Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

[Otis P. Driftwood]

http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/lowe...llc-settlement

[Ted S.]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

Pretty sweet, the EPA made $500k on that one.

[S.Joisey]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

Interesting.

A large number of those in my RRP class were Lowes contractors. Lowes mandated that they be certified.

[Dick Seibert]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

There are hearings going on in Congress now attempting to clip the wings of the EPA, they have introduced a bill HR 4012 requiring the EPA to prove their allegations prior to adopting them as regulations. I don't know if this will be retroactive to existing regulations like the lead rules if it does pass, but I'd guess that it would only apply to future regulations.

[Ted S.]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

I guess the $99 window replacement really was too good to be true.

[kfc510]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

Interesting.

A large number of those in my RRP class were Lowes contractors. Lowes mandated that they be certified.

Certified doesn't mean in compliance, though.

Looks like a lot of the violations were record keeping. And also some LSWP problems, which is hardly shocking.

I'm glad to see some splashy enforcement like this. Not sure why it took so long. I bet a $500,000 fine will make the news.

They should go after Comcast in CA. The 6' minimum rule is void here, so ANY disturbing of pre-78 untested paint is a violation. I've never seen a cable guy so much as sweep up the dust/chips from their holes outside the house. Talk about low hanging fruit.

[kfc510]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

Pretty sweet, the EPA made $500k on that one.

Good, maybe they won't triple our fees:
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/busines...-paint-program

[Ted S.]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

kfc, from you link:

"Participation and fee collections fall a whopping 65% short of estimates"

"According to a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the EPA is losing money on its lead-based paint program."

So they we looking to turn a profit and we're counting their money before they made it.

[MarkMc]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

So they we looking to turn a profit and we're counting their money before they made it.

Exactly. Must be more of that secret science in action!

[kfc510]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

kfc, from you link:

"Participation and fee collections fall a whopping 65% short of estimates"

"According to a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the EPA is losing money on its lead-based paint program."

So they we looking to turn a profit and we're counting their money before they made it.

They were hoping to at least break even. All these regs are semi-required to pay their way, for some reason. (Do we make the armed forces give a certain ROI? For the country, that is, not KBR or Raytheon...)

The important takeaway from that link is that only 1/3 of the contractors they expected to get certified bothered. For some reason, 2/3 of the builders who the EPA thought should be certified said "naw, why would I do that?"

No stick, no carrot; no law.

The Lowes case is a fine start, though. Just a little late. Has anyone seen it on the news anywhere? You'd think a half-million dollar fine of a major nationwide retailer would get some press. WSJ, maybe?

edit to add: I see it's in the LA times, and ABC did a thing on it too. That's very good. Maybe some HO's will start asking us for our certification some day.

[m beezo]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

I believe some of the fines organated in Alton Ill. That is maybe 30 minutes north and east of me, mostly north. So someone in the area is looking....

[kfc510]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

I believe some of the fines organated in Alton Ill. That is maybe 30 minutes north and east of me, mostly north. So someone in the area is looking....

They're saying it was the result of complaints. So it isn't EPA going around busting the blatant rule breakers. Maybe it was customers, maybe it was pissed-off contractors who dropped a dime. But as far as I know they just don't do OSHA type drive-bys.

"The EPA, as part of a review spurred by consumer tips and complaints, said the violations made public Thursday involved certain Lowe's stores in Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Vermont."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireS...-dust-23365771

[Allan Edwards]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

I had several conversations with the EPA office regarding RRP, they were very helpful. I mentioned the enforcement issue and was told like a lot of government agencies their enforcement officers are just stretched out and they cannot monitor every remodel job. They told me how many people they had to cover the entire state of Texas, it was ridiculously low. They said Congress had just not provided the required funding.

[kfc510]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

I had several conversations with the EPA office regarding RRP, they were very helpful. I mentioned the enforcement issue and was told like a lot of government agencies their enforcement officers are just stretched out and they cannot monitor every remodel job. They told me how many people they had to cover the entire state of Texas, it was ridiculously low. They said Congress had just not provided the required funding.

That sounds right, Allan, I've had the same experience here. Apparently there are two inspectors for all of Northern Ca., and they're based in Sacramento.

[dgbldr]

Re: Lowes Pays fine and agrees to comply with RRP...

Do we make the armed forces give a certain ROI?

More pillaging needs to be implemented...