The Trump administration is offering tips for water utilities to identify and manage lead pipes that critics say could prolong the use of the toxic material.
EPA released guidance last month outlining requirements and “flexibilities” for complying with the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, one of the few Biden-era environmental policies upheld by the Trump administration. The guidance is intended to help utilities meet applicable requirements, said EPA spokesperson Jake Murphy.
But environmental advocates and some former EPA officials said the suggestions could undermine the rule’s main goal: to remove and replace all pipes made of lead, a potent neurotoxin for which there is no safe exposure level.
“They provide language that essentially gives water utilities ways to justify not replacing lead service lines,” said Yanna Lambrinidou, co-executive director of the Campaign for Lead Free Water, a network of community groups and individuals affected by lead contamination.
