Yesterday, amendments (75 FR 24802-24819) to the EPA's Lead Renovation Repair and Painting Program regulations (40 CFR 745) went into effect. These amendments close the "opt-out" provision, which had allowed homeowners to opt out of new safety requirements if there were no children under 6 or pregnant women in the home. There is no longer an opt-out option, and all pre-1978 homes are now covered.
The regulations also have strict training and certification requirements, but the EPA has eased the training deadline somewhat. In a press release yesterday, the agency said:
"Because of concern that contractors in some areas may be having difficulty accessing training classes, EPA recently announced that it is providing renovation firms and workers additional time to obtain training and certifications to comply with the new lead rules. EPA will not take enforcement action for violations of the rule’s firm certification requirement until October 1, 2010, and will not enforce certification requirements against individual renovation workers if they apply to enroll in certified renovator classes by September 30, 2010 and complete the training by December 31, 2010."
See our Law About Lead Poisoning and Control for more information on state and federal requirements.
