Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Top state officials submitted a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 1 urging the agency to reconsider a new grant formula that has reduced lead service line replacement funding to Massachusetts by more than $30 million.
In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said the EPA’s new data and methodology has cut the state’s share of funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Lead Service Line Grant by nearly half. Massachusetts received $65.8 million in fiscal 2022, but was allocated just $33.7 million for 2023 and future years of the program.
The letter asks the EPA to reverse the changes in their funding allocations.
In a statement, Healey said Massachusetts “has made great progress in removing lead service lines,” and historic federal investments in the past several years “have been instrumental in these efforts.”
Goldberg, who chairs the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust, said there are “very serious concerns with the EPA’s data that will hinder this vital work, and we urge them to reevaluate their position.”
The EPA’s lead remediation programs are intended to address President Joe Biden’s goal to remove 100% of lead service lines nationwide and address the critical public health and environmental justice challenges that come from lead-contaminated drinking water. This includes the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which has $15 billion in funding nationally from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The letter from state leaders identifies the Commonwealth’s unique needs for lead remediation funding due to the high percentage of housing stock from before 1940, when the use of lead in service lines was prevalent. The letter emphasizes how the effects of this history cause disproportionate lead exposure in communities of color.
The letter says Massachusetts has leveraged Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money to meet these challenges, including commitments since 2022 of more than $59 million in federal funds for lead remediation projects. This funding has gone toward needs assessments and development of action plans in 121 Massachusetts communities and has financed $30 million for remediation including projects in Andover, Boston, Fall River, New Bedford and Somerville.
The letter describes a flawed process behind the EPA’s award numbers, which included calculations based on incomplete data, formulas that fail to account for relevant state-specific factors, and a lack of clarity from the EPA that data that had been requested from states on a voluntary basis would be used to determine funding.
“Massachusetts and our cities and towns lead the nation in eliminating lead service lines,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Low-income and communities of color face a higher burden from environmental pollution. Reducing lead service line funding will directly impact our state’s most vulnerable residents. We urge EPA to fully fund the state’s lead service line grant allotment.”
The Healey-Driscoll administration said Massachusetts is set to secure a $5.76 million reallotment of 2022 funding from the EPA due to a reallocation of EPA funds. This amount, however, falls far short of reversing the shortfall caused by the EPA’s new allotment determinations.
The Massachusetts federal delegation has strongly advocated for a revision of the EPA’s methodology, including in a September letter.