Eight AGs Submitted Comments Urging EPA to Address Environmental Injustices in Exposure to Lead and Copper through Drinking Water

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of eight attorneys general in comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how to prioritize environmental justice in the agency’s regulation of lead and copper in drinking water. The letter explained that low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to face exposure to lead and copper, since they are more likely to live in older housing with outdated pipes and paint, live near emission sources, and face other economic, social, and medical disparities. The AGs urged EPA to revise its regulations to ensure 100% replacement of lead service lines, prioritize replacement of lines that contaminate water of higher-risk communities, and collaborate with local water jurisdictions so that funding for replacement is “effectively and equitably deployed.” The AGs also recommend that EPA conduct outreach to “counteract barriers environmental justice communities face in obtaining lead service line replacement” such as language barriers.