HGTV’s ‘Good Bones’ Settles US EPA Action, Accepts $40K Fines For Lead Paint Violations
10.04.2022 - 01:45
/ deadline.com
The stars of HGTV’s popular Good Bones renovation series have been ordered to get the lead out.
The US Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that it had reached a settlement with” Two Chicks and a Hammer, Inc.”— the company founded by mother-daughter duo Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk. The settlement indicates they allegedly violated a federal lead paint law.
Good Bones follows Starsiak Hawk, a real estate agent and mother of two, and her mom, Karen E Laine, a lawyer, as they buy dilapidated properties in their hometown of Indianapolis. During each episode, the pair demos the houses down to the studs and renovate them into dazzling family homes, while offering a glimpse into their personal lives.
The agreed-upon penalties in the EPA settlement include a $40,000 fine and will produce a video about renovations involving lead-based paint that features Hawk. The company is required to share that video — and another about protecting children from lead exposure — on its social media channels.
Two Chicks and a Hammer did not admit or deny the specific allegations, according to the settlement.
The settlement stems from renovations performed in 2017 at three different properties in Indianapolis, Indiana. All three homes were built prior to 1978, when the federal government banned lead-based paint.
The EPA complaint alleges that renovations at those properties did not comply with requirements in the federal Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. “Two Chicks” was not certified to perform that work and also failed to properly contain and transport the waste to prevent the release of lead dust and debris, the EPA contended.
“Compliance with federal lead paint laws is essential to protect children across the country and is a