Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. wrote a letter to President Joe Biden yesterday to make the testing and removal of lead in school drinking water a primary concern in his administration. The issue has been one of Rep. Payne, Jr.’s top priorities in Congress, especially after unsafe levels were found in the drinking water of some residents in Newark, N.J. The city is the Congressman’s hometown and part of his 10th Congressional District.
“We need to start testing the water in schools across the country now to find lead before it becomes a problem,” said Rep. Payne, Jr. “America’s oldest cities and communities are at risk of excess lead levels in water from old, lead-contaminated pipes. We need to remove this lead before it gets into the drinking water used in schools.”
Rep. Payne, Jr. has taken several actions to replace water systems in New Jersey and across the country. Most recently, he voted for the Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2), which would provide $22.5 billion for nationwide efforts to replace lead pipes in city water distribution systems. It is focused specifically on the water pipes in low-income, minority communities, such as the ones in Newark. In addition, Rep. Payne, Jr. introduced the Test for Lead Act (H.R. 4879) to establish stronger tests for lead in school drinking water and require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to notify parents when lead is found in school drinking water. The letter was co-signed by three members of Congress.
The full letter is below.
February 4, 2021
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden:
We write to urge your administration to prioritize lead testing and abatement in public schools’ water systems. America’s oldest cities and communities continue to suffer from excess lead levels, placing children at risk from lead-contaminated pipes in schools.
In drinking water, even low lead levels can accumulate over years, causing significant harm. Children’s brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead, and even low levels of lead in children’s bloodstream can result in behavior and learning disabilities, lower IQ, and other developmental problems. Fundamentally, there is no such thing as a “safe” level of lead exposure, which is why any lead contamination in drinking water needs to be treated with the utmost seriousness. While the correlation between high lead levels and negative health outcomes is clear, any prolonged exposure to lead can cause irreversible harm to children.
The Transparent Environment in School Testing for Lead Act or TEST for Lead Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016, would require states to implement a lead-testing program in public schools. The program includes testing water from faucets used for food preparation, sinks in bathrooms, and drinking water coolers. Testing must be conducted at least twice a year at schools built prior to 1996 and at least annually at schools built in 1996 or later. The bill would also require local educational agencies to notify parents, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the state in which they are located within 48 hours if a level of lead exceeds the EPA's lead action level.
We encourage you to prioritize funding for lead removal and mitigation in your administration. We know the problems that lead exposure causes, but we also know how to fix this problem. A dedicated source of funds for testing and immediate remediation, coupled with an administration that will hold polluters accountable, has the potential to improve millions of lives by preventing the harm of lead exposure.
Thank you for your attention, and we stand ready to work with you and your administration to remove lead and other toxic contaminants from our drinking water.
Sincerely,
Donald M. Payne, Jr. Gwen Moore Albio Sires
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Original source can be found here.
