Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0712-0001
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades
Posted Date: 2010-11-09T05:00Z

[Federal Register: November 9, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 216)]
[Notices]               
[Page 68784-68787]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09no10-55]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0712; FRL-9224-3]

 
Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is 
announcing the availability of, and soliciting public comments for 30 
days, on voluntary Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy 
Upgrades, in conjunction with the availability of the Department of 
Energy (DOE) Workforce Guidelines for Home Energy. The EPA protocols 
are intended for voluntary adoption by weatherization assistance 
programs, Federally funded housing programs, private sector home 
performance contracting organizations, and others working on 
residential retrofit or remodeling efforts.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 9, 2010.

ADDRESSES: A draft of the EPA Protocols is available for review and 
public comment at: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/retrofits.html.
    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-
0712, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments. Note, although comments on the 
EPA protocols can be submitted through this Federal Web site, the EPA 
protocols are not a Federal regulation.
     E-mail: to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov.
     Fax: 202-566-1741.
     Mail: Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Attn: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2010-0712. The Agency's policy is that all comments received will 
be included in the public docket without change and may be made 
available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed 
to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information 
that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site 
is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through http://www.regulations.gov your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public 
docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/
epahome/dockets.htm.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available electronically at 
http://www.regulations.gov. As provided in EPA's regulations at 40 CFR 
part 2, and in accordance with normal EPA docket procedures, if copies 
of any docket materials are requested, a reasonable fee may be charged 
for photocopying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric Werling, Indoor Environments 
Division, Mail Code 6609J, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania

[[Page 68785]]

Avenue, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9495; fax 
number: 202-343-2394; e-mail address: werling.eric@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through 
http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of 
the information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk 
or CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM 
as CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the 
specific information that is claimed as CBI). In addition to one 
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as 
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information 
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
     Identify the review document by docket number and other 
identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and 
page number).
     Follow directions--The agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a section or 
page number of the review document.
     Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives 
and substitute language for your requested changes.
     Describe any assumptions and provide any technical 
information and/or data that you used.
     If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how 
you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
     Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and 
suggest alternatives.
     Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the 
use of profanity or personal threats.
     Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. Background

    Title IV of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 
1986 (SARA) gave EPA broad authorization to coordinate research in 
indoor air quality, develop and disseminate information of the subject, 
and coordinate efforts at the Federal, State, and local levels. The 
main objectives of the EPA Indoor Environments program include the 
protection of public health by promoting healthy environments; 
development and implementation of control strategies which would 
prevent, diagnose, abate, and mitigate indoor pollution, including the 
development and dissemination of guidance on those aspects of building 
design and construction, operation and maintenance that affect the 
indoor environment; and the development and dissemination of 
information to educate key audiences about indoor air pollution and its 
associated health risks, mitigation, and control strategies. Using the 
best science available, EPA develops and disseminates information, 
guidance and solution-oriented technologies and serves as a catalyst 
for action by guiding research, using innovative and creative risk 
communication tools and by building public-private partnerships.
    As part of these responsibilities, EPA is developing voluntary 
Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades. These 
protocols are intended for voluntary adoption by weatherization 
assistance programs, Federally funded housing programs, private sector 
home performance contracting organizations, and others working on 
residential energy efficiency retrofits, remodeling or other home 
improvement efforts. A draft is now available for review and comment. 
All of this information--including the draft document and additional 
comment-submitting instructions--can be found on the Agency's Indoor 
Air Quality Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/retrofits.html.
    Concurrently, in May 2009, the Vice President's Middle Class Task 
Force asked the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to 
develop recommendations for Federal action to lay the architecture for 
a self-sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry. In 
response, CEQ facilitated a broad interagency process that resulted in 
the development of six recommendations described in detail in a report 
titled Recovery Through Retrofit.\1\ These recommendations were 
carefully crafted to stimulate the growth of a vibrant, private sector-
led market for residential energy efficiency retrofits. They include 
establishment of a uniform set of national guidelines to promote high-
quality, safe and healthy energy efficiency retrofit work. DOE 
developed Workforce Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades in response to 
this recommendation, in concert with EPA's development of Healthy 
Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades.
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    \1\ http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/Recovery_
Through_Retrofit_Final_Report.pdf.
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    Together, the DOE and EPA documents will: Provide a robust and 
practical set of resources for retrofit contractors, trainers, and 
program administrators; help improve the quality of the work performed 
in this expanding industry; promote occupant health and safety; and 
drive consumer demand for energy efficiency retrofit services. EPA 
encourages reviewers with broader interest in home energy retrofits to 
also review the DOE Workforce Guidelines, available for public comment 
until January 7, 2011 [http://www.weatherization.energy.gov/retrofit_
guidelines].

A. Why is EPA developing voluntary Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols 
for Home Energy Upgrades?

    Millions of American homes will be retrofitted in the coming years 
to improve energy efficiency or make them more ``green.'' Integrated 
healthy home and energy efficiency retrofit activities can lower 
utility costs for Americans and improve indoor air quality in homes at 
the same time. However, there is the potential for weatherization and 
other energy efficiency retrofit activities to negatively impact indoor 
air quality and public health--if the appropriate home assessment is 
not made before work begins and issues that may impact indoor air 
quality are not appropriately addressed. These Protocols provide 
guidance for conducting such home assessments and also provide the 
specific responses necessary to maintain or improve indoor air quality 
in conjunction with energy efficiency retrofits or other remodeling 
activities.
    The Protocols are intended to enhance the ability of other Federal 
agencies, industry standard organizations, State and local programs, 
and the home energy retrofit industry (i.e., home weatherization, 
energy efficiency retrofit, and housing rehabilitation professionals) 
to better integrate health protections into energy focused programs. 
The Protocols apply to single family and multi-family low-rise 
residential dwellings. These Protocols provide recommended minimum 
specifications and additional best practices for protection of occupant 
health and, together with better resources for contractors, will 
facilitate increased home energy efficiency, improve the quality of the 
work performed, and reduce failures and call-backs for contractors.

