The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has delayed until Oct. 1 the date by which contractors must be certified to safely remodel homes built before 1978 that may contain lead paint.
The Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, which involved specific safety precautions and criteria for contractor certification, took effect April 22. The agency has faced criticism for more than a year from remodelers’ trade groups that argued there was not adequate time to get firms certified.
The EPA said contractors still must follow the safety precautions of the new rule but it is giving companies more time to take the required training courses and to file the paperwork showing their use of lead-safe work practices. The agency will not take enforcement action against any firm until October.
Although Senator Inhofe has succeeded in achieving a much needed delay
of enforcement of the EPA lead paint rule, proposed is an even more
onerous addition to the Renovator Rule. If enacted the latest EPA
revision will require laboratory dust clearance for even many small
jobs, at a cost of hundreds of dollars per job. The testing could
often more than the job itself. The proposal also makes it illegal to
use most of the HEPA vacs recently purchased for this purpose.
A more complete analysis of the revision is posted at http://www.renovatorrules.com
The EPA comment period ends July 6th. If you have concerns let the
EPA, your US Senator and Congressmen know how you feel.
I am hoping that many if not all the HUD funded housing agencies can deal with this in a fair manner, the classes in my area were filled as only 3 days were offered, and it appears the demand is high across the state and other states as well. Recently having a state accredited course taught by a EPA approved instructor makes me wonder in general if this is really any new information for the contractor or simply a way of promoting extensive test fees to those who are already taking the precautions outlined in the original training classes.