Biden, Harris to announce funding for lead pipe removal in Philadelphia

by Brett Samuels - 02/02/23 9:00 PM ET

President Biden and Vice President Harris on Friday will announce $500 million in federal funding for the Philadelphia to upgrade its water system as part of a broader government effort to remove and replace lead pipes.

Biden and Harris will visit the Belmont Water Treatment Plant to detail the new investments, a White House official said. They will announce that $160 million will be allocated from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law to upgrade water facilities and replace 20 miles of lead service lines, with an additional $340 million coming through a loan from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the city to upgrade its water system.

The Biden administration has set out a goal to replace all lead water service lines in the next decade.

Biden and Harris will be joined at the lead pipe event by EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D).

Harris hosted a summit at the White House last week that focused on lead pipe replacement, where she announced a partnership made up of more than 100 state and local officials, labor unions, water utilities and other organizations to help accelerate the administration’s efforts.

Following the lead pipe event in Philadelphia, Biden and Harris will attend the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting. The party is expected this weekend to approve a new primary calendar that would put South Carolina first, a break with decades of tradition.

The Philadelphia trip is the third time this week Biden is hitting the road to tout projects that will benefit from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, underscoring how the White House is hoping to elevate the tangible benefits Americans will see from the president’s legislative accomplishments.

Biden earlier this week made stops in Baltimore and New York City to highlight how funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law would go toward projects to improve railway tunnels at key bottlenecks in each area.