Senator Markey Joins Senate Democrats in Introducing "TRUE LEADership Act" to Remove Lead from Pipes and Invest More in America's Crumbling Water Infrastructure

Press Release

Senate Democrats, led by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), today introduced the Testing, Removal and Updated Evaluations of Lead Everywhere in America for Dramatic Enhancements that Restore Safety to Homes, Infrastructure and Pipes Act of 2016,or True LEADership Act, a comprehensive plan that recommits the federal government to a critical role in water infrastructure investment, lead remediation and the strong drinking water protections provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Incidents like the recent crisis in Flint, Michigan, underscore the dangers that can result when the safety of our drinking water and state of our water infrastructure is not made a priority. The True LEADership Act will have nationwide reach, addressing the scourge of lead-laden water and housing across the country. It also will improve our nation's water infrastructure, while creating thousands of new jobs. Senator Markey's legislation, the Contaminant and Lead Electronic Accounting and Reporting Requirements (CLEARR) for Drinking Water Act, would require the EPA to establish requirements for electronic reporting of water quality testing results. The CLEARR Act also focuses on disadvantaged communities by updating the requirements for repeat- or serious-offender water systems and creates a system so that residents can request in-home water quality tests from the EPA and receive the test results in an expedited manner.

"The color of your skin, the neighborhood you call home, and your net worth shouldn't determine your availability of clean and safe drinking water. The CLEARR Act helps ensure the EPA addresses drinking water concerns in disadvantaged communities by allowing the direct request of drinking water quality testing and by initiating partnerships with community and scientific organizations," said Senator Markey, top Democrat on the Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight Subcommittee. "I am proud to stand with my Democratic colleagues to introduce a comprehensive legislative package aimed at bringing our water infrastructure into the 21st century, giving justice to the people of Flint, and helping to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again."

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