December 2009 CPSC Investigation Report Summary and Analysis (Part 2) January 9, 2010

PART II

Note: The Update Provided By the CPSC December 2009 Report will be summarized in a two-part article on thechinesedrywalllawyer.com

Part I

Part II

The update, which can be found in its entirety here – describes the newest developments regarding the ongoing Chinese drywall investigations.

Part I Recap:

In the first section, an overview of the report was provided.  In addition to the overview, a chronological assessment of relevant milestones was detailed.  This section will explore in more detail the additional sections of the report.

Coordination between Federal, State, and International Authorities

The CPSC, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inter alia, have been involved in the efforts investigating drywall toxicity cited in the thousands of reports.  The primary focus of investigations: Identification and Remediation.

Continued weekly meetings among agencies are scheduled to streamline coordination efforts.  The following is an excerpt directly from the report itself:

“We continue to have weekly coordination meetings with our agency partners, and are working with the Council on Environmental Quality and the Domestic Policy Council.  The CPSC is also continuing its dialogue with Chinese government officials, and conducted a staff-level video teleconference to exchange technical information about the efforts of CPSC and AQSIQ to find answers about drywall. Additionally, CPSC staff presented at a drywall town hall meeting hosted by Representative Cao in New Orleans, Louisiana.”

Investigation Progress

The investigations into the toxicity of drywall, and remediation options is ongoing.  Inquiries regarding U.S. firms as well as Chinese manufacturers are persisting.

Additional Blogger’s Commentary

The Chinese elephant in the room is here to stay; with the appropriate approach, the relationship between the U.S. and China should protect the forces which drive the system (the economic relationship between the two nations).  If consumer sentiment is degraded to a degree where goods made in China are no longer tolerable, there will be no winners.  In light of the Chinese drywall woes facing the U.S., it is time to address consumer protection, remedial measures, and redressability.  It is time for consumer advocates to insist upon a leveling of the playing field.  The CPSC is doing just this in their continued and coordinated investigations.