Senate committee hears bill to remove unfunded PCB testing deadline for schools
Loading...
Summary
A sponsor told the Senate Committee on Education H.542 would end the state's indoor-air PCB testing program and remove a statutory deadline, arguing the mandate is unfunded and risks imposing large remediation costs on schools. Committee members pressed for details on remaining remediation funds and DEC plans.
H.542 would end the state’s indoor-air testing program for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in school buildings and delete the statutory deadline requiring all Vermont schools to test, a sponsor told the Senate Committee on Education on March 27.
"So, really, H.542 is pretty simple," said the committee member presenting the bill (Committee member (S2)). "It does two main things. First of all, it ends the indoor-air testing program and, most importantly, removes the deadline by which all schools in Vermont — public, private, doesn't matter — must test indoor classes for PCBs." He told the committee the mandate has no continuing state appropriation and could convert into an unfunded requirement that would impose large costs on school buildings.
The presenter said approximately $4.5 million remains in a special fund held by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and that DEC has indicated most of those funds are already earmarked for remediation at specific schools. He cited local examples where remediation reduced indoor-air concentrations and reduced the need for ongoing filtration, including Bellows Falls and Green Mountain View High School in Chester.
Committee members asked whether the requirement applied to all schools, and whether mitigation or ongoing testing remained necessary for particular facilities. "There is a report back from the Department of Health," the sponsor said, and he advised members to confirm specifics with DEC and the Department of Health on particular schools and testing regimens.
Members also discussed whether any state-funded remediation plan should be replaced by voluntary or targeted actions when funds are available. The presenter said the bill preserves the ability to use existing DEC special-fund dollars for remediation in schools that have identified issues, but would remove the blanket statutory deadline to avoid an unfunded mandate. One committee member characterized the committee’s action as a "strong voice vote" signaling support to move the measure forward.
The committee did not adopt technical amendments on the floor during this hearing; staff indicated they would collect Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health details for committee review as the bill proceeds.
