Media Center

Federal Judge Finds Flint Violated Settlement, Orders City to Finish Lead Pipe Replacements and Restore Residents’ Damaged Property

February 27, 2023 Press ReleaseFlint

A federal court has found that the City of Flint missed a court-ordered deadline to finish removing Flint’s lead pipes and failed to track where it fixed damage to residents’ properties. As a result of the late Friday ruling, the…

Whitmer Budget Address Focuses on Key Water Issues

February 8, 2023 Press ReleaseMichigan

Governor Whitmer outlined her budget proposal for the State of Michigan today. Her address outlined a number of important water-related investments.

EPA Offers Remedy for Inequitable System That Has Left Low-Income Residents Nationwide with Polluted Water and Unaffordable Water Bills

February 1, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released new guidelines on how to protect low-income communities from sewage pollution without making utility bills unaffordable for low-income residents.

NRDC Argues EPA Failure to Regulate Perchlorate is Unlawful

January 27, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

In arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, today lawyers for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) told a three-judge panel that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision against regulating the toxic chemical perchlorate…

EPA Will No Longer Defend Weak Trump Administration Drinking Water Rule in Court, Expected to Strengthen Lead in Tap Water Health Protections

December 9, 2022 Press ReleaseUnited States

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today informed a federal court the agency will no longer defend the drinking water lead regulation set by the Trump Administration, and instead will propose a new rule by September 2023.

Poll: Access to Safe Drinking Water Is a Top Priority Across America

November 15, 2022 Press ReleaseUnited States

Safe drinking water is a top concern nationwide, according to a new poll released today by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), with most respondents indicating that lead pipes in drinking water systems are either a crisis or a major problem.

One Year Later: Benton Harbor’s Lead Water Pipes Nearly 100% Removed, Setting a New Standard for Michigan and the Nation

October 19, 2022 Press ReleaseBenton Harbor

Nearly every lead drinking water line in Benton Harbor has been replaced, just one year after community activists, alarmed by three consecutive years of high lead levels found in Benton Harbor’s tap water, petitioned federal and state officials to fix…

EPA, USDA Roll Out Key Commitments to Critical Rural Water Infrastructure in Underserved Communities

August 2, 2022 Press ReleaseUnited States

LOWNDES COUNTY, AL – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, United States Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Tom Vilsack, and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu launched the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative today–a commitment to improve…

Buffalo Community Groups Join Map Project To Find and Replace Lead Water Pipes

July 20, 2022 Press ReleaseBuffalo

Community advocates, the water utility, and mapping experts collaborate to document where Buffalo’s lead pipes are located, as records are incomplete or inaccurate

Over One Hundred Environmental and Community Groups Urge U.S. Supreme Court to Uphold Federal Clean Water Protections

June 17, 2022 Press ReleaseUnited States

Friend of the court brief filed in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA Adopts Sharply-Reduced Health Advisories for Key PFAS Chemicals in Drinking Water

June 15, 2022 Press ReleaseUnited States

A top EPA official announced new, more stringent health advisories for four PFAS chemicals – greatly increasing protections from PFOA, PFOS, and GenX – during a conference of grassroots leaders from communities across the nation where drinking water is contaminated…

Chicago, City With the Most Lead Drinking Water Pipes in America, to Host Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s Water Infrastructure Hearing

April 21, 2022 Press ReleaseChicago

CHICAGO – Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth will hear testimony today from City of Chicago and State of Illinois officials responsible for removing lead service lines that deliver water to homes across the state. Illinois will receive more than $100 million…

Flint Sets New Deadline to Replace Lead Water Pipes by September 2022

April 13, 2022 Press ReleaseFlint

Court Must Approve Agreement Between Flint and Water Lawsuit Parties

New Chapter in Troubling Tennessee Water Fight

April 5, 2022 Press ReleaseDickson

Court order that required Dickson County to protect public from tainted water ends with progress and a need for continued vigilance

"Poster Child" Community for Environmental Justice Enters New Chapter in Water Pollution Fight

April 5, 2022 Press ReleaseDickson

A decade-long court order to protect residents of Dickson, Tenn. from the toxin trichloroethylene (TCE) wound down last week. The court has ordered that remaining settlement money be used by the county for ongoing water monitoring and related purposes.

Biden EPA Refuses to Protect Drinking Water from Toxic Perchlorate, Affirms Trump EPA Decision to Leave Millions Exposed to the Chemical

March 31, 2022 Press ReleaseUnited States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced it would not regulate perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel associated with brain damage in fetuses and infants, leaving millions of people unknowingly exposed to the chemical through their tap water.

EPA Announces Plan for Largest Clean Water Investment in U.S. History

March 8, 2022 Press ReleaseUnited States

The Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced its guidelines for distributing $50 billion dollars in infrastructure funding for clean water, which represents the largest single investment in drinking water and wastewater systems in U.S. history.

Newark Residents’ Resolve to Secure Safe Drinking Water Drove City’s Lead Pipe Replacement Success

February 11, 2022 Press ReleaseNewark

Vice President Kamala Harris and other officials are meeting in Newark, NJ today to celebrate the removal of lead service lines from the city’s drinking water system and the enactment of the federal infrastructure law that includes $15 billion for…

Governor Murphy Signs Bill that Addresses Threat to Pollinators

January 18, 2022 Press ReleaseNew Jersey

TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law A2070 (Calabrese)/S1016 (Smith) today, which prohibits most outdoor non-agricultural uses of harmful neonicotinoid pesticides. An outpouring of scientific evidence points to neonics as a leading cause of bee losses…

CO Advocates Call for Action on Lead in Schools

January 13, 2022 Press ReleaseColorado

DENVER — Colorado advocates are calling on state legislators to pass the Get the Lead out of School Drinking Water Act during the 2022 legislative session. The bill would protect children from lead exposure by funding water filters and lead…