Greetings, Green Gurus:
As unbelievable as it sounds, the Environmental PROTECTION Agency has launched a PR blitz in support of their "new use rule" on asbestos. So the BuildingGreen community needs to push back harder. I'm reposting the links to the letter of opposition that Mary Ann Lazarus put up last week. We definitely need more firms to sign on.
Please forward as well to any firm from the building trade….developers, businesses that lease or buy buildings, firms, engineers, designers- any firm that cares about non-toxic buildings! In the interest of getting a broader base of supporters, the petition will remain open for a little while longer.
Here's the link to the petition:
More info:
General notice:
https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/federal-register-notice-proposed-snur-asbestos
Site with the access portal to comment system:
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0159-0001
And here's a report on the EPA's push-back:
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/400966-epa-pushes-back-on-asbestos-criticisms
Again, please forward to any firm you think may be interested in signing the letter!
Many thanks,
MD
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Previously banned uses of asbestos, including some building products, should (in theory) remain banned.
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New uses of asbestos, including building products for which asbestos has not explicitly been banned, may become acceptable at the EPA’s discretion. It's the "discretion" part that we're all worried about.
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There is general concern in the health/environmental community that this the language of the new “Significant Use Rule” (SNUF) is a slippery slope, leaving a big opening for significant increases in asbestos use.
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55 other countries have banned asbestos completely, but not Russia, the US, China and Canada.
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Russia is by far the US’s largest source for asbestos, particularly since Brazil banned mining in late 2017. (This leads to other questions about federal government motivations.)
This letter should be a no brainer. Please review and sign at your earliest convenience. Thanks,Mara MARA BAUM AIA, LEED Fellow, WELL AP, WELL Faculty Principal | Sustainable Design Leader, Health and Wellness HOK 1 Bush St., Suite 200 | San Francisco, CA 94104 USA t +1 415 356 8660 m +1 415 691 9782 mara.baum@hok.com
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