CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan made two stops in Hampton Roads on Friday to highlight how funding from President Biden’s infrastructure bill will improve water infrastructure.
Reps. Elaine Luria (D-2nd District) and Bobby Scott (D-3rd District) joined Regan and EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administration Adam Ortiz in Chesapeake and Smithfield at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D) joined a tour of a Chesapeake neighborhood with lead service line challenges. President Biden has promised to replace every lead pipe in the country, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill allocates $15 billion to that goal. However, more funding will be needed, as an estimate from the American Water Works Association says it’ll cost more than $60 billion to replace all of the lead pipes.
The Smithfield event discussed investments in rural drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems, which are set to be improved across the country through the legislation. The water infrastructure in Smithfield is supported by the Hampton Road Sanitation District.
Regan and Kaine also joined Rep. Don McEachin (D-4th District) in Richmond on Friday at the Shockoe Bottom Retention Basin.
Regan is a native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. He’s the first Black man and second person of color to lead the EPA.
