NAHB has asked the House Committee on Small Business to convene a panel to discuss the failure of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule, citing its excessive regulatory burdens and costs.

“With the new home construction market still at historic lows, the effort to find work in retrofitting and upgrading older housing (remodeling) has been attractive to many unemployed builders,” the letter said.

Click here for the rest of The Nationals Building News story

Our Question: For purposes of cleaning the work area following a renovation, is the interior floor of a garage considered interior or exterior space?

EPA’s Answer: “In general, the interior floor of a garage is considered an interior space for purposes of post-renovation cleanup. EPA recognizes the fact that it may occasionally be impossible for firms to meet all of the cleaning and verification requirements under the Rule for garage floors such as those that are composed of dirt or gravel. In such a case, EPA recommends that a firm document and keep records of the specific circumstances surrounding the impossibility. A firm must also make their best effort to collect and remove all paint chips, dust, debris and residue. Furthermore, a firm must still comply with all feasible work practice standards and take precautions to ensure that the work area is properly contained.”

This response has also been publicly posted at the Question/Answer section of the EPA’s Web site. Go to http://toxics.custhelp.com, enter “garage” as your search term. This Q&A is the third result; the EPA’s response is “Answer ID 7205.”

For door and access dealers, the extension means you have until midnight, September 30, 2010 to have your company, and applicable personnel in your company, certified and trained, or at least registered for certification training. It does not mean that you are relieved from complying with the lead safe work rules, regardless of whether you are or are not certified and registered with the EPA.

This action from the EPA comes following the realization that not enough certified trainers were available to meet the overwhelming demand by the construction industry.

Dealers are encouraged to immediately seek and obtain certification, regardless of whether training courses are available in your immediate area. If you are working on homes built prior to 1978, you must at a minimum have your applications for training and firm registration in the EPA pipeline.

The eight states that have accepted delegation of the rule and are administering it locally (IA, KS, MS, NC, OR, RI, UT, WI) may continue to enforce the certification requirements now. Dealers in these states should contact their state officials and/or local EPA officials for details.

Locations & Dates:
Friday – June 11th @ 8:30 am
9 ½ “A” St., Derry, NH (map)

Thursday, June 16th @ 8:30 am
120 Alexander Dr., Framingham, MA (map)

Thursday, June 24th @ 8:30 am
53 Robinson Blvd., Orange, CT (map)

Using Internet Explorer click here for additional information and registration forms. Click here to download Internet Explorer.

As you read IDA’s explanation of the EPA Rules and the EPA website, you may have additional questions, thoughts and reactions.  If so, please share them on the special IDA blog.