[[Page 68786]]

B. Why are better health protections needed for home energy retrofits?

    Low-income weatherization and private sector home performance 
contracting programs reduce energy bills, improve comfort, and often 
improve health and safety in the homes of many American families. These 
activities should never adversely affect a home's indoor environment, 
occupant health, or worker health and safety. The most urgent public 
health issues related to home energy retrofits, such as combustion 
safety, already have rigorous standards in place that are enforced 
through program requirements and processes. However, there are other 
public health issues that can be affected by home energy retrofits and 
remodeling work such as occupant exposure to moisture/mold, radon, and 
lead. These draft Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols provide guidance 
on how best to address these issues and the steps necessary to maintain 
or improve indoor air quality while making energy efficiency home 
improvements. Adoption of the EPA Protocols and other protective 
guidelines such as the DOE Workforce Guidelines will help minimize the 
potential unintended health impacts of retrofit and remodeling 
activities.
    Fortunately, the expansion of the DOE's weatherization assistance 
program (WAP) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 
of 2009, and other home energy retrofit initiatives provide unique 
opportunities to simultaneously improve the energy efficiency and the 
healthfulness of American homes. Integrated healthy home and retrofit 
activities can lower utility costs for Americans, while improving the 
indoor air quality in millions of homes. EPA is working with DOE and 
other programs to identify opportunities to reduce or eliminate 
barriers to incorporating more health protective best practices into 
energy efficiency retrofit programs. These protocols, when finalized 
will serve as a core set of practices that can be integrated into 
evolving program standards, training curricula and other elements of 
energy efficiency retrofit programs.

C. What information is included in the DRAFT protocols?

    This DRAFT document includes recommended protocols for assessment 
of indoor environmental quality issues, recommended minimum actions, 
and recommended expanded actions to promote improved occupant health 
through home energy retrofits. Each of these is described below.
    This document DOES NOT:
     Set new EPA regulatory standards;
     Provide guidance for diagnosing occupant health problems 
or building-related illness;
     Replace the need for training or training documents; or
     Provide detailed guidance on how to achieve the intent of 
each recommendation in all situations.
    The document is organized to highlight priority health concerns 
that may relate to home energy efficiency retrofits. Priority issues 
are identified based on whether they are known to pose significant 
health risks to occupants and whether they can be affected by energy 
efficiency retrofit activities. For each ``Priority Issue'' identified 
in Column 1, the matrix identifies the following:
    1. ``Assessment Protocols'' in Column 2 provide EPA-recommended 
assessment protocols for evaluating both existing conditions of concern 
and the potential for additional health concerns that may arise as a 
result of retrofit activities. EPA anticipates recommending adoption of 
the assessment protocols into weatherization and home energy retrofit 
assessment and audit standards and materials.
    2. ``Minimum Actions'' in Column 3 include actions that 
weatherization and home energy retrofit contractors should take to 
ensure that the work they perform in a home does not introduce new 
health concerns or make existing conditions worse. These often 
reference existing standards. EPA anticipates recommending adoption of 
the minimum actions into weatherization and home energy retrofit 
standards and materials, and removal or modification of program rules 
that prohibit these recommended actions.
    3. ``Expanded Actions'' in Column 4 include recommended indoor 
environment improvements that can be made during many home energy 
retrofit projects. The expanded actions are usually low-cost, simple 
improvements that can be performed by home energy retrofit workers with 
proper training and sufficient resources. EPA anticipates recommending 
incorporation of the expanded actions into weatherization assistance 
program and other home energy retrofit program guidance and training 
materials, and collaboration to help overcome barriers to these 
recommended healthy homes actions.
    Additional resources (standards, guidelines, etc.) have been 
included for further information on each issue, including recommended 
assessment and performance standards, and supplemental guidance 
information.
    In addition, EPA anticipates the need for supplemental assessment 
tools such as worksheets and checklists, to help assessors and 
contractors manage critical job information. Therefore, EPA plans to 
develop sample assessment tools to accompany these protocols, such as 
the following sample tool concepts:
     Sample Mold and Moisture Assessment Form.
     Sample Radon Testing and Assessment Form.
     Sample Home Ventilation Worksheet.

D. How is EPA recommending the protocols be used?

    These protocols were developed to assist weatherization assistance 
programs and other home energy retrofit and remodeling programs to fill 
in gaps in their program standards related to indoor environment health 
protections, and provide additional guidance for those able to go 
beyond recommended minimum health protections. EPA recommends that 
these protocols (and supplemental tools) be voluntarily adopted in 
whole or in part, for the following purposes:
     To help develop or enhance standardized training program 
requirements.
     To help refine and update program performance standards, 
materials, and resources to better protect occupant health.
     To inform revisions to program funding rules (i.e., change 
allowable expenses for health and safety as appropriate).
    Specifically, EPA anticipates recommending the following for 
weatherization assistance and home energy retrofit programs:
    1. Adoption of the assessment protocols into weatherization 
assistance and other home energy retrofit program assessment or audit 
standards,
    2. Adoption of the minimum actions into weatherization assistance 
and other home energy retrofit program standards, and removal or 
modification of program rules that prohibit these recommended minimum 
actions,
    3. Incorporation of the expanded actions into weatherization 
assistance and other home energy retrofit program guidance and training 
materials, and collaboration to help overcome barriers to these 
recommended healthy homes actions.

[[Page 68787]]

    Dated: November 4, 2010.
Michael P. Flynn,
Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.
[FR Doc. 2010-28375 Filed 11-8-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P