The federal Environmental Protection Agency has approved more flexible rules that will mean about 1,200 hurricane-damaged homes in south Mississippi can be torn down.
The EPA’s No Action Assurance program runs until Sept. 30 for houses in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Pearl River counties. About 4,200 residential structures will have been demolished when the extension ends, officials at Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality said.
The MDEQ regulates air emissions of asbestos from building demolition and renovations for the state.
“We appreciate the efforts of the EPA in recognizing the continued need for this flexibility,” said Trudy Fisher, MDEQ executive director. “This flexibility has substantially helped the progress of hurricane recovery efforts along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and its continuance is necessary to ensure the current pace toward recovery.”
The looser regulations mean county and city governments do not need to examine each structure they allow to be torn down for asbestos if the structure appears to be unsound.
Maya Rao, the chief of MDEQ’s air division, said months of monitoring by EPA during the heaviest demolition phase on the coast showed no asbestos was being released into the air.
Demolition contractors will still need to follow worker safety guidelines for handling asbestos and a supervisor certified to work with the material will need to be on the job site, officials said in a www.sunherald.com article.
Asbestos is a natural fiber that has been shown to cause cancer and lung disease.
Topics Pollution Homeowners Mississippi
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Alaska Airlines Vows IT Upgrades After Outage Forces 400 Flight Cancellations 
Brown & Brown Reports Strong Q3 Revenue Growth of 35.4% 
GEICO Sues Medical Firms in Florida, NY Over Alleged No-Fault Auto Fraud 
Satellite Data Reveals Hurricane Melissa Damage in Jamaica From This Issue
