EPA Finalizes Proposed Lead Dust Plan But Faces Likely Lawsuit

Facing a court deadline, EPA has issued a final rule that codifies its earlier plans to strengthen its standards identifying hazards from lead paint dust in residential facilities while declining to adopt a new definition of “lead paint,” an approach that appears likely to draw a suit from environmentalists who criticized the proposed version of the plans. EPA June 21 released a rule that strengthens its prior hazard identification standards from 40 micrograms per square foot (µg/ft 2 ) for...