WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 26, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The Environmental Protection Agency must justify its efforts to apply new lead paint regulations to public and commercial properties, Realtor® Harold Huggins testified at a public hearing today on behalf of the National Association of Realtors® and its affiliates, the Institute for Real Estate Management and the CCIM Institute.
The EPA’s lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule seeks to protect individuals from lead-based paint-related health hazards during the renovation, repair, and painting of public and commercial properties. Yet by the EPA’s own admission, no conclusive research demonstrates that these buildings pose a lead-based paint threat to human health.
“As industry advocates, we support public policies that protect our clients, tenants, and building visitors from all hazards, including the harmful health consequences of lead-based paint,” said Huggins, president and CEO of Harold H. Huggins Realty in Burtsonsville, Md. “We strongly support the existing “child-occupied facility” designation that protects children from lead hazards in commercial properties with on-site day care centers; however, without a proven harm to the typical adult users of commercial and public spaces, we do not see a need for EPA’s new RRP rulemaking.”
If the EPA should choose to perform additional research for the RRP rule, it can readily collect data from other federal government agencies, such as the General Services Administration. Huggins urged the EPA not to continue with its proposed lead renovation, repair and painting rules absent such research, noting that more than 50 members of the House of Representatives wrote to the EPA last month stating their concerns about the rulemaking, which were similar to those of NAR, IREM and CCIM.
“The EPA is required to regulate against hazards, and since none is proven, no regulation is warranted,” said Huggins.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) is an international community of real estate managers dedicated to ethical business practices, maximizing the value of investment real estate, and promoting superior management through education and information sharing. An affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS®, IREM is the home for all industry professionals connected to real estate management – and the only organization serving both the multi-family and commercial sectors. To learn more about IREM, call (800) 837-0706, ext. 4650 (outside the U.S. call (312) 329-6000), or visit www.irem.org.
The CCIM Institute is the global standard for professional achievement in commercial investment real estate. Since 1969, the Chicago-based Institute has conferred the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation to commercial real estate and allied professionals through an extensive curriculum of 200 classroom hours and professional experiential requirements. An affiliate of the National Association of Realtors®, the CCIM Institute also offers powerful technology tools such as the Site To Do Business, an online site analysis and demographics resource. Visit www.ccim.com and www.stdbonline.com for more information.
Media Contact:
Jenny Werwa / 202-383-1193
