EPA Updates Lead-Safe Certification Program

The most recent amendments to the Repair, Renovate and Paint (RRP) program became effective October 4, 2011. The regulations and associated guidance documents can be found on the government’s web page at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm.

As a result of these amendments, EPA has updated compliance assistance and education materials relating to various aspects of the RRP program.

These updated materials include a new version of “Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools.” Renovators must now begin providing this revised version to owners and occupants. However, they may use the older version if they have printed stock remaining. In that case, please be sure to include the replacement Page 10, which can be found at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/insert.pdf.

Compliance assistance tools for renovators, firms and training providers also are available on the EPA website.

As a reminder, currently 12 states are authorized to have their own RRP program in lieu of the EPA federal program. These states are Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

NARI Survey: Does Lead Rule Protect Children?

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) surveyed homeowners nationwide to gain a better understanding of the following:

• Their overall knowledge and attitude toward the EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) Rule.
• The impact of EPA’s LRRP Rule on a homeowner’s decision, should they live in targeted housing, to undertake a renovation, remodel or home repair.
•  How many homeowners may seek out ways to save money on a home repair, remodel or renovation by hiring a non-certified individual to undertake the work, or by undertaking it themselves.
• Their attitudes about a portion of a proposed EPA Rule EPA-HQ-OPPT-2005-0049, the Lead Clearance Testing Rule, and its perceived affect on the sale of their homes in the future.

The results from the NARI Home-owner Survey on LRRP concluded in July 2011 show that a large number of homeowners would hire a non-compliant individual, or undertake the work themselves, in order to save money on a project.

More than 60 percent of homeowners surveyed indicated they may or would skirt the LRRP rule in order to save money. That means more than 45,192,253 homeowners in the United States likely would find a way to skirt the current rule.

NARI is concerned that this, with other factors revealed by the survey, ultimately will counteract the original intent of the LRRP Rule: to protect children, especially those under six years of age, and pregnant women from the dangers of lead poisoning from disturbing old layers of lead paint.

To read the full survey results, visit www.nari.org/media.

Research Shows Green Job Scams are Growing, New Green Jobs Clearinghouse Finds Best Sites

The Live Green, Live Smart Institute (www.livegreenlivesmart.org) vetted over 123 green job sites to find out where the green jobs were. During the screening, they discovered numerous sites set up to take advantage of job hunters, even to potentially use information gathered for identity theft, to gather email addresses for spam mailings, or just increase traffic for advertising and search engine optimization.  

The Institute has some tips for green job hunters. 

1. Never fill out an online resume and give out your passport number, driver’s license number, checking account or credit card numbers, or your social security number.
2. When asked to complete an online security check form for the purposes of the national security (Patriot Act), do not give out any personal information. Do these forms in person and in an office where you know who will get the information and how it will be used. 
3. Some sites ask for a credit card to list your resume or to represent you. Don’t do this. Quality recruiters don’t require upfront money; the employer pays the fees.
4. Avoid predators; don’t send pictures of yourself; don’t send your social link address (Facebook). Never visit a job site or recruiter’s office or home without a good sense of how safe this location is.
5. Is the job really green? Many green jobs really are only jobs painted green. Example: Sales jobs for ordinary cleaning supplies are not really green and often have great titles like VP of ECO Products. Later, you find out everyone is a VP.
6. Thoroughly check out the organization or company listing the job before you fill out a resume or go to an interview.
7. When you find a bogus job site, inform the Attorney General in your state.
8. Sites with locations in Nigeria, Russia and most of Africa are likely bogus.
9. When the position says, “Senior Environmental Engineering Position, no previous environmental experience or degree required,” you have a fake position. 

In order to aid potential green job hunters, the Live Green, Live Smart Institute has posted on its website a Green Jobs Clearinghouse (www.livegreenlivesmart.org), listing the top 30 sites found to be among the best for green jobs. This does not mean that some of these sites might not have future problems or that other sites do not have some good positions as well.