Lead-Based Paint Rules: Enforcement delayed until fall

The Wall Street Journal is reporting important news out of the EPA about the new Lead-Based Paint standards for property owners (see the brief at the end of this page):

The Environmental Protection Agency decided to delay enforcing a new lead-paint regulation following pressure from home builders and members of Congress ... The rule would require contractors who work in older homes to become certified by a government-approved trainer and follow a series of safety precautions.

The EPA will delay taking action against contractors who haven't yet completed their training, putting off enforcement until Oct. 1.

The National Association of Home Builders has more:

In revised guidance released on Friday, EPA acknowledged that remodelers in many parts of the country have been unable to obtain the required training to comply with the rule – a problem that NAHB has urged the agency to solve since the rule was announced two years ago...The issue came to a head in May after floods devastated parts of Tennessee and there weren’t enough certified remodelers to complete much-needed home repairs. NAHB and its state home builders association proposed a delay in enforcing the rule -- a decision EPA consented to in its letter on Friday.