EPA and the Department of Justice Reach Agreement with Lowe’s
WASHINGTON, DC - The EPA and the Department of Justice announced that Lowe’s Home Centers, one of the nation’s largest home improvement retailers, agreed to implement a comprehensive, corporate-wide compliance program at its over 1,700 stores nationwide to ensure that the contractors it hires to perform work minimize lead dust from home renovation activities, as required by the federal Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule. The company will also pay a $500,000 civil penalty, which is the largest ever for violations of the RRP Rule.
On February 18, 2014, EPA announced additional enforcement actions that will require 35 home renovation contractors and training providers to take additional steps to protect communities by minimizing harmful lead dust from home renovation activities, as required by RRP Standards. These standards provide protection for children and others vulnerable to exposure to lead dust that can cause lead poisoning. The enforcement actions, which all require contractors to certify compliance with the RRP standards, led to more than $274,000 in civil penalties.