Connecticut's congressional delegation said federal funding they fought for to pay for research on crumbling concrete has been included in a major spending bill.
The text for the compromise version of the bill, includes $1.5 million sought by the delegation for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to research the effects of an iron sulfide called pyrrhotite on concrete aggregate.
The agency would also be required to create a risk-rating scale to determine how much pyrrhotite poses a danger.
Hundreds of homeowners in north central and northeastern Connecticut have filed claims with the state, saying they have crumbling concrete basements.
Homeowners in neighboring Massachusetts have also reported having the problem, which can cost well above $150,000 to repair.
Most insurance companies have not covered the repairs.
Experts say homes built between 1983 and 2016 using concrete from a now defunct northern Connecticut company had the defective concrete.
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Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and Representatives Joe Courtney and John Larson said in a joint statement, “We need a better understanding of the scope of the crisis and of the mineral pyrrhotite, and homeowners and others need a clear understanding of the risks of pyrrhotite, and the levels at which it poses a true danger to the integrity of a concrete foundation."
"The funding we’ve fought for on both sides of the Capitol will help NIST conduct the research needed to answer these questions, and we look forward to final passage of the bill," they added.
