Summary of State Radon Legislation

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 irony of the situation is that this health hazard does have workable solutions. Testing for radon is easy and relatively inexpensive. Likewise, remedial action techniques. .. do not usually carry costs. And yet, fewer than 25 States have any kind of radon-reduction programs in place. To start getting these solutions in place, we need legislation to provide guidance, information, and assistance. 

This measure will do just that. It gives the States a chance to tackle this problem with full Federal backing. In fact, this bill provides over 40 million to address the problem of radon gas. It will help us learn more about radon and what we can do to protect ourselves. 

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