EPA AGREES TO SENATOR COLLINS' REQUEST TO ALLOW SMALL CONTRACTORS ADDITIONAL TIME TO COMPLY WITH NEW EPA LEAD PAINT RULE

Small contractors around the country will now have more time to comply with new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lead paint abatement regulations as a result of the efforts of Senator Susan Collins. Last month, Senator Collins led a successful effort to amend the Fiscal Year 2010 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill to provide contractors with more time to receive mandated training in order to avoid onerous fines.

The rule, called "Lead: Renovation, Repair and Paint Rule," went into effect April 22, 2010. It requires that contractors who perform work in homes built before 1978 be EPA certified or face fines up to $37,500 per violation per day. Unfortunately, in most states, there are not enough certified trainers to educate contractors about these new requirements. For example, there is just one trainer in Oklahoma and three in the entire state of Maine, as well as three in Tennessee where the rule could slow down recovery from its recent flooding disaster.

On Friday, EPA responded to the Senate's action by issuing a memorandum extending the deadline for renovators to enroll in training classes to September 30, 2010. In addition, it has extended the deadline for contractors to complete the training to December 31, 2010, and the agency has agreed to work to provide additional trainers in areas of need.

"There is no question that we must continue our efforts to rid lead-based paint from our homes. Maine children are at particularly high risk for lead poisoning because more than 60 percent of our state's homes were built before lead-based paint was banned in 1978," said Senator Collins. "I appreciate that the EPA recognizes that it must boost the number of certified trainers in each state and that small contractors need more time to comply with EPA's rule.