Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has approved a new law that creates a task force to develop and recommend minimum standards for radon resistant new construction in Nebraska.
The “Radon Resistant New Construction Act,” approved April 27, was proposed by State Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha. The task force’s recommendations will be used during the Unicameral’s 2019 legislative session to establish minimum legal standards for radon-resistant new construction in the state.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified radon levels in Nebraska as the third highest in the U.S. due to the high concentration of uranium in the soil. The EPA estimates that more than 20,000 Americans die of radon-related lung caner each year.
The RRNC Task Force will be comprised of:
- The Chief Medical Officer of the Division of Public Health of the Nebraska
- Department of Health and Human Services.
- Three representatives of home builders associations in Nebraska.
- A representative of a home inspectors association in Nebraska.
- Two representative of commercial construction associations (one experienced in large-scale projects and one experienced in medium- to small-scale projects).
- A representative of a Nebraska realtors organization.
- A representative of a respiratory disease organization.
- A representative of a cancer research and prevention organization.
- A representative of the League of Nebraska Municipalities.
- Three community public health representatives.
- A professional engineer.
- An architect.
- A representative with expertise in residential or commercial building codes.
The task force will develop minimum standards for radon resistant new construction and will make recommendations to the Governor, the Health & Human Services Committee and the Urban Affairs Committee of the Legislature. The group will provide its recommendations by April 15, 2018.
In developing such minimum standards the task force will:
- Design the minimum standards so that they may be enforced by a county, city or village as part of its local building code.
- Consider Appendix F of the IRC for one-two family dwellings.
- Consider including a requirement that the installation of an active radon mitigation system only be performed by a building contractor/subcontractor or by a radon mitigation specialist.
- Consider a requirement that the installation of radon-resistant new construction only be performed by a building contractor/subcontractor or by a radon mitigation specialist.
- Consider a requirement that only a building contractor/subcontractor or a radon mitigation specialist be allowed to install a radon vent fan or upgrade a passive new construction pipe to an active radon mitigation system.
SRE HomeServices will be monitoring the work and progress of the task force as these laws are created.