As previously reported in Codes and Standards Updates, AGA and APGA filed a joint appeal addressing four code actions that presented two major issues, which AGA and APGA contend should have been prevented to be published by the ICC staff during the Group B Code Development process:

AGA and APGA received the attached June 23^rd correspondence from the ICC that provided additional details of the appeals process that will culminate on an appeals hearing in mid-August.  Specifically, leading up to the appeals hearing, by July 22^nd,  the AGA and APGA appeal and five other appeals must be sent to the appeals board and a formal notice of the appeals must be posted by the ICC announcing to the public that comments on the appeals can be submitted by a still to be determined deadline. After July 22^nd, the dates of the hearings will  be announced no later than August 22^nd. Note that the hearing will be virtual.  The appeals board will be made up of 3 panelist and the public can participate provided they notify ICC staff prior to the appeals hearing on their request to participate.

 

This week, the Technical Committee for Standard 715 voted out of Committee, the draft of the first edition of Standard 715, which addresses the installation of combustible gas detectors and detection systems.  The draft standard does not promulgate requirements for installation of these devices or systems but outlines installation provisions and locations.  The NFPA Standards Project for initiating Standard 715 was implemented upon a BECS Committee request and is supported by modeling studies being carried out under funding from the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation through a project also proposed by AGA. The draft Standard now goes to the NFPA Standards Council for review and ultimate approval for public review.  Although only an estimate, the current timeline for publication of the completed Standard is anticipated for May 2022.  The protracted schedule allots for the numerous reviews and other standards development activities required under the NFPA ANSI-approved process.  AGABECS staff wishes to  thank the participation of AGA allies and BECS Committee members from Consolidated Edison of New York and the Northeast Gas Association for their work in developing the draft standard over the past 7 months.

The webinar, sponsored as part of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) National Healthy Homes Month, addressed recent research on asthma triggers, community-level mitigation approaches, and effectiveness evaluation methods around three study presentations from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Sinai Urban Health Institute, and Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University.  All three studies addressed the importance of various indoor air quality asthma triggers, economically-challenged and minority populations, low income status groups, and pre-existing conditions and lifestyle contributing factors.  Notably, none of the presentations or background information identified gas-fired appliances as contributing factors to indoor air quality with respect to asthma vulnerability for these groups or the general population, either as asthma triggers or as creating vulnerabilities or respiratory distress through air emissions leading to asthma exacerbation. AGA is currently reviewing past event records to determine how gas-fired appliance emissions have been addressed up to this time and with an interest in updating agents of asthma development and exacerbation published in the National Academy of