HARTFORD — Members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation and Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal want $4 million set aside so an iron sulfide that has caused homeowners’ foundations in both states to crumble can be researched.
The Democrats last week sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee leaders, urging them to support a year-end spending package that retains the full level of $4 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct the research on pyrrhotite. The Senate has passed a package with $1.5 million.
Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney in June offered an amendment seeking the $4 million, noting that much money is needed to develop a cost-effective and standard testing method. NIST would also be required to create a risk-rating scale to determine how much pyrrhotite poses a danger.
