Suspending, revoking, or modifying an individual's or firm's certification

[Reyed Mia (Apprentice, DIU)]

Suspending, revoking, or modifying an individual's or firm's certification

(a)(1) Grounds for suspending, revoking, or modifying an individual's certification. EPA may suspend, revoke, or modify an individual's certification if the individual fails to comply with Federal lead-based paint statutes or regulations. EPA may also suspend, revoke, or modify a certified renovator's certification if the renovator fails to ensure that all assigned renovations comply with §745.85. In addition to an administrative or judicial finding of violation, execution of a consent agreement in settlement of an enforcement action constitutes, for purposes of this section, evidence of a failure to comply with relevant statutes or regulations.

(2) Grounds for suspending, revoking, or modifying a firm's certification. EPA may suspend, revoke, or modify a firm's certification if the firm:

(i) Submits false or misleading information to EPA in its application for certification or re-certification.

(ii) Fails to maintain or falsifies records required in §745.86.

(iii) Fails to comply, or an individual performing a renovation on behalf of the firm fails to comply, with Federal lead-based paint statutes or regulations. In addition to an administrative or judicial finding of violation, execution of a consent agreement in settlement of an enforcement action constitutes, for purposes of this section, evidence of a failure to comply with relevant statutes or regulations.

(b) Process for suspending, revoking, or modifying certification. (1) Prior to taking action to suspend, revoke, or modify an individual's or firm's certification, EPA will notify the affected entity in writing of the following:

(i) The legal and factual basis for the proposed suspension, revocation, or modification.

(ii) The anticipated commencement date and duration of the suspension, revocation, or modification.

(iii) Actions, if any, which the affected entity may take to avoid suspension, revocation, or modification, or to receive certification in the future.

(iv) The opportunity and method for requesting a hearing prior to final suspension, revocation, or modification.

(2) If an individual or firm requests a hearing, EPA will:

(i) Provide the affected entity an opportunity to offer written statements in response to EPA's assertions of the legal and factual basis for its proposed action.

(ii) Appoint an impartial official of EPA as Presiding Officer to conduct the hearing.

(3) The Presiding Officer will:

(i) Conduct a fair, orderly, and impartial hearing within 90 days of the request for a hearing.

(ii) Consider all relevant evidence, explanation, comment, and argument submitted.

(iii) Notify the affected entity in writing within 90 days of completion of the hearing of his or her decision and order. Such an order is a final agency action which may be subject to judicial review. The order must contain the commencement date and duration of the suspension, revocation, or modification.

(4) If EPA determines that the public health, interest, or welfare warrants immediate action to suspend the certification of any individual or firm prior to the opportunity for a hearing, it will:

(i) Notify the affected entity in accordance with paragraph (b)(1)(i) through (b)(1)(iii) of this section, explaining why it is necessary to suspend the entity's certification before an opportunity for a hearing.

(ii) Notify the affected entity of its right to request a hearing on the immediate suspension within 15 days of the suspension taking place and the procedures for the conduct of such a hearing.

(5) Any notice, decision, or order issued by EPA under this section, any transcript or other verbatim record of oral testimony, and any documents filed by a certified individual or firm in a hearing under this section will be available to the public, except as otherwise provided by section 14 of TSCA or by part 2 of this title. Any such hearing at which oral testimony is presented will be open to the public, except that the Presiding Officer may exclude the public to the extent necessary to allow presentation of information which may be entitled to confidential treatment under section 14 of TSCA or part 2 of this title.

(6) EPA will maintain a publicly available list of entities whose certification has been suspended, revoked, modified, or reinstated.

(7) Unless the decision and order issued under paragraph (b)(3)(iii) of this section specify otherwise:

(i) An individual whose certification has been suspended must take a refresher training course (renovator or dust sampling technician) in order to make his or her certification current.

(ii) An individual whose certification has been revoked must take an initial renovator or dust sampling technician course in order to become certified again.

(iii) A firm whose certification has been revoked must reapply for certification after the revocation ends in order to become certified again. If the firm's certification has been suspended and the suspension ends less than 5 years after the firm was initially certified or re-certified, the firm does not need to do anything to re-activate its certification.

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