Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has aligned with a multistate coalition to serve as amici curiae in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). This regulation, which took effect on December 30, supersedes the Trump Administration's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) by enhancing standards for drinking water safety. The American Water Works Association is challenging the LCRI.
Attorney General Kaul stated, “Reducing lead in our drinking water shouldn’t be controversial. This common-sense rule that helps protect people’s health should remain in place.”
The original Lead and Copper Rule, established in 1991, aims to reduce harmful exposure to lead and copper in drinking water. The EPA maintains that no level of lead in drinking water is safe due to its toxic effects on human health. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, which can result in severe health issues such as learning disabilities and developmental delays.
Lead typically enters drinking water through corroded pipes and fixtures containing lead or brass. Low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected due to older infrastructure often served by lead pipes.
The updated LCRI introduces key revisions to further minimize lead exposure, including a mandate for nationwide replacement of lead pipes within a decade and lowering the action level for lead from 15 to 10 parts per billion. These measures contrast with the previous administration's LCRR provisions that reduced public health protections by slowing down the rate of lead pipe replacements.
Joining Attorney General Kaul are attorneys general from California, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia.