Ohio lawmakers want to replace all of the state's lead water lines
Ohio lawmakers are introducing a bipartisan bill they are hoping will not only improve the state's water quality, but also save lives.
Ohio state Reps. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, and Monica Robb Blasdel, R-Columbiana, are introducing the Lead Line Replacement Act.
'This legislation aims to keep our community safe and healthy by implementing a comprehensive regulatory framework to plan, execute, and assist in the replacement of all lead water lines in the state of Ohio,' Robb Blasdel said. 'Lead water lines are a relic of the past. However, despite the danger, we know these are still in use all across our state.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Ohio has 745,000 lead service lines and nearly 4,000 Ohio children are tested for high levels of lead poisoning, said Jarrells, who is a survivor of lead poisoning.
'Ohio is in a crisis,' he said. 'The number (of lead poisoning) is likely higher because of the reality that not every child in this state is tested.'
The use of lead pipes was banned by Congress in 1986. In 2021, Ohio ranked third in the nation for the most lead pipes, according to the EPA.
Lead is able to enter drinking water through the corrosion of lead or lead-contaminated water service lines.
No amount of lead exposure is safe for children, the lawmakers said.
'Replacing each of these (lead lines) will be a challenging task, but one we firmly believe is attainable,' Robb Blasdel said. 'This bill would mandate local water providers to work with the state to identify these lines, develop a plan to replace these lines with safe alternatives, and execute this plan over a 15 year time period.'
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency would be responsible for overseeing enacting this mandate if the legislation passes.
'This bill also prohibits partial replacements that can make contamination worse,' Jarrells said.
It would cost nearly $5 billion to remediate every single lead line in Ohio, he said.
'I didn't introduce this in the budget because I wanted to do the work to make it bipartisan,' Jarrells said.
He put forth a similar bill during the last General Assembly, but it only had sponsor testimony in committee.
'This is necessary,' Jarrells said. 'This is a human issue, and to introduce this bill with bipartisan support, that's how we're going to ultimately see this bill become law.'
Lawmakers say replacing Ohio's lead lines would lead to fewer cases of dementia, depression, anemia, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular mortality, infant mortality, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Lead poisoning poses a threat not just to children. Adults exposed to lead are more likely to experience increased risks of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, kidney and nervous system problems, said Annalisa Rocca, the drinking water manager for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund.
'I grew up turning on the kitchen tap without a second thought, and most Ohioans still do the same, unaware that an unseen lead service line may be supplying their water,' she said.
Archie Beasley, lead program director of the Junction Coalition, serves a Toledo neighborhood that has 100-year-old homes with lead lines underneath them that are transporting lead into kitchens and bathrooms.
'We're going to make sure that no child goes to their kitchen sink, that no child goes to their grandmother's kitchen sink and gets water out of the refrigerator, and they're going to be drinking lead water that is going to impact their health,' he said.
Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
SEPTA moving forward with service cuts across Philadelphia region with no funding fix in place
With no SEPTA funding deal reached, deep service cuts to bus, train and trolley services in the Philadelphia region are looking more likely. SEPTA's deadline day to receive state funding is here, and the Pennsylvania General Assembly has not provided funding to fill the $213 million budget gap for the transit authority. The lack of a deal leaves several questions for passengers across the region, including residents who take public transit to work and students heading back to school in two weeks. SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said the transit authority needed state funding by Aug. 14 to avoid disruptive cuts taking effect by Aug. 24. It would take about 10 days for the system to implement the new reduced schedules, making adjustments to things like train signals, digital signage at stations and on buses and more. "The 10 days between the deadline and the start of the new schedules is the bare minimum that we need to complete the multitude of tasks required to ensure that we can safely and efficiently transition service to new timetables," Sauer said in a recent news conference announcing the reduced schedules. Barring any last-minute deal, which seems unlikely, these cuts will likely start taking effect. Lawmakers on both sides have said they understand mass transit is important and they want to work toward a deal. But as of Thursday, what that deal looks like and where they go from here — with no bill on the table that can pass both chambers — is unclear. It's also unclear when the Pennsylvania House and Senate will be back in Harrisburg to discuss mass transit or the budget overall. These cuts would happen in two phases, with the first happening Aug. 24 and the second in January 2026. Sauer and other officials have warned that major service cuts would be the start of a "transit death spiral," where service cuts and fare increases result in fewer people using the system and paying fares, reducing revenue and necessitating further cuts. Sauer said Wednesday if funding comes through during the 10-day transition phase to reduced service, SEPTA would do its best to reverse the cuts quickly and have as minimal an impact on riders as possible. "We've been treating this as if it was an inevitability for months, to make sure when we get to this point, everything is in line to weather the storm, to blunt the impact on our customers as much as possible," assistant communications director Lex Powers said. A PDF of how each bus, train and trolley route will be impacted is available here on SEPTA's website, but here is a quick summary of the cuts that will take effect in August. Those cuts would be followed by a hiring freeze beginning Sept. 1 and a fare hike to $2.90, which would tie New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority for the highest fare in the country, though MTA may soon raise the fare to $3. If SEPTA makes it to January 2026 with no funding increase, these additional cuts would take place: A spokesperson said while SEPTA is holding out for something by the end of the day, they need to start getting ready. Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate wanted to draw around $300 million a year for the next two years from the Pennsylvania Transit Trust Fund. State Sen. Joe Picozzi of Northeast Philadelphia claimed the bill would be a "bridge" to fund SEPTA for the next two years while lawmakers work on a long-term solution. "It's a plan that sustains them until we can get long-term funding in place," Republican State Sen. Frank Farry said. "There's plenty of money in there and I can tell you, as I've talked to a lot of residents today, they're like, are you kidding me? The money for SEPTA is literally just sitting in a bank account in Harrisburg." House Democrats, SEPTA leaders and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll came out against the plan Wednesday, arguing the GOP-backed plan would fund SEPTA's day-to-day operations with dollars meant for the future, taking away funding for things like infrastructure upgrades. SEPTA also pointed to a need to replace its aging rail cars, which general manager Scott Sauer said are more than 50 years old. Democrats, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, want to fund SEPTA through a tax on skill games, games similar to slot machines that are found in bars and convenience stores but operate through a legal loophole. Democrats in the legislature have said SEPTA's service cuts will lead to thousands of more cars on the roads and increase travel times, especially on the region's major highways. "I think it's difficult for a lot of people like me who live in the suburbs out here to get into the city for jobs," commuter Hannah Wenz said at the Wissahickon station on the Manayunk-Norristown Line, which would be under a 9 p.m. curfew starting in January. "I work in the hospital in the city, it's definitely affecting a lot of the workplace," Wenz said. Wenz added if she were not able to take SEPTA, she'd probably need to Uber to work. SEPTA without the cuts is "affordable for people like me, and it's convenient too," Wenz said.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
When Violence Based On Religion Or Belief Amounts To International Crimes
August 22nd marks the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, a day established by the United Nations General Assembly to condemn acts of violence targeting individuals on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief. Such violence is ever-growing around the world and requires urgent and comprehensive responses. On this day, we remember all victims and survivors of such violence and call upon the international community to address the crimes. Violence based on religion or belief will have multiple and diverse manifestations. In its extreme forms, such violence may amount to international crimes, including crimes against humanity and even genocide. Such crimes require comprehensive responses, including steps to ensure justice and accountability. The last decade has seen a multitude of such extreme manifestations of violence based on religion or belief. In Nigeria, Boko Haram and other militia groups have been spreading havoc and targeting anyone who does not subscribe to their interpretation of Islam. Among their victims are Christians, who are a minority in the states where the terror group operates. The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) recognized the gravity of the crimes by Boko Haram when, in 2020, it concluded the preliminary examination and sought formal investigations. The next steps have been stalled for the last five years as the ICC has been waiting for domestic authorities to investigate the crimes. In Syria, reports suggest a new wave of atrocities committed against religious minorities, including violence against Christians, the Alawites and the Druze. In Iraq, Yazidis continue to fight for justice and accountability, some eleven years after the Daesh genocide, with close to 2,600 Yazidi women and children still enslaved to this day. In China, Uyghurs are said to be moved from forced indoctrination camps to forced labor camps, with the products tainted by this slavery flooding Western markets. In Afghanistan, religious minorities such as Christians, Ahmadiyas, and Baha'is, among others, are effectively extinct in the country after many of them were evacuated when the Taliban was taking over, with a small number of their members going underground. Hazara Shias, a numeric minority group, although going into millions of members, continue to be subjected to targeted attacks by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (IS-KP) and other groups. The Taliban, while not claiming responsibility for these attacks, is responsible for failing to prevent them. In Iran, Baha'is are considered to be apostates and face persecution, marked by extreme violence including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention. Baha'is are denied equal rights, which affects all aspects of their lives in the country. This year has also seen an increase in Islamist attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as perpetrated by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters, part of the Islamic State's Central African Province. One of such attacks, on a church in the town of Komanda, resulted in some 40 worshipers killed. To name a few. All such attacks, which meet the legal definitions of international crimes, must be addressed by states and the international community as a whole. However, as we see too often, responses are rare and often too late to make a difference in the lives of individuals, let alone whole communities. Investigations and prosecutions of those responsible are an exception to the rule, with the rule being impunity. Prevention of these atrocities is a faraway goal with little to no preparatory work being undertaken by States. In relation to the crime of genocide, States have a legal duty to prevent, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The duty to prevent requires States to take 'all means reasonably available to them, so as to prevent genocide so far as possible', with the trigger for this duty being 'the serious risk of genocide.' A similar legal duty to prevent will be imposed in relation to crimes against humanity, once the draft treaty on crimes against humanity is adopted. This process may take some 5-10 years. In addition, States have the political commitment of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), which should trigger responses, especially where the duty to prevent genocide does not reach. Unfortunately, as seen too many times over the years, prevention is a promise yet to be fulfilled. Too often, States choose their own interest over their legal duties or political commitments and fail to act. Such an approach is contrary to the duties themselves and the spirit of the commitments States made voluntarily. As we mark the UN day, and stand with victims and survivors of acts of violence based on religion or belief, we must call out the hypocrisy of the international community by screaming 'Never Again' but doing nothing and allowing the atrocities to happen again and again.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Forget running — I added power walking intervals to my walks and now I'm hooked
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. While summer weather still lingers, I'm making the most of my mornings. A run or walk before work generally helps me get my zoomies out before I need to sit down at my desk and concentrate. But after swapping the Stairmaster for hill running recently, I'd worn myself out. So I was ready for something lower-impact but still energising. That's when I turned to power walking. Interval-style walking has been trending lately and if you haven't already, check out the 3-2-1 walking workout as it was what inspired me to pump up my walks a notch. I decided to add short bursts of faster-paced walking into my usual morning route. Why the change? Just 30 minutes of power walking can burn calories, build strength, improve sleep and boost your mood. So, if you happen to be looking for a good lower-impact alternative to running or simply want to shake up your walking routine, here's how to get started. What are power walking intervals? Power walking intervals are a way of breaking up your walk with bursts of faster-paced walking followed by slower, recovery periods. Power walking itself is simply walking at a pace that feels brisk and purposeful. You should be moving faster than your normal stroll, with a momentum in your stride that engages your legs and glutes, and an arm swing that helps drive momentum. I didn't fancy following a set structure that required committing to exact times of faster walking followed by slower walking. For me, that would take away from just enjoying the walk. Instead, I simply picked up the pace when I felt like it and held it for as long as I wanted before easing off. If you prefer a bit more structure, my colleague created her own routine called the 3-4-5 walking method, which you can try for yourself. I added power walking intervals to my walks and now I'm hooked A bit like fartlek training in running where there isn't a set structure and you vary your pace based on how you feel or the terrain, I tried a similar approach with power walking intervals. Here is how I got on with fartlek-style walking. It gets the heart rate up I am the type who usually strolls through my walks without a care and barely glances at my Garmin watch to see what my heart rate is saying. But when I added bursts of faster walking, I noticed my heart rate felt faster, and my watch agreed. Why does this matter? When your heart rate goes up, your body works harder to pump oxygen to your muscles, which means your fitness improves, more calories are burned, and you support a healthier heart. So if you think walking can't give you a workout, think again. Doing it intuitively made it more enjoyable Doing power walking intervals intuitively made the whole experience way more enjoyable for me. I didn't have to set any timers on my watch and stick to strict times for fast or slow walking. Instead, I just listened to my body and picked up the pace whenever I felt like it. Some days I felt energetic and powered through longer bursts. Other days I took it easier and kept the intervals shorter. This flexibility took the pressure off and made the walk feel less like a workout and more like a natural part of my routine. It also meant I stayed more present and connected to my surroundings rather than obsessing over the timer. If you are thinking about trying power walking intervals, I would recommend trying intuitive intervals first. Play around with paces and find out what feels right, and then you might lean towards adding in some structure to your sessions. It gets your metabolism going What surprised me most was how these power walking intervals changed the way I felt about breakfast. I always try my best to avoid skipping it, but would begrudgingly spoon down some oats with a coffee just to say I had eaten. After an energetic walk, though, I come home properly hungry and actually excited to make something filling and nutritious. Your body uses your metabolism to turn food into energy, and getting your heart rate up early helps to fire it up. When you move more, your body burns more energy and signals that it needs refuelling. Eating a proper breakfast after a walk can keep your energy steady, stop mid-morning crashes, and set you up for the rest of the day. Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has also linked brisk walking with improved metabolic health and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, adding another reason to start your morning on the move. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. More from Tom's Guide No, not pull-ups — these 3 simple moves will improve your posture and ease upper back stiffness I cancelled my gym membership two months ago — here's how I'm staying just as fit at home No gym needed — my favorite trainer reveals 9 no-equipment moves to build strength anywhere
