Bad state data may misdirect nearly $1 billion in federal funds to replace lead pipes
The Environmental Protection Agency didn't ensure that states submitted accurate estimates of the number of lead pipes they had
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is at risk of misallocating nearly $1 billion in lead pipe replacement funding to the wrong states because it didn’t verify inaccurate data provided by Texas and Florida, an agency watchdog announced.
It’s possible that the EPA can avoid much of the misallocation and can recover some funds that already went where they shouldn’t have, the EPA’s Office of Inspector General said. But the errors mean some states with the biggest needs may have to wait longer for funds — or will get less than they should have, the OIG said in a report this week.
The EPA disputed the watchdog’s conclusions, saying it tried to balance evolving information on lead service lines in each state with the need to quickly allocate money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Officials promised to review future allocations for Texas and Florida.
At issue is a first-of-its-kind EPA survey that asked local officials to estimate the number of lead pipes in their state. Some states with long industrial legacies like Illinois and Michigan have far more than others. The bipartisan infrastructure law provided $15 billion to find and replace lead pipes. The survey was to ensure states with more pipes got more money.
