Relaxed asbestos regulations proposed

Restrictions on asbestos abatement would be eased under a bill heard by the Health and Human Services Committee Feb. 19.

LB852, introduced by Bellevue Sen. Sue Crawford, would allow municipalities that own residential properties with four units or less to follow the less stringent Environmental Protection Agency asbestos management guidelines applied to individual property owners.

The bill would apply only to small projects involving asbestos removal, asbestos enclosure or demolition of structures where asbestos exists and would make Nebraska statutes compliant with federal regulations adopted in 1995.

Crawford said the bill would give municipalities the same rights regarding asbestos management that individual property owners have had for years.

“A house is a house whether a city owns it or an individual property owner owns it,” she said.

Larry Burks, Bellevue assistant city administrator, testified in support of the bill, saying the current law causes municipalities to let abandoned homes degrade. He said the strict guidelines are a factor in creating dangerous properties that are a health threat to communities.

Lash Chaffin of the League of Nebraska Municipalities also testified in support of the bill, saying it would allow communities to address dilapidated properties more quickly.

“Cities acquire residential dwellings all of the time,” he said. “These are houses that need to be knocked down and asbestos laws—particularly in small towns—can be a barrier.”

Chris Bockmann of Bockmann Inc. testified in opposition to LB852, saying that only qualified professionals should do asbestos abatement.

“Asbestos is a carcinogen; there is no known safe level,” she said.

Without proper inspection and demolition, Bockmann said, properties containing asbestos could contaminate workers and neighboring homes.

The committee took no immediate action on LB852.