To "Lead" or not to "Lead"

As the title for this blog states, that really is the question. Or rather, the question becomes how the EPA, federal legislators and contractors nationwide can agree to a consensus on the best way to move forward with a lead-paint removal/restoration policy. In the upcoming issue of the RSES Journal, I penned a column about how the flooding in Tennessee has had not just a dramatic effect on home- and business owners, but on contractors trying to repair the damage Mother Nature has wrought.
Originally, the EPA had passed its regulations stating that contractors had to be certified to work on pre-1978-built buildings if they were residences, schools or day-care facilities. But with so few contractors licensed...and so few groups available to provide the proper training, the EPA has changed its tune. Sort of.
On June 18, the EPA issued a memorandum extending the EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule deadline for renovators to enroll in training classes to September 30, 2010. In addition, it has extended the deadline for contractors to complete training to December 31, 2010. EPA also has agreed to work to provide additional trainers in areas of need. An article from the Greensboro (NC) News-Record offers some basic information here.
That raises the larger question of how the EPA, government officials and contractors/developers/technicians/laborers will be able to work together on the proposed lead-paint rules for commercial buildings. Oklahoma's Republican Senator James Inhofe has asked EPA to extend the period for public comment on those rules. Inhofe has stated that the additional period is necessary because of the wide scope of individuals that such a regulation could impact. Inhofe wrote to Stephen Owens, Assistant EPA administrator in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, that "previous lead-paint programs have focused on high-need subpopulations, such as pregnant women and children, and residential buildings. Public and commercial buildings will present an array of different issues."
What the next steps will be is anyone's guess. But one thing is certain: HVACR professionals should keep their eyes peeled and their ears open. Because as soon as one action gets pushed forward, it appears that another one is right on its heels.