States, cities and water utilities agree that the lead pipes need to go to ensure safe water for residents. But they say they may struggle to do so in the 10-year window required under a new federal rule.
stateline.org
(these Reuters and StateLine articles cover the "pros"/"cons" back when it was first proposed)
So, it sounds like the arguments against it are multi-faceted
It doesn't sound like anyone is saying "who care if there's lead in the water", the objections seem to be rooted in logistic and economic concerns with regards to the aggressive timeline.
Since some red states seem to be more impacted by it, 15 Republican Attorneys General voiced concern about the fact that
1) Homeowners may end up having to bear the brunt of the line section replacement that runs under their own property
2) The public utility companies in red states are the ones that would have to come up with a way to accomplish it all in 10 years
3) Given that the costs for the materials required aren't static and subject to massive price swings, it can be difficult to commit to certain timelines and budgets if the price of materials is subject to drastic price shifts
“It took us close to 100 years to get all of these service lines in the ground, and the EPA is asking us to get them out in 10 years,” said Tom Dobbins, CEO of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, an advocacy group for publicly owned water systems. “The administration grossly underestimated the cost. Obviously, if the federal government doesn’t provide the funding for this, the ratepayers will have to pay for this. That exacerbates certain communities’ affordability issues.”
And it's not just the local leaders on the republican side who have sounded some alarm bells. Chicago has already started trying to undertake this effort, and they've said the following:
“We’re looking at federal money, we’re looking at bonds, we’re looking at different loans and grants,” said Randy Conner, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Water Management. “We’re making sure we turn over all the couch cushions to find every quarter we can possibly find to put towards this effort.”
Chicago has an estimated 400,000 lead pipes, more than any other U.S. city. Because of the sheer scale of the problem, the EPA gave Chicago an extended deadline of 20 years to replace its lines. Even so, that would require pulling out 19,000 lines a year, well more than the city’s current pace of 8,000. That work will cost about $780 million annually, according to city officials.
Conner said the city is hoping for more federal and state support to avoid placing a heavy burden on ratepayers.
So, it's one of those things where the request is reasonable, but the timeline may not be, and municipalities and public water departments are concerned about the funding commitments (or lack of), and certainly local leaders have to keep their constituents in mind with regards to measures that could end up with a homeowner getting a $7,000 bill sprung on them that they didn't ask for, and weren't expecting.
