National Association of Home Builders (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
March, 2013 – The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers applauds the reintroduction of legislation to improve the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) lead paint rule for home owners and remodelers who must comply with the costly work practices and recordkeeping requirements of the rule.
The bill would reinstate the opt-out provision to allow home owners without small children or pregnant women residing in the home to decide whether to require the EPA’s Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) compliance, allow remodelers to correct paperwork errors without facing full penalties and provide an exemption for emergency renovations. It would also eliminate the requirement that recertification training be “hands on,” preventing remodelers from having to travel to training facilities out of their region.
The Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2013 (S. 484) was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). Sens. David Vitter (R-La.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) are co-sponsors.
“S. 484 will not only make the EPA’s lead paint rule more workable, but it will continue to protect pregnant women and small children against lead hazards,” said NAHB Remodelers Chairman Bill Shaw, GMR, GMB, CGP, a remodeler from Houston. “We thank Sen. Inhofe and the other co-sponsors for supporting these common-sense improvements.”
The LRRP rule applies to homes built before 1978 and requires renovator training and certification, adherence to lead-safe work practices and record keeping.
By removing the opt-out provision in July 2010, EPA more than doubled the number of homes subject to the LRRP rule, adding an estimated $336 million per year in compliance costs to the remodeling community – without making young children any safer.
For more information about remodeling, visit www.nahb.org/remodel.
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