Lawmakers Debate Extending PCB Testing Program for Schools, Some Urge $10M Over Four Years

State lawmakers debated the future of Vermont's school PCB testing program amid concerns that ending the program would leave districts to shoulder testing and remediation costs and complicate a pending state lawsuit against manufacturers.

Senator Kinsdale, leading the discussion, said the House's version of the bill would terminate the testing program; the committee proposed extending deadlines but acknowledged there were no new resources. "If we don't expend any cost, we can't get it," one committee member said of the state's ability to recoup costs through litigation, underscoring a key reason for state involvement in testing and remediation.

Committee members described uneven progress: of roughly 300 pre-1980 school buildings that could qualify for testing, about 138 had been tested and had produced varying PCB levels. Members highlighted practical and equity consequences for rural districts that could have no alternative buildings for displaced students if high PCB levels require relocation. Several senators urged a $10 million appropriation spread over four years to test prioritized schools and to enable coordinated state-level reimbursement efforts if litigation succeeds.

The committee also discussed aligning PCB work with school construction planning to avoid creating isolated remediation costs and to inform consolidation or demolition decisions. No final appropriation was adopted in the hearing; members asked agency witnesses to provide detailed lists of tested vs. untested schools and estimated remediation costs for prioritization.