SCHAUMBURG, IL -- Rich Walker, President and CEO of the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), met with the staff of U.S. Senator Tom Carper, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other government and industry leaders urging them to support a one-year delay in implementing the EPA's Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (LRRP). In addition to AAMA, those present included the Northeast Window and Door Association, as well as several Delaware window manufacturers and dealers.

 

The May 20 meeting with Senator Carper occurred nearly a month after the LRRP Rule took effect and six months after a letter from the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy called into question the science and data on which EPA based many of the regulatory decisions.

 

The SBA Advocacy letter to the EPA raised concerns about neglected legal procedures, questioned the validity of studies used by EPA in their decision making and strongly discouraged the exclusion of the opt-out provision. The opt-out provision would have allowed those homeowners without children under six or a pregnant woman living in the home to opt out of compliance with these regulations for their home renovations or repairs. Eliminating this clause was a major change in the regulation, decided only days after the LRRP rule's April 22 implementation.

 

Walker noted, "The industry believes that EPA has singled out the window industry as subject to these regulations and then ignored our legitimate concerns. Under such conditions, we have no choice but to appeal to our elected representatives and ask them to help move our request to the policy level within the EPA."

 

On behalf of AAMA, Walker requested that Carper and all of the U.S. Congress support legislation introduced April 29 that would postpone implementation until accreditation classes are held for a period of at least one year. He also asked that Congress consider holding hearings to review the concerns expressed by the SBA Advocacy and by the window industry as a whole, and consider the negative economic impact to homeowners, contractors and manufacturers.