The feds announced yesterday that they are launching a big crackdown on building owners who fail to notify tenants that their homes may contain lead paint. Attorney General Janet Reno, Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo, and EPA Administrator Carol Browner said the government had fined four District of Columbia property owners $87,000 and ordered them to spend $1 million to remove lead paint from their buildings and $172,000 to teach children about lead poisoning. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is investigating 40 other property owners in 20 cities.
