Committee presses funding questions, leans toward ANR approach on PCB testing in schools

Summary

At a certification committee meeting, members compared House-passed H.542, which would halt PCB testing in pre-1980 schools, against an Agency of Natural Resources proposal that would repeal a hard testing deadline and fold assessments into facilities master planning; members signaled support for ANR's approach but flagged major funding gaps and implementation complexity.

Members of the certification committee reviewed competing approaches to H.542 on PCB testing in school buildings and signaled a preference for the Agency of Natural Resources’ (ANR) plan while repeatedly raising questions about who would pay for additional testing and remediation.

Michael Brady, Legislative Council, presented a side-by-side comparison of the House-passed H.542 and the ANR proposal. Brady said both would apply to public and recognized independent schools built or renovated before 1980, ‘‘the threshold date when PCBs were phased out and prohibited from use in construction and renovation.’’ He described the core difference: the House bill directs ANR to cease testing in schools and terminate scheduled sampling, while ANR’s plan would repeal the fixed deadline but retain testing as part of facilities planning and construction activities.

The distinction matters for funding. Brady…

Committee presses funding questions, leans toward ANR approach on PCB testing in schools

Summary

Subscribe to keep reading