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 due to an abortion measure on the state’s ballot this November.

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.”

  • snooggums@midwest.social
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    6 months ago

    You just described using funds to do two things at the same time, which is efficient use of funds.

    • DahGangalang
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      6 months ago

      Yeah, but every dollar spent on repaving roads is a dollar that can’t be spent on lead pipes.

      I suppose the example I’ve provided is flawed in a sense though. Probably a better example would be that an intersection gets torn up to replace pipes, but the local town council insists on using his brother’s asphalt company. “They might cost twice as much for the repavong, but I promise, it’ll be higher quality” kinda junk.

      • snooggums@midwest.social
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        6 months ago

        Yes, your second example would be corruption because it is being used to intentionally benefit a specific purpose instead of the public.