Tell the EPA: Protect Our Health by Removing Toxic Lead Pipes from our
Water Systems!

Millions of people continue to get their drinking water through corroding,
lead pipes — putting their health at extreme risk.

We have a chance to finally end this water crisis and secure safe and
affordable drinking water for all, but the EPA MUST act:

[ [link removed] ]Submit a public comment before the June 30 deadline urging the EPA to
strengthen drinking water protections and remove all lead pipes from our
water systems!
[ [link removed] ]SUBMIT MY COMMENT

 

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[ [link removed]{{user.id}}&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=email&t=1007&tkd=6503928&akid=14055%2E6503928%2EsYPAE2 ]DONATE
[ NRDC ]NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)

Dear NRDC Activist,

There is no safe level of lead exposure — period. But tens of millions of
people across the country continue to have their drinking water delivered
through corroding, often century-old lead pipes, allowing this potent
neurotoxin to make its way into their bodies and cause irreversible harm —
especially in children.

While these lead pipes are found in all 50 states in communities large and
small, rich and poor, decades of disinvestment and denial — particularly
in low-income communities and communities of color — have resulted in
failing water infrastructure across the country.

The Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) is a federal protection meant to keep lead
out of drinking water. The rule was already woefully outdated and
inadequate — yet in its final weeks, the Trump administration weakened the
rule and refused to require the removal of the 6-10 million lead service
lines that remain in use across the country, leaving millions of people's
health at risk.

NRDC raced to court to stop Trump's rule from going into effect, and we
will continue to fight as hard as possible to ensure safe drinking water
for all communities. But there's more work to be done.

Thankfully, President Biden's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
paused Trump's weak LCR. And now the EPA is asking for public input on
whether to establish a new, stronger Lead and Copper Rule, and is
particularly asking to hear from communities most at risk. NRDC is
rallying to generate 100,000 comments by the June 30 deadline. Will you
help?

[ [link removed] ]Please submit your public comment
urging President Biden's EPA to dramatically strengthen the Lead and
Copper Rule by requiring the removal of ALL lead pipes across the country.

Submitting an official written public comment to the EPA is an excellent
first step to remedy our nation's drinking water crisis. But there's one
more way you can act:

The EPA is holding a series of "Virtual Public Listening Sessions" on
April 28 and May 5 that will give you a chance to talk to the agency
directly and share your story on why you want the EPA to get the lead out
of our drinking water.

After you submit a public comment, we'll send you an email with a link to
sign up for an upcoming listening session, as well as a speaking guide so
you can be confident in your call for safe drinking water for all.

Drinking water from lead pipes is like drinking from a lead straw. Even
low lead levels pose significant health risks, particularly to children
and fetuses, damaging the brain and nervous system, and causing learning
disabilities, impaired hearing, and more. And in light of the COVID-19
pandemic, it's more important than ever that people have safe water to
drink so they can live healthier lives.

Clean water is essential to life and good health, but for tens of millions
of people across the country, drinking water served by systems that
violate health standards has been part of their daily lives. And lack of
access to safe and affordable drinking water hits poor people and
disadvantaged communities the hardest — an unjust attack on the well-being
of people based on their income and zip code.

It doesn't
have to be this way. We can put an end to this public health disaster and
help remedy the nation's water woes, but there's no time to waste:

[ [link removed] ]Submit a public comment before the June 30 deadline. We need the EPA to
bolster the Lead and Copper Rule by requiring the removal of lead pipes
contaminating our drinking water.

If you have a story to share about lead contaminated drinking water,
please include that in your letter to the EPA. Personalizing your letter
will make it more effective.

With
President Biden in the White House, we now have a historic new opportunity
to change course and guarantee safe drinking water for everyone.

The Biden administration's American Jobs Plan to rebuild our country's
infrastructure would inject more than $100 billion into improving overall
water infrastructure, helping to put an end to the crisis of
lead-contaminated water. Biden's plan would:

* Remove all 6-10 million lead pipes delivering drinking water to homes
in all 50 states at no cost to the homeowner
* Get people back to work and create new good-paying jobs in the lead
pipe removal industry
* Expedite the removal of these pipes in communities suffering
disproportionately from lead-contaminated water
* Make drinking water infrastructure across the country stronger and
more resilient in the face of climate change-driven extreme weather,
like the cold snap in Texas and other states that cut water service
for millions

Put simply, Biden's plan will deliver real benefits to people in every
corner of the country through clean water and good jobs, correct an
injustice flowing through the taps in millions of homes, and give us all a
reason to be hopeful that better days are ahead.

But this future can only happen if we take action right now. [ [link removed] ]Don't wait
— help us get to 100,000 public comments urging the EPA to take bold steps
to strengthen the Lead and Copper Rule and help deliver safe and
affordable drinking water to all.

[ [link removed] ]And when you're done, please sign up to participate in the EPA's
upcoming Virtual Listening Sessions.

Thank you for taking this important action. I have no doubt that when it
comes to removing lead from our drinking water, people are going to make
the difference.

Sincerely,

[1]Erik
Erik D. Olson
Senior Strategic Director, Health & Food, NRDC


EPA Docket Number: EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0255-0001

Photo of faucet: Steve Johnson via Flickr

The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to
safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural
systems on which all life depends.

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