EPA released a status report April 1 outlining the progress that has been made on EPA’s Action Plan, Federal Lead Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts, that was released December 19, 2018. The plan was developed through cross-governmental collaboration of the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children, which includes 17 federal departments and offices and is co-chaired by EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Action Plan outlines four goals:
- Reduce children’s exposure to lead sources;
- Identify lead-exposed children and improve their health outcomes;
- Communicate more effectively with stakeholders; and
- Support and conduct critical research to inform efforts to reduce lead exposures and related health risks.
The majority of the updates for reducing lead in drinking water are continuations of work that was already ongoing when the plan was released in December, for instance the agency’s work on revising the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). However, the report does outline a few new accomplishments that have occurred this year.
- EPA hosted the first in a series of webinars on lead service line replacement in March 2019. The series showcases best practices for states and utilities implementing a voluntary lead service line replacement program.
- EPA sent out letters to state governors announcing the Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care Programs Drinking Water grant authorized by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN). At the beginning of 2019, EPA received letters from all 50 states and the District of Columbia confirming their commitment to reducing lead in drinking water in schools. The letters also confirmed their desire to receive grant funding. According to both the report and EPA’s website, EPA expects to notify states and the District of Columbia of funding allotments for the grant in March 2019. States will then have until July 21, 2019 to submit their application package.
- EPA is conducting the tribal consultation on the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Grant authorized by the WIIN Act through the end of March 2019.
The status report also updates timelines to some of EPA’s rulemakings. The proposal for the revised LCR is now slated to be released this summer. The proposal was originally scheduled to be released in February of this year. The finalized rule for Regulations Implementing Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act: Prohibition on Use of Lead Pipes, Solder, and Flux has also been delayed and is now due to be published winter 2019-2020.