EPA to Request Additional Input
EPA announced that it is extending the effective date of the Revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) so that the agency can seek further public input, particularly from communities that are most at-risk of exposure to lead in drinking water. To accomplish this goal, EPA has posted two pre-publication notices regarding the revised LCR.
The first action, which was signed on March 9, 2021, and sent to the Federal Register for publication, is a final rule that announces an extension of the effective date for the revised LCR from March 16, 2021 until June 17, 2021. The purpose of this additional time is to enable EPA to take public comment on a second action that would provide a longer extension of the effective date and for EPA to undertake its review of the rule in a deliberate and thorough manner consistent with the public health purposes of the Safe Drinking Water Act, President Biden’s Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis, the President’s Chief of Staff’s Regulatory Freeze Pending Review Memorandum, and in consultation with affected stakeholders.
The second action that was signed proposes to extend the effective date until December 16, 2021 and also proposes a corresponding extension of the revised LCR’s compliance deadline to September 16, 2024. This action would ensure that drinking water systems and primacy states continue to have the full three years provided by the Safe Drinking Water Act to take actions needed to assure regulatory compliance. EPA is seeking comment on this proposal for 30 days after it publishes in the Federal Register.
For more information, see:
- Prepublication Notice: Delay of Effective Date of National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Lead and Copper Rule Revisions
- Prepublication Notice: Proposed Delay of Effective and Compliance Dates of National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Lead and Copper Rule Revisions
- Questions and Answers
- Press Release: EPA to Request Additional Input on the Lead and Copper Rule
Patti Kay Wisniewski
Drinking Water Preparedness and Resiliency Coordinator
US EPA Region 3
Drinking Water Section (3WD21)
1650 Arch Street
Phila, PA 19103
215-814-5668
Cell: 215-514-7893
Email: [email protected]
(note the hyphen appears in email only)