Good news for contractors regarding the new Lead based paint law.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
www.nahb.org


NAHB Applauds EPA'S Decision to Delay Lead Paint Certification Enforcement

WASHINGTON, June 21--The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to delay enforcement of the new Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule will provide much-needed time to get more remodelers and other contractors trained - and for EPA to get the word out to consumers about the importance of hiring a certified remodeler, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

"EPA listened to our concerns and did the right thing," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

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.

While remodelers, electricians, heating and air conditioning technicians and other contractors must adhere to lead-safe work practices, including special equipment filters and a ban on open flames, EPA will not take enforcement action against firms that have been unable to obtain certification until Oct. 1 of this year.

Individual contractors must apply to enroll in a training class by Sept. 30 and complete the training by Dec. 31, 2010.

"This rule potentially affects about 79 million homeowners. That's how many homes were built before 1978, when lead paint was banned," Jones said. "We need significantly more contractors certified than the 300,000 who have taken the training course, and we also need to make sure that affected homeowners understand the importance of hiring a certified contractor."

Homeowners can find a certified firm at this link. Remodelers can search for an EPA-approved training provider at this link or contact their local home builders association here to find Certified Renovator training sessions.


ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 175,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country.

A great Green concept for people who want new homes, and don't want to recycle a pre-built home!

Remember, every time you buy, sell or lease any pre-owned home you are recycling©." ~ Darlene H. Grimes, Certified EcoBroker©

This is on the home page of our website http://www.ocgreenrealty.com/ where I like to encourage people to purchase already built homes, and keep as much open space and urban sprawl to a minimum. My partner, Mary Jane Humphreys and our team help you to find a great pre-owned home, then help you with the resources to green it up so you can live healthier, save money, and help save the planet (that's green real estate in a nutshell.)

However, a colleague of mine, Michael Vairin - President & Founder of Builder's Development Group has a great program for those who want a great deal on a lot that will not contribute to urban sprawl. You can read about it on his blog entry from Jan 26th http://blog.buildersdevelopmentgrp.com/

They find smaller lot deals that have been overlooked. Some are infill type new home projects and some are lots in newer projects that did not get finished but since there are usually a small number of lots, it does not make sense for the public home builders in California, so individual buyers can get them and usually at a great price!