Booker, Menendez To Newark: Hang On, Help From Feds Is Coming

NEWARK, NJ — According to U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, progress is being made on the federal level to help New Jersey’s largest city deal with widespread lead water contamination.

But Newark may need to hang on a little while longer to get it, they say.

On Tuesday, Booker and Menendez released updates about two separate efforts to get Newark federal help as it embarks on a massive effort to replace thousands of lead service lines, the suspected cause of its water woes.

The first involves a bill that would free up millions of dollars to support the project, Booker said.

The second involves a key promise from a top U.S. Housing and Urban Development official to “do what is necessary” to assist Newark and its nearby Essex County neighbors, Menendez said.

Read more about each effort below.

Newark has been struggling with lead water contamination in thousands of local homes. The trouble has been traced to privately owned lead service pipes, which may be affecting nearly 18,000 homes in the Pequannock service area.

Normally, replacing lead service lines can be an expensive process, with the average cost of replacement ranging between $4,000 and $10,000. Last month, the project got a major boost when Essex County helped the city to obtain $120 million in loans. The funding influx will speed up the process, which is now expected to take up to 30 months instead of a decade.

The funds will also help residents replace the lead service lines in their homes for free, city officials said.

• See related article: Newark Replacing Lead Pipes In Homes; 800 Done, 17000 To Go
• See related article: Newark Law Would Force Homeowners To Replace Aging Pipes

SHIFTING FUNDS TO HELP NEWARK

On Monday evening, the U.S. Senate unanimously voted to pass the Water Infrastructure Funding Transfer Act, which Booker and Menendez sponsored.

According to a statement from Booker, the proposed law would give states facing public health crises from lead in drinking water the flexibility to make a one-time transfer up to $100 million, shifting federal funds in their Clean Water State Revolving Fund to their Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

New Jersey would be able to utilize this change by transferring federal funds from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to offset some of the $120 million bonding project in Newark, Booker said.

Other municipalities in New Jersey would also be able to benefit from the proposed law, which Booker first introduced in the Senate in May.

• See related article: Sen. Booker Says His Bill Would Help Newark With Its Water Woes

Booker, a Newark resident who previously served as the city’s mayor, has made his connection to the Brick City a key part of his presidential campaign in 2020.

“Right now, some states, including my home state of New Jersey, have federal funds available but are restricted from using them to address lead in drinking water,” Booker said. “This legislation would give New Jersey the flexibility to supplement Newark’s bonding package and provide immediate assistance to Newark residents.”

Booker said that residents of the city – including himself – are counting on the federal government to remedy what he called an “environmental injustice.”

“I hope the House will quickly take up this legislation so states like New Jersey can address the threat of lead in drinking water,” Booker added.

Booker, a former mayor and city councilman who still lives in Newark, has seen criticism about his own possible culpability in the city's ongoing water crisis. He served as the city's mayor from 2006 to 2013. Elevated lead levels were first confirmed in Newark in 2017.

Booker previously served as chairman of the now-shuttered Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation while a multi-million kickback scheme was in play at the agency. A federal judge eventually dismissed a lawsuit against Booker; he's maintained that he was unaware of the scam.

• See related article: 4 NJ Democrats Want Federal Funds For Newark's Lead Water Crisis

BEN CARSON: ‘DO WHAT’S NECESSARY’

On Tuesday, Menendez – a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee and the ranking Democrat on the housing subcommittee – said he received a direct commitment from U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson about federal help for Newark.

According to Menendez, Carson made a bold declaration when it comes to aiding Newark: “do what is necessary.”

Carson uttered the words during testimony before the Banking Committee on housing finance reform, after Menendez probed him about Newark’s water woes.

“As you know, the City of Newark recently discovered elevated lead levels from some limited water samples,” Menendez told Carson. “I’ve already called on the EPA to provide on-the-ground support and technical assistance, and I believe HUD needs to be part of the solution as well.”

Menendez pointed out that during the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, the HUD assigned a full-time staff person to directly assist HUD residents in the region and collaborate with federal, state, and local agencies to provide education, outreach and intervention actions.

Menendez then posed the following question to Carson: “Would you commit, as we did in Flint, to have a person, who is designated for Newark and the surrounding communities that are affected by this… to assist them as it relates to flexibility that has been shown in the past in CDBG [Community Development Block Grant] funding?”

“I will commit to doing anything that we possibly can do to alleviate the problem there, and if that involves a specific person or a dozen specific people, we will do what is necessary,” Carson said.

According to Menendez, states and local municipalities can request that the HUD allow them to reprogram all or some of the CDBG funds they have received to pay to address lead contamination in homes.

CATCHING UP WITH NEWARK’S WATER CRISIS

Get up to speed on Newark’s ongoing water contamination crisis with the following articles (click the headlines to read the story).

Court Rules Against Newark Activists In Battle Over Bottled Water

Activists claim lead water contamination in Newark is more widespread than officials admit. The city says they're wrong… and tests prove it.

Protest For Clean Water Ignites Outside MTV Awards In Newark: WATCH

Several people carried signs with slogans such as "Get The Lead Out" and "Clean Water For Newark Now."

Lead In Newark: Feds Say Use Bottled Water, Filters Unreliable

One of the key weapons in Newark's fight against ongoing lead water contamination may be coming up short, EPA officials say.

Newark Sees Outpouring Of Donations, Love During Water Crisis

There are lots of people ready to roll up their sleeves in the city's moment of need.

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