ShareFifty-one bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Acting Administrator of the EPA Robert Perciasepe addressing the EPA’s recent proposed rule on lead paint in commercial buildings. In May 2010, the EPA issued the proposed rule titled “Lead: Renovation, Repair, and Painting (LRRP) Program for Public and Commercial Buildings.” The letter raises questions about the proposed rule, specifically whether or not the EPA has developed a rule to identify “dangerous levels of lead” in public and commercial buildings, what the target population is that the rule is meant to protect, whether the need for the rule is supported by academic studies, and what steps the EPA has taken to get input from the GAO, Architect of the Capitol, and other federal departments on their renovation and remodeling activities.
The public hearing on the proposed rule is scheduled for June 26, 2013. NAR, in coalition with other industry groups, sent comments to the EPA on the rule, focusing on the lack of data identifying any hazard; the extent to which such a rule would place burdens on commercial properties; the differences between commercial buildings and residential structures; and the renovation practices of different property types.