed an update to the national Lead and Copper Rule to address this crisis. The rule will require almost all water systems to eventually eliminate lead pipes, but will allow several cities and towns to delay the rule's implementation for more than a decade. This is unacceptable.

you, between now and February 5, we have to gather as many public comments as possible to show that clean water is a top priority for our health and safety. Will you comment and share today?

As the Director of the Michigan Sierra Club, and a life-long Michigander, I've seen firsthand the devastating impacts of lead exposure to my loved ones, and the anguish of parents and community leaders who have been unable to prevent the catastrophic impacts of lead to our communities.

Lead in water is especially harmful to young children, and the impacts of childhood lead exposure last a lifetime. We know that Black and Brown children have the highest rates of lead poisoning due to a discriminatory history of "funding shortages" to replace aging infrastructure and institutional neglect.¹

Tell the EPA to finalize strong regulations to give everyone access to safe drinking water.

When a government agency like the EPA is considering a regulation change, they propose a rule to gather public feedback -- from all of us -- before finalizing those changes. When enough people speak up, we can pressure the federal government to pass stronger rules to protect our health and future.

The vast majority of Americans, 83 percent, support protecting clean water by eliminating lead pipes. But often, as few as 2 percent of people who care about these issues take action.^1,2 Imagine if everyone who cares about protecting our water spoke up right now!

My community, Detroit, and communities across the country, could have access to clean drinking water if more people advocated on this issue. Your comment matters!

We've already allowed this problem to go on for far too long. In the 1920s, many other countries took action to protect children from the dangers of lead. But in the United States, massive industry lobbies fought back and pushed to delay these actions to protect their own profits.

Sierra Club is fighting this issue across multiple fronts, including state advocacy and joining a national lawsuit against the EPA for their inaction. But we need your help. Each personalized comment, each email forwarded, and each time you share this on social media can help build the groundswell of public pressure to protect our health.

Please act and share before February 5!

Thank you for everything you do to fight for a more safe and healthy future.

Elayne Coleman
Chapter Director
Sierra Club Michigan

Sources:

Crumbling pipes, tainted water plague black communities, The Center for Public Integrity
American Voters Agree on Increased Investment to Eliminate Lead Pipes, the Sierra Club
Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023, Yale Program on Climate Communication

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