Biden’s Clean Drinking Water Plan Is Being Rebranded as MAHA
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- “The Trump EPA is committed to Make America Healthy Again by ensuring clean air, land, and water—and by taking on PFAS,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a statement.
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A section of lead pipe that supplied drinking water to a home in Troy, N.Y. is removed on May 20, 2024. Credit: Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images Related Replacing Toxic Lead Pipes Could Drive Job Creation in Illinois, Report Finds Lawmakers Press EPA for $3B in Stalled Lead Pipe Replacement Funds Chicago Has a Huge Lead Pipe Problem—and We Mapped It Share This Article Most Popular An Iowa Town Spent $800,000 on a New Well. It Pumps Undrinkable Water. Colorado River Faces ‘Devastating Consequences’ If Another Dry Winter Lands, Experts Warn EPA Rollbacks Could Raise AC, Refrigeration Costs Despite Promise of Lower Prices This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist s weekly newsletter here.
The Trump administration is promoting multibillion-dollar funding packages to help states and disadvantaged communities secure clean drinking water as part of its promise to “Make America Healthy Again.” There’s just one catch: The federal dollars were previously promised under a climate and infrastructure law passed by Congress during the Biden administration.
Last month, the EPA announced a $1 billion commitment to address drinking water contaminated by PFAS, a class of synthetic compounds commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.” Two days later, it announced $2.9 billion to help track down and replace lead pipes, which can leach lead—a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreversible cognitive, cardiovascular and reproductive harm—into drinking water.