VP Kamala Harris returns to N.J. Friday to highlight federal push to remove lead water pipes – NJ.com

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday will make her second official trip to New Jersey, where she will highlight Newark’s efforts to replace its lead water pipes, according to a White House official.

Harris will be joined by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, Gov. Phil Murphy, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, according to the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in advance of the official announcement of her visit to the Garden State.

President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law included $1 billion over five years for New Jersey to help cover the cost of replacing its 350,000 lead water pipes, which American Water Works Association estimated would cost $2.3 billion. The state Legislature has passed legislation requiring that every lead water pipe be replaced.

Newark has seen first-hand the impact of lead in water, as residents in August 2019 started lining up for bottled water because of high lead levels. City officials said their task of replacing about 23,000 lines is all but complete, funded by a $120 million loan from Essex County that was raised through a bond issue.

Harris also has touted the infrastructure law in other visits across the country, including in Cincinnati; Milwaukee; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Oakland, California.

The vice president last visited New Jersey in October before the state’s gubernatorial election, touring a day care center at Montclair State University in Little Falls to tout legislation that would reduce child care costs. The measure, known as the Build Better Act, also would fight climate change and expand health care coverage. It passed the House but has stalled in the Senate.

On the trip, she also visited a vaccination site at Essex County Community College in Newark, where she urged Americans to be protected against COVID-19, and made an unscheduled stop at Tonnie’s Minis, a Newark bakery.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

Start your day with the latest from Trenton, D.C. and your town. Get the N.J. Politics newsletter now.