Last Wednesday we had Kachina Contractor Solutions, an EPA Certified Trainer conduct EPA RRP Training for our contractors. The training answered many questions about this new rule.
One question confusing contractors is does a contractor have to be a Certified Renovator before they can qualify to become a Certified Firm. The answer is no. The EPA started accepting applications in October 2009, from contracting firms who want to work on pre-1978 properties on or after the effective date of 4/22/2010.
This confusion is causing a huge problem for contractors in the industry. Many contractors believe that they must obtain their EPA RRP Certified Renovator Training first and then apply to become a Certified Firm. This confusion has led to delays in completing the required application for firm certification. We have received numerous phone calls this week from contractors who did not know they could apply.
The EPA has stated in their publications, that all contracting firms in the United States, who wish to work on pre-1978 must be a Certified Firm by 4/22/2010. The application will take 90 days to process on a first come first serve basis. This means that a contractor only has 3 months and one week to receive the approval if they send the application in today.
Does anyone remember the cash for clunkers program? The underfunded government agency handling this program was inundated and could not process all the applications. Payments were delayed for months. We may experience a similar situation come April when thousands of contractors may miss the deadline and have to wait for their firm certifications.
Most contractors, building officials and US citizens are unaware of the impending effective date. Our EMNARI President, Greg Antonoili recently reported that he spoke with several health and building inspectors in the Boston market and they had no knowledge of this new rule. What do you think is about to happen with only three months left? We suspect after speaking with the EPA, that they will be flooded and the turn around time will be limited by the amount of resources they have on hand to process the applications. If you are reading this please let all contractors you know that if they haven't sent in their application yet they should do so right away. Of course, if you haven't sent yours in yet we suggest you do this weekend. The fines for violations are $37,500 per day per violation. Another choice while you are waiting for your application to be processed, would be not to work on any home built before 1978 until you receive your approval.
The Contractor Coaching Partnership has included this form on our website along with other important forms. You can also obtain these forms from the EPA Lead sites. Their are numerous links on our site that you can use. We are providing the firm application download below.
