The American Jobs Plan And PFAS

Infrastructure needs to get done. The Biden administration has a plan, but we need to make sure every dollar offers a big return. When it comes to clean, safe drinking water, we can’t afford to get this wrong.

PFAS didn’t go away. The past year and a half may have seen a total focus on COVID-19, but the threat of chemical contamination in everyday products, including make-up, hasn’t gone away. Those issues, as well as the myriad other issues that have slipped under the radar for far too long, need to be addressed. Companies may fight back on changing regulations and new guidelines when legislation is introduced, but there are some elements that simply have no reasonable excuse to continue. Mainly, that’s offering Americans safe drinking water.

In the US, we’ve allowed contamination to put drinking water at risk for generations. There have been a number of high-profile cases that have captured the attention of the press, but we’re only scratching the surface of the PFAS issue when it comes to affected water supplies. From the Flint Water Crisis, which involved lead poisoning, to the lawsuit against 3M and DuPoint that lead to the first truly substantial victory for clean water advocates, we’ve seen battles won and lost, but the war has only just begun.

One of the most important elements of the new American Jobs Plan, introduced this spring by the Biden administration, is the inclusion of $111 billion to invest in upgrading the nation’s aging water infrastructure. It’s an opportunity to address the inequity that pervades water distribution in this country. Flint is a perfect case study of just how imperfect our system really is. There are numerous studies that highlight that show that issues with unsafe drinking water disproportionately affect low-income communities or communities with minority populations.

Outdated, inefficient systems also contribute to rising water rates around the country. Even small changes in affordability can have an impact on low-income families, who are quickly at risk for having their service shut off. That issue gained attention over the course of the pandemic, where sweeping job losses prompted the federal government to pass legislation to pause water shut-offs.

The American Jobs Plan would concentrate on equality, focusing at least 40% of investment in low-income communities, as well as putting real money behind cleaning up PFAS contamination for tens of millions of Americans. Details in the plan earmark $10 billion specifically for PFAS. The effort would also include substantial funds to completely eliminate lead-lined pipes, especially those connected with schools. Other noteworthy investments include an emphasis on Brownfield and Superfund contamination sites, as well as providing $56 billion in loans and grants for states to tackle upgrades.

We have a lot of work to do, and it’s going to take legislation like the American Jobs Plan to make a real impact on the quality of drinking water citizens can access every time they turn the tap. Safe drinking water is just one element in a package that addresses inequity on a large scale, though it appears passing the Plan in its entirety may be a longshot. The worry now is that issues like clean drinking water won’t make it through the negotiating process; these are the types of things that are often found in a large pile on the cutting room floor.