Last week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requested public comment on a proposed reinterpretation of its PCB rules, billed as a step to accelerate removal of building materials containing PCBs. Comments are due by March 30.

The proposed reinterpretation would barely dent the costs confronting building owners concerned about the possible or confirmed presence of PCB-containing building materials like paint and caulk. Building owners should consider taking this opportunity to tell EPA that minor tweaks are not enough: instead, EPA should assess the risks actually posed by these building materials and develop more substantial ways of minimizing the costs of managing or disposing of such materials.