What could be more important than the water we drink? Just like he has worked to protect other aspects of our lives, Biden has moved to make sure our drinking water is safe.
For example, public concern has been growing about deadly “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. Turns out they’ve been building up in our water — and our bodies — for decades.
Well, not any more — not on Joe Biden’s watch.
Biden-Harris Administration Proposes First-Ever National Standards to Combat PFAS in Drinking Water
Yesterday the Biden-Harris Administration announced new action to protect communities from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution. The first-ever national standard to address PFAS contamination in drinking water delivers on President Biden’s commitment to protecting public health and advancing environmental justice.
And it builds on two years of action to ensure every community has access to clean drinking water, free of chemicals and pollutants that harm the health and wellbeing of children, families, and communities.
EPA anticipates that the first-ever PFAS drinking water standard would prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses.
And who has forgotten the horror in Flint, Michigan, where people discovered their kids were being poisoned by the water coming out of their homes’ lead pipes? And then waiting and waiting for something to be done about it?
Something’s getting done about it! As CNN reported in May:
Biden unveils $3 billion annually for nationwide lead pipe replacement
President Joe Biden announced Thursday $3 billion toward identifying and replacing the nation’s unsafe lead pipes, a long-sought move to improve public health and clean drinking water that will be paid for by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Biden unveiled the new funding in North Carolina, a battleground state Democrats have lost to Donald Trump in the past two presidential elections but are feeling more bullish toward.
“These lead lines are tough, durable, and they don’t rust,” Biden said while delivering remarks in Wilmington. “But we’ve long since learned they leach poisonous toxins into our water.”
“The science is clear,” the president added. “Lead service lines pose severe health risks, damaging brains and kidneys. In children especially, they stunt growth, slow learning, and cause lasting brain damage. But we know we can stop it. We know how to do it.”
The Environmental Protection Agency will invest $3 billion in the lead pipe effort annually through 2026, Administrator Michael Regan told reporters. He said that nearly 50% of the funding will go to disadvantaged communities — and a fact sheet from the Biden administration noted that “lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families.”
Continued, severe drought — linked to climate change — means that many parts of the West have special water needs. Biden and his team have stepped up.
Here’s the news from the end of May:
Biden-Harris Administration Delivers $242 Million from the Investing in America Agenda to Ensure Clean, Reliable Drinking Water for Western Communities
The Department of the Interior today announced a $242 million investment as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda that will bring clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the West through five water storage and conveyance projects.
The projects in California, Colorado and Washington are expected to add at least 1.6 million acre-feet of additional water storage capacity, enough water to support 6.4 million people for a year. The funding will also invest in a feasibility study in Arizona that is designed to advance water storage capacity once completed.
“In the wake of severe drought across the West, the Interior Department is putting funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to work to provide clean, reliable drinking water to families, farmers and Tribes throughout the West,” said Secretary Deb Haaland.
“As drought conditions continue to grip the West, the need for these projects is increasingly evident,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “These investments will advance projects that bring reliable drinking and agricultural water to residents in need, provide ecosystem benefits, and increase overall water storage.”
Is there still more work to be done? 100%! Lots more work. But Biden has done so much more than many people guessed could be done. He deserves a lot of credit. AND he deserves to be re-elected.
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These posts are written by Goodnewsroundup (Goodie),
edited by Matilda Briggs, supported by 2thanks and WolverineForTJatAW,
and reinforced by several other notable Kossacks!
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