EPA Holds “Federalism Consultation” on LCR Revisions
On January 8, EPA shared information with state and local government organizations (including ASDWA) about possible Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) revisions as part of a formal “federalism consultation” process. During the meeting, EPA briefed the attendees on various issues that the agency is grappling with as they work to prepare a formal rule proposal. Through this consultation process EPA is seeking input on “challenges and opportunities” related to the following topics:
- Lead service line replacement
- Corrosion control treatment
- Tap sampling
- Public education and transparency
- Copper
Although EPA did not share specific rule language that they might be considering, there are questions related to each issue to help guide the organizations in preparing comments. The meeting starts a 60 day window for the organizations to respond. ASDWA will be working during that time to develop specific state comments on the issues. All comments provided during this process will be publicly available on EPA’s Water Docket.
No timetable was given for a proposed rule, but EPA did indicate that they were committed to getting the rule completed as fast as possible while taking time to “get it right”. EPA also indicated that the LCR revisions would comply with the Executive Orders covering rules (such as 2 for 1 and regulatory budget), but since these apply across the Agency, this is not expected to interfere with final adoption of the rule.
For additional information on EPA’s development of revisions to the LCR see the LCR revisions web page.
