State Radon Program Development

The Act did not envision the implementation of a robust regulatory framework at the federal level. The Act was designed to enable the federal government, under the auspices of the EPA, to provide the states with sufficient assistance so that the states could tackle what was perceived to be a local issue in need of local solutions. In fact, the Senate bill was given the working name of the State Radon Program Development Act of 1988, before it was enacted and formally named the Indoor Radon Abatement Act. As Senator Chafee, a sponsor of the legislation, stated ... 

The states at Level 1 were Arkansas. Hawaii. Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, South Dakota, and Texas. Id. at 13. Table 1, Current Level of State Radon Program Development. 

The States at Level 2 were Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, Georgia. Idaho. Iowa. Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. Id. at 13, Table 1, Current Level of State Radon Program Development. 

The Administrator (or another Federal department or agency designated by the Administrator) shall develop and implement activities designed to assist State radon programs. These activities may include, but are not limited to, the following ... 

As part of the radon program at EML to develop or improve and field test radon monitors, a modified activated carbon device (Warner, 1986) was developed to obtain higher measurement sensitivity. As a result, we have surveyed 380 buildings in six states in the eastern United States. The purpose of the measurements reported in this paper was to test the feasibility of the new version of the passive activated carbon device and to obtain data on indoor radon levels in different geographical locations. 

As a result of EPA s role under the IRAA, the radon programs that EPA administers are all advisory, and while EPA is a valuable source of information on radon measurement, control, and mitigation, none of its programs are mandatory. Some of the states have used the information developed under the IRAA to develop mandatory programs, which are briefly outlined at the end of this chapter. 

Congress enacted the Indoor Radon Abatement Act of 1988 and set a national goal that indoor air be as free from radon as the outside air. The Act provided incentives for states to establish radon programs, conduct surveys, and develop information on the public health hazard of radon, and directed the EPA to support those programs by developing information, standards, and... 

For each fiscal year, upon application of the Governor of a State, the Administrator may make a grant, subject to such terms and conditions as the Administrator considers appropriate, under this section to the State for the purpose of assisting the State in the development and implementation of programs for the assessment and mitigation of radon. 

EPA categorized all of the activity in the states into one of four wide levels of development, based on the information available to it at the time. While all of the states had some type of program, most of those programs were not the result of specific legislation directed at indoor radon issues. ... 

The potential for development of innovative radon assessment techniques, mitigation measures as approved by the Administrator, or program management approaches which may be of use to other States. 

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