Joining California’s Kamala Harris as Democratic presidential primary candidates vowing to spend billions of dollars on the nation’s water infrastructure, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) on September 12 introduced legislation that he said would spend “enough to eliminate every lead pipe in the country.” The bill would also offer federal funding to remove lead paint.
As introduced, the Grants for Eliminating the Toxic Hazard of Environmental Lead in Our Towns (GET THE LEAD OUT) Act (H.R. 4321) would not only offer federal dollars to pay for the replacement of lead service lines, but the legislation would also fund the removal of lead fittings, taps, fixtures, solder, and flux in certain low-income households. A new ten-year, $95 billion program would offer grants to state and local governments to help low-income households address lead pipes and plumbing, as well as lead paint hazards. The legislation also includes an open-ended authorization for EPA to spend such sums as necessary on existing lead hazard reduction programs.
For households that are not low income, the bill would require EPA to establish a task force to “make recommendations on expanding resources and efforts to evaluate and reduce lead-based pipe hazards in private housing.” Additionally, the bill would require a home’s owner to disclose the presence of any known lead pipe or plumbing prior to the home’s sale or lease.
Rep. Ryan’s legislation is the latest effort by Democratic lawmakers to propose an infusion of spending on the nation’s water infrastructure, though legislation with such a high price tag is unlikely to gain traction on Capitol Hill in the near term. The bill also provides Rep. Ryan with a water infrastructure-focused talking point as he continues his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination.