Lowe’s Home Centers has agreed to pay $12.5 million to resolve violations of federal environmental regulations found in renovation work performed by Lowe’s contractors at homes in Southern California and elsewhere, it was announced today.

The settlement agreement filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court requires Lowe’s to implement a corporate-wide program to ensure the firms and installers it hires to perform work are qualified to use lead-safe work practices to avoid spreading lead dust and paint chips during home renovations.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials said the Mooresville, North Carolina-based Lowe’s failed to successfully implement the compliance terms of a 2014 settlement with the EPA, resulting in the alleged violations of the EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair an

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