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EPA Lead Paint Proposal Would Hit More Remodeling Jobs
In response to a proposal last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to widen its lead paint requirements, NAHB is looking for stories from remodelers and other contractors on how lead paint regulations have affected their business.
The agency’s lead-paint rules are focused on homes built before 1978, which are more likely to contain lead. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, these homes account for 68% of the nation’s total housing stock.
More stringent EPA lead-paint regulations that go into effect in April are limited to pre-1978 homes inhabited by a child six years old or younger or by a pregnant woman, the two populations most likely to be adversely affected by lead dust.
The proposal announced last week would impose the regulations on all pre-1978 housing, regardless of who is living in it. An exception would be homes whose owners had them tested to guarantee they contained no lead-based paint.
Under the rules taking place early next year, remodelers are required to complete eight hours of training in lead-safe work practices and pay a $300 firm certification fee to be able to work in the targeted housing.
Remodelers must also keep records on the work they have done in the home and ensure that the home owner has a copy of them.
The rule also applies to air conditioning contractors, plumbers and other trades that the remodeler may subcontract with, according to the EPA. All “for-hire” contract work that disturbs more than six square feet of interior surfaces or 20 square feet of exterior surface in target housing is subject to the rule.
The EPA is seeking comments on its new proposal by Nov. 27. However, because of a furlough for all NAHB employees that week, the association must submit its comments by Nov. 20. That makes the need to understand what this rule will do to individual remodeling companies even more pressing, said Michael Mittelholzer, NAHB’s assistant vice president for environmental issues.
“This is an extremely short rulemaking period for changes that we believe will have important consequences for our members,” Mittelholzer said.
“What will it do to the cost of remodeling? How would the additional recordkeeping requirements affect their businesses? We need concrete examples to prove our point to the EPA that these proposals won’t have the intended result of keeping this target population safer,” he said. “In fact, it is more likely to drive them to use illegal, uncertified firms, or do the work themselves — which can be even more unhealthy.”
Under the EPA rule, home owners in targeted homes can have the work done anyway they choose.
Remodelers who have noticed an impact on their businesse from EPA regulation on lead paint are urged to e-mail Matt Watkins at NAHB with details; or call him at 800-368-5242 x8327.
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