Clean Water Biggest Threat, Says EPA Administrator Wheeler
March 22, 2019
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, in his first press interview since being sworn in as the Agency’s head earlier this month, cited access to clean drinking water as the biggest global, environmental threat. He said there are “one to three million deaths every year” from lack of clean drinking water. Wheeler advocated for public priorities shifting from climate change to clean drinking water access, as “most of the threats from climate change are 50 to 75 years out.”
Wheeler discussed EPA’s plans to improve access to and quality of drinking water, including the Agency’s new water reuse plan, which will encourage the recycling of wastewater from oil and gas extraction. He pointed to strides made in reducing copper and lead pipes in places such as Flint, Michigan, which now conforms to EPA standards, as proof of the Agency’s ability to protect and improve lives.
Wheeler discussed increased national and global water infrastructure investment plans, with a report on EPA’s plans for clean water initiatives expected soon. One of the features will likely be an emphasis on reliable electric grids to either protect or restore clean water in disaster-struck areas.
Environmental groups were quick to criticize Wheeler’s comments, pointing to EPA’s recent rollbacks of Clean Water Act rules and the Trump administration’s proposed reduction of funds for water systems. Additionally, they cited both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and the damage from hurricanes and other disasters to support their view that climate change threats are more immediate.