Rolling Meadows, Illinois (Jan. 7, 2011) — Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) is pleased to announce that the national “Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act” was passed on December 17, 2010 during the lame duck session and was signed into law by President Barak Obama on January 4, 2011. The bill becomes effective January 4, 2014, allowing ample time for manufacturers to comply.

This bill lowers the national standard for lead in faucets, pipes and pipefittings to 0.25%. “The previous national standard was 8.0%, which the industry considered too high,” explains PMI Executive Director, Barbara Higgens. “Many in the plumbing manufacturing industry are already meeting these reduced standards. However, without a uniform national standard, a patchwork of requirements could have emerged.”

According to Higgens, “PMI was on top of this legislation from its inception and worked to aggressively lobby members of the Senate and House to pass the bill through Capitol Hill visits, letters and phone calls to representatives. This bill harmonizes lead standards across the country. These standards were already achieved in California, and in Maryland and Vermont through PMI’s active lobbying efforts.”

“This is an exciting victory, primarily for consumers, and also for the plumbing manufacturing industry, as well as for wholesalers, retailers, contractors and others involved with the production, distribution, sales and installation of these products,” says Higgens. “There is widespread support within the industry for this legislation, including the members of PMI, which make up 95% of the small, medium and large plumbing manufacturers.”

Higgens adds, “PMI’s effort and the effort of our Washington, D.C., lobbying team of Diana Waterman and Stephanie Salmon exemplify the purpose and value of our association, as well as our collective strength in numbers. PMI Board members, staff and member company lobbyists joined forces to make Hill visits and build coalitions to ensure passage of the bill.”

For more information about “The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act,” please contact PMI Executive Director Barbara C. Higgens at 847-481-5500.

About PMI:
Plumbing Manufacturers International is the voluntary, not-for-profit international industry association of manufacturers of plumbing products, serving as the Voice of the Plumbing Industry. Member companies produce a substantial quantity of the world’s plumbing products.

For more information on PMI, contact the association at 1921 Rohlwing Road, Unit G, Rolling Meadows, IL, 60008; tel.: 847-481-5500; fax: 847-481-5501. Visit http://www.pmihome.org, http://www.safeplumbing.org.

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