Looking back at Flint crisis, Harris rolls out 'water justice' program by CEDickson
Presidential elections are decided by many things: media exposure, financial backing, personal chemistry, timing and luck. Policy positions often are just a way of signaling where a candidate stands on the political spectrum. But 2020 is shaping up to be different, the most ideas-driven election in recent American history. On the Democratic side, a robust debate about inequality has given rise to ambitious proposals to redress the imbalance in Americans’ economic situations.
In 2014, 40 out of 50 state water managers predicted that some portion of their states would face freshwater shortages within the next decade. One recent study by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group and Northeastern University, which compiled data from the Pentagon and water utility reports, found that approximately 19 million people across 43 states are exposed to contaminated drinking water.
Under the 1974 law and subsequent amendments, the EPA has developed a system for state and local oversight of water systems to ensure compliance with national standards and to notify residents of hazards. Lead is hardly the only contaminant that poses a threat to drinking water in the U.S. Another report from 2019 found various other toxic chemicals in drinking water in nearly every state in the country.
“We must take seriously the existential threat represented by future water shortages and acknowledge that communities across the country — particularly communities of color — already lack access to safe and affordable water,” Harris said about the bill, which would dedicate $50 billion to conduct lead testing and replacement of toxic infrastructure, such as pipes and drinking fountains, in low-income communities and schools with high levels of lead in the water.
The crisis in Flint, which emerged as a national news story in early 2016, became a major talking point for then-Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, who even held a debate in the beleaguered city ahead of the Michigan primary. Flint Mayor Karen Weaver spoke at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016, praising Clinton, the nominee, for helping to draw national attention to her city’s plight.
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