Pruitt to Convene Cabinet Level Meeting on Lead

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has sent a letter to the heads of a number of federal agencies inviting them to a meeting at EPA Headquarters to discuss how to address lead contamination in the country and prevent lead exposure in children and associated health effects.  This meeting of the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children will take place on February 15.  The Presidents Rask Force was originally created in 1997 by President Clinton.   In 2016 the Task Force published a report on Key Federal Programs to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Eliminate Associated Health Impacts.  This report will be used as the basis for next steps in developing the Draft Federal Strategy to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Eliminate Associated Health Impacts.  Although the work by the Task Force will address all areas fo lead contamination, Pruitt’s invitation letter specifically mentions lead pipes as an important exposure route.  In related news, the trade press has reported that Timothy Epp, an assistant general counsel in EPA’s Office of General Counsel will coordinate these interagency actions on lead.

Administrator Pruitt has made lead issues a priority for EPA, often called his “War on Lead”.  Another part of the lead focus is the LCR – Long Term Revisions Rule, under development now in the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.  It has also been speculated in the media that addressing lead pipes will be a component of the Administrations infrastructure initiative.  For more information on all EPA’s lead activities see their lead home page.