Most Home Remodeling Will Soon Require EPA-Certified Workers according to this news report from a Washington, DC TV station.
On April 22, the Environmental Protection Agency is slated to enact rules requiring EPA certification for contractors working on homes built before lead paint was banned in 1978.
So far, the EPA has certified only 14,000 workers in lead-safe practices despite its own estimate that more than 200,000 will need to be trained, according to the [National Association of Home Builders].
Geez -- practically everything in the entire City of Utica was built before 1978 . . .
But WHY is home remodeling a FEDERAL issue? The homes aren't traveling in interstate commerce (one would notice if they were) . . . Mom & Pop contractors aren't in interstate commerce. . .
The certification process must be a nice government-created business for some politically-connected entities. Obviously someone is getting paid for this.
Why isn't anyone questioning the authority of the Federal Government to enact such a rule? Mr. Arcuri . . . Where are you????
Wake up, people . . . The Feds are taking over EVERYTHING!
4 comments:
Wow! This is the first I've heard of it! What does it mean for people (like me) who are too cheap to hire contractors and do the work on their own?
Interesting that the article also mentions the Obama administration is trying to get $6billion for home renovations...it'll be hard to spend that if no one is able to do the work! I wonder how many jobs that will 'create or save'...
This has apparently been in the works for a while...
http://blog.sprlaw.com/2010/02/new-lead-based-paint-requirements-under-epa’s-renovation-repair-and-painting-rule-go-into-effect-in-april-2010/
Of course, the wording of the actual regs (http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/2008/April/Day-22/t8141.pdf) indicates that it applys to any contractor doing work anywhere children might be present, not just rental properties or public buildings; you may still be allowed to work on your own single-family home without being certified, though I didn't read all 79 pages of the reg myself.
The EPA document is dated 4/22/2008, but is apparently the result of years of work; apparently President Clinton had established the "President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children" in 1992(? no date given) and President Bush extended it in 10/2001. Interesting quote from the reg:
"In 1992, Congress found that low-level lead poisoning was widespread among American children, affecting, at that time, as many as 3,000,000 children under age 6; that the ingestion of household dust containing lead from deteriorating or abraded lead- based paint was the most common cause of lead poisoning in children; and that the health and development of children living in as many as 3,800,000 American homes was endangered by chipping or peeling lead paint, or excessive amounts of lead-contaminated dust in their homes. Congress further determined that the prior Federal response to this threat was insufficient and enacted Title X of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, Public Law 102–550 (also known as the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992) (‘‘the Act’’ or ‘‘Title X’’). Title X established a national goal of eliminating lead-based paint hazards in housing as expeditiously as possible and provided a leadership role for the Federal government in building the infrastructure necessary to achieve this goal.
Subsequently, President Clinton created the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children. Co-chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Administrator of EPA, the Task Force consisted of representatives from 16 Federal departments and agencies. The Task Force set a Federal goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning by the year 2010 (Ref. 2). In October 2001, President Bush extended the work of the Task Force for an additional 18 months beyond its original charter. Reducing lead poisoning in children was the Task Force’s top priority. Although more work remains to be done, significant progress has been made towards reducing lead poisoning in children. The estimated percentage of children with blood lead levels above the CDC level of concern declined from 4.4% between 1991 and 1994 to 1.6% between 2003 and 2004. More information on Federal efforts to address lead poisoning, including the responsibilities of EPA and other Federal Agencies under Title X, can be found in Units III.A. and III.B. of the preamble to the 2006 Lead; Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program Proposed Rule (‘‘2006 Proposal’’) (Ref. 3)."
So even though the percentage of children with possible problems has been cut by 2/3, expensive certifications for contractors are apparently still required, even though they may not actually make a difference (after all, children can be exposed to lead in places that are not/have not been renovated just as easily).
According to the "National Center for Healthy Housing", this apparently closes a loophole that has existed for a couple of years, which allowed homeowners to basically waive the lead certification requirement.
http://www.nchh.org/Policy/National-Policy/EPAs-Renovation--Repair--and-Painting-Rule.aspx
The NCHH people think this is wonderful; apparently they feel we're too dumb to assess the risks ourselves and have to be forced to do things "the right way", even if that way is expensive and pointless.
Oh geez. NY can't take care of itself so the feds are taking over. NYers don't care because they're used to gov't breathing down their backs and asking for bribes.
Move along, nothing new here.
No, literally... move along... to Texas or Colorado something.
Get used to it folks.The government will control the bulk of your lives. Elections have consequences!
Post a Comment