Opinion: Biden-Harris infrastructure law delivers jobs, safe, lead-free water to Erie

Roxanne Brown
 |  Your Turn

Erie’s accelerated replacement of lead water lines serves as a powerful example of what’s possible when working people leverage solidarity, political will, and manufacturing might to build stronger, safer communities.

Our organizations — the United Steelworkers (USW), BlueGreen Alliance (BGA) and Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund (NRDC) — helped to push the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act through Congress and onto President Joe Biden’s desk in 2021.

We organized rallies around the country demanding passage of this legislation because we recognized its importance for overhauling the nation’s failing water systems and modernizing roads, bridges, energy systems and other infrastructure.

Our members also pounded the halls of the U.S. Capitol to advocate for the bill in one-on-one meetings with our elected representatives. And we highlighted research and case studies driving home the urgent need to replace decrepit water lines and outdated treatment plants.

Now, three years after Biden signed the infrastructure bill into law, we’re witnessing the transformative impact of these investments in Erie and countless other communities.

For example, the Biden-Harris administration allocated more than $42 million to speed the Erie Water Works’ replacement of 7,200 sections of lead-tainted line in a sprawling distribution system serving about 63,000 customers in Erie, Millcreek Township, Lawrence Park Township, Wesleyville, and other communities.

Lead water lines pose so great a danger to public health that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just issued a final rule mandating their removal nationwide within 10 years. Galvanized by the infusion of infrastructure funds, Erie intends to get the job done in five.

Even minuscule levels of lead put people’s health at risk, so it’s essential to eradicate all traces of it as quickly as possible, as Bruno Pigott, the EPA’s acting assistant administrator for water, observed during a visit to Erie in July.

But these water line replacements also “bolster the economy of northwest Pennsylvania by creating jobs,” added Pigott, who noted that “thus far, all of the contractors who have assisted on this project are based locally in Erie County.”

Just as important, BuyAmerica provisions in the infrastructure law continue to spur demand for the materials, components, and equipment needed not only to produce water lines but to install the new pipes and upgrade water treatment plants.

These domestic procurement rules strengthen manufacturing supply chains while sustaining and creating middle-class manufacturing jobs, in Pennsylvania and nationwide.

Among other examples, USW members at Zurn Industries in Erie make water management products, while their union counterparts manufacture valves, couplings and other products at Mueller Valve in Decatur, Ill., and ductile iron pipe at McWane Ductile in Coshocton, Ohio. Still more USW members produce fire hydrants needed for new and upgraded water systems.

Overall, the BGA estimates that water line projects funded by the infrastructure law will drive the creation of 200,700 jobs over 10 years.

While many elected officials long talked about a national infrastructure program, the Biden-Harris administration took decisive action. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris studied the problem and embraced our advocacy. And ultimately, they partnered with us to save lives, grow jobs and build more vibrant communities.

More: Erie’s $50 million lead pipe replacement plan: where does it stand?

After enactment of the infrastructure law, we rolled up our sleeves and really got down to work. As Erie’s ambitious but vital project shows, we’re making significant strides toward eliminating one of America’s biggest multi-generational health threats. And we’re determined to get all of the lead out of public water supplies by the EPA’s deadline.

Roxanne Brown is international vice president at large for the United Steelworkers (USW), which represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.