I was taking a gander at one of the Republicans’ latest bits of anti-Obama pablum, a report called “Broken Government: How the Administrative State has Broken President Obama’s Promise of Regulatory Reform” (pdf). In it, the very first job-killing regulatory move they decry is described thusly:
The removal of the opt-out provision in the EPA lead paint rule is a blatant example and has dire consequences for job creators.
What is the “opt-out provision in the EPA lead paint rule”? Essentially, the EPA removed a provision that allowed remodelers to opt out of “complying with training and work practice requirements of the rule when the firm obtains a certification from the owner of a residence he or she occupies that no child under age 6 or pregnant women resides in the home and the home is not a child-occupied facility”. They did this because they found that that this didn’t really protect kids because remodelers often come into a home and remodel right before it’s sold. Lead dust and residues would be present and could harm children if the home was bought by a family with kids. From the rule:
EPA believes the opt-out provision is not sufficiently protective for children under age 6 and pregnant women, the most vulnerable populations identified in the RRP rule. As pointed out by a number of commenters on the RRP rule, the opt-out provision does not protect families with young children who may purchase recently renovated target housing. Removal of the opt-out will result in fewer homes being purchased with lead hazards created by renovation, repair, and painting activities. Under the RRP rule, the opt-out provision was limited to owner-occupied target housing and did not extend to vacant rental housing because of the concern that future tenants could unknowingly move into a rental unit where dust-lead hazards created by the renovation are present. In the same way, dust-lead hazards created during renovations in an owner-occupied residence conducted prior to a sale will be present for the next occupants. It is common for home owners to hire contractors to perform activities that disturb paint before selling a house, thus increasing the likelihood of lead hazards being present for someone buying a home, which may include a family with a child under age 6 or a pregnant woman. There are other benefits to removing the opt-out provision, including protection for family pets, as lead poisonings resulting from renovations have been documented in both cats and dogs.
That’s not “job killing”. That’s protecting kids (with the added bonus of protecting their moms, dads, aunts & uncles, grandmas & grandpas, pooties and woozles.)
Leave it to the Republicans to take something that has a very real use in protecting our most vulnerable citizens (kids under 6) and use against the administration by describing it as a regulation killing jobs.
Republicans: harming America for political gain. Shameful.
