The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced it was delaying enforcement of its Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, which became effective on April 22, 2010.
The EPA has acknowledged the need for additional time for renovation firms and workers to become trained and certified under the rule. The specific delays are:
Until October 1, 2010, EPA will not take enforcement action for violations of the RRP Rule’s firm certification requirement.
For violations of the RRP Rule’s renovation worker certification requirement, EPA will not enforce against individual renovation workers if the person has applied to enroll in, or has enrolled in, by not later than September 30, 2010, a certified renovator class to train contractors in practices necessary for compliance with the final rules. Renovators must complete the training by December 31, 2010.
Contractors and building suppliers alike have numerous concerns with the overly complex and burdensome RRP Rule, including the removal of the opt-out provision and the lack of reliable test kits.
The rule could have a severe impact on the remodeling market in several parts of the country and expose dealers and contactors to unnecessary liability. In addition, new proposals from EPA on clearance testing and an expansion of the rule to commercial construction pose additional challenges for the industry, which has still yet to recover from the recession.
EPA’s announcement can be downloaded here. For more information on compliance with the RRP, click here.
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