Hidden camera investigation on contractors: EPA not enforcing contractors on RRP lead law to keep homeowners safe.

Link to news report by jenn strathman 

Cleveland news 5 interviewed Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, (11th district in Ohio) who said, at the time her interview, there were 1000 tips and complaints about RRP violations and contractors work made to the EPA with no enforcement actions. (Jenn Strathman reported at the end of the report that there was finally one enforcement action. She referenced the Maine contractor who was caught and posted on YouTube.)

Congresswoman Fudge said that this is unacceptable. She also says that without enforcement contractors will just keep on doing work the ways they always have and think they can get away with it. 

Rep Dennis Kucinich says the EPA is relying on the honor system approach for contractors to follow the law. He says that will not work. In other words he says contractors cannot be trusted to comply with the law unless there is enforcement. He promised that he will push the EPA to do the right thing and enforce.

Jenn Stathman says contractors she interviewed are very unhappy about the unlevel playing field having to compete against contractors who are not certified.

Here is the video;

The word is getting out to the media that the EPA has done a less than stellar job of enforcing this law. I predict we will start seeing numerous YouTube videos and news reports throughout the country. Certified contractors are sick and tired of doing the right thing to be legal while illegally operating businesses get away with breaking the rules. Legal contractors may not agree with everything in the RRP Law but most are doing it because it is the right thing to do. Now they expect the EPA and delegated states to get out there and catch the ones who are not TODAY!

One contractor in our RRP Workshop said " I have spent over 5 grand so far getting my employees and myself trained, I bought the HEPA Vacs and shrouds, I set up my documentation and met with my attorney. My attorney told me to up my insurance. My insurance told me to get my OSHA respiratory and medical programs in place. I am not done yet. I expect that if I have to do all this stuff then I am justified in demanding that the EPA gets the illegal contractors off the street now."

Maybe regulators are starting to get the message that regulation without enforcement usually fails.

mark the coach

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