Environment and Infrastructure

Signed into law in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) marked a critical step in the fight to end discrimination faced by disabled individuals in employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and other aspects of public life. NAIOP is vehemently opposed to any action or policy which denies rights to people with disabilities, and therefore supports the mission and objectives of the ADA.

Brownfields are abandoned or under-utilized commercial or industrial properties where expansion or redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived contamination. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties improves and protects the environment, increases local tax bases, facilitates economic growth and utilizes existing infrastructure for development.

The Endangered Species Act dates to 1973, and its legislative intention was, and still is, to provide a program that will protect plant and animal imperiled species from becoming extinct. It is NAIOP’s intention to find a balance between this mandate and economic development.

Understanding how the federal government regulates wetlands and other waters has long been a complicated, confusing, and often costly issue for landowners and developers. Recent court decisions and regulatory actions on wetlands jurisdiction have only further exacerbated the issue of which waters bodies are under federal protection and control. This section states NAIOP’s position on federal jurisdiction over domestic water bodies and provides recommendations to create a balance between conservation and economic development in the commercial real estate industry.