Vice President Kamala Harris visits Pittsburgh, announces billions in funding for clean water

PITTSBURGH — Vice President Kamala Harris was joined by the Administrator of the U.S. EPA, Michael Regan, to announce a multi-billion-dollar investment in clean water. The vice president spoke to a crowd of roughly 200 people at the Kingsley Association, a local community center, in Larimer.

“Every person in America has a right to clean water,” Harris told the crowd.

But, the reality is more than 9 million homes, daycares and businesses get their water through lead pipes. Pittsburgh is no exception.

“Lead is a poison,” Harris added. “It stunts growth, it causes damage to the brain, it affects a child’s ability to learn.”

The Biden-Harris administration announced a $5.8 billion investment to replace all lead pipes throughout the U.S. $200 million of that money will come directly to the state of Pennsylvania.

“We have made investments that have resulted in this city replacing more than 3,000 lead pipes to the benefit of more than 10,000 people,” Harris added.

The vice president also made a stop along Lakewood Street in Elliott, where construction is underway to replace lead water lines in the residential neighborhood. The vice president says Pittsburgh is on track to have every lead water line replaced in the next 24 months. She told neighbors in Elliott they deserve to be heard and for action to be taken.

The Administrator of the EPA, Michael Regan, praised President Biden and Congress for passing the bill that’s funding these investments and creating local jobs.

“The bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivered the single largest investment in water infrastructure in U.S. history,” Administrator Regan said during his speech.

“These investments will create jobs, good paying union jobs,” the vice president added. “Jobs for plumbers and pipe fitters and laborers.”

While some local politicians including Mayor Ed Gainey and County Executive, Sara Innamorato publicly praised the Pennsylvania Water and Sewer Authority during their speeches leading up to the vice president taking the stage, PWSA only started replacing lead lines in 2016, after the EPA detected lead levels exceeding limits and after the DEP fined the company $2 million in 2017.

In 2019, the State Attorney General’s office filed criminal charges against PWSA for multiple violations of the PA Safe Drinking Water Act.

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