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Proposed Remodeling and Renovation Rule
In 1992, Congress required EPA to issue a rule that would require
lead-safe work practices to be used when remodeling or renovating buildings
built before 1978, the year that lead-based paint was banned in the United
States. The rule was to have been adopted by October 1996. A protective
RRP rule is one of the key ways to combat the completely preventable disease
of lead poisoning.
Background
In response to Congressional pressure, a potential lawsuit from several
organizations, and a letter sent in March 2005 by the
Alliance and dozens of groups and individuals, EPA
issued a proposed lead-safe remodeling and renovation rule
on January 10, 2006. The rule, while mandating work site containment and
other important protective measures, falls short in several respects.
The proposed rule does not prohibit dangerous work practices, such as
open flame torching, uncontrolled power sanding or grinding, and uncontrolled
sandblasting or power washing, and it does not require clearance testing
upon job completion to ensure that lead-contaminated dust is not left
behind to poison residents. The
Alliance worked with advocates from around the country to bring these
important issues to light, and many diverse organizations
submitted comments to EPA on the proposed rule. You can read the Alliance's
comments here.
EPA reopened the comment period on the rule in early 2007, after two
new studies were conducted. The Alliance and several other organizations
submitted a sign-on letter during the comment period, urging EPA Administrator
Stephen Johnson to personally intervene and see to it that EPA issues
a final rule that adequately protects public health. You can read the
sign-on letter here.
The Alliance and the National Center for Healthy Housing also submitted
comments, which you can read here.
HUD Issues Voluntary IPM Guidance in Reaction to Complaints about
its Pesticide Policy
In October 2003, a number of groups and states Attorneys General called
on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to comply
with an existing federal law governing the pest management activities
of federal agencies. The groups and Attorneys General urged HUD to revise
the Department’s regulations to require integrated
pest management (IPM) practices at HUD-funded public housing
developments. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
mandates that “[f]ederal agencies shall use Integrated Pest Management
techniques in carrying out pest management activities and shall promote
Integrated Pest Management through procurement and regulatory policies
and other activities.” However, at the time, HUD regulations did
not address the issue for the 3,300 public housing authorities nationwide
that manage HUD-funded developments.
Despite December 2003 and November 2004 responses asserting the adequacy
of its past IPM efforts, in February 2006, HUD issued voluntary
IPM guidelines for all public housing agencies. The guidelines
recommend making IPM information available to public housing managers
and "encourage" public housing agencies to use IPM in their
properties. The guidelines contain no requirements or mandates about the
use of IPM.
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