Indiana mayors support Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan

Indiana Mayors from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative announced their support for the Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan, announced last Friday at the AFL-CIO Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan includes more than 15 new actions, including:

• Collaborating with local, state, and federal partners to accelerate the replacement of lead pipes over the next decade;
• Allocating $3 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding 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 Department of Labor 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.

“The Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan represents an historic effort to deploy catalytic resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law while leveraging every tool across federal, state, and local government to deliver clean drinking water, replacing lead pipes and remediating lead paint,” said Gary Mayor Jerome Prince.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris made replacing lead pipes a centerpiece of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – to deliver clean drinking water to families and children across America, and have delivered on their promise,” said Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott.

About The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a binational coalition of U.S. and Canadian mayors from more than 200 cities and municipalities working to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The Cities Initiative and local officials integrate environmental, economic and social agendas to sustain a resource that represents approximately 80% of North America’s surface freshwater supply, provides drinking water for 40 million people, and is the foundation upon which a strong regional economy is based.