The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) will accept input from small businesses, governments, and nonprofit organizations to participate as Small Entity Representatives for a Small Business Advocacy Review Panel related to the development of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI).
Through the LCRI, the USEPA aims to strengthen actions to protect communities from lead in drinking water. These regulatory updates, alongside infrastructure investments and other actions, will result in the replacement of all lead service lines as quickly as feasible. To this end, USEPA has identified the following priorities:
- Proactive and equitable lead service line replacement;
- Strengthened compliance tap sampling to better identify communities most at risk of lead in drinking water and to compel lead reduction actions; and
- Reduction in the complexity of the regulation through improved response to action and trigger levels.
USEPA plans to propose the LCRI in 2023 and take final action by October 2024.
The Small Business Advocacy Review Panel will include Federal representatives from the Small Business Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, and USEPA. The Panel members are asking a selected group of Small Entity Representatives to provide advice and recommendations on behalf of their company, government, or organization to inform the Panel members about the potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities.
Additional information on the Lead and Copper Rule and the LCRI is available on USEPA’s website.