SMACNA Collaborates with Lawmakers to Improve Air Quality in Federal Buildings

Congressman James Walkinshaw (D-VA) has introduced the bipartisan Federal Facilities Indoor Air Quality Assessment Act to tackle environmental problems in federal buildings. After renewed health concerns from recent Canadian wildfire smoke, the bill was introduced, calling for the Government Accountability Office to review ventilation, HVAC systems, and indoor air quality(IAQ) in all federal properties. The proposal has bipartisan support, with a group of leading SMACNA allies on Capitol Hill, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) signing on as co-sponsors.

At the May SMACNA Washington, DC Leadership Conference, the Congressman explained why a legislative proposal is needed: "Many of those buildings are old, inefficient, and, quite frankly, they're failing the dedicated public servants who work in them every day."

When he introduced the bill, the Congressman stressed the importance of improving air quality in buildings, especially federal buildings. He said, “Federal employees should never have to risk their health by showing up to work, yet the General Services Administration’s own watchdog has identified persistent ventilation problems in federal buildings. Our bipartisan bill will uncover these deficiencies and require agencies to develop concrete plans to fix them.”

The legislation would require the federal government to take these steps:

• Determine if federal buildings meet applicable indoor air quality and ventilation standards.
• Assess how agencies monitor and test indoor air quality.
• Identify the frequency and causes of HVAC and air-quality deficiencies.
• Quantify the effectiveness of current remediation and oversight practices.
• Review the qualifications and certifications of workers performing HVAC installation, testing, balancing, commissioning, and maintenance work.

In addition to improving working conditions for federal employees, the bill would promote the use of skilled workers and expand important air testing and balancing services.

SMACNA, a leading, longtime advocate for better indoor air quality in public buildings, strongly supports this bill as an important precursor to prioritizing projects for an essential, major federal facility retrofit effort. Stan Kolbe, SMACNA’s Executive Director of Government and Legislative Affairs, said, “This is without question innovative, essential, and long overdue legislation. SMACNA appreciated the opportunity to provide early input to key Hill allies drafting this valued legislation. We believe it offers federal building assessment teams the balanced but necessary technical IAQ analysis federal buildings will require.”

Click here to read the official release from Congressman Walkinshaw on the legislation, click here to read SMACNA’s letter to the House of Representatives supporting the bill, and click here to read an article from ACHR on the proposal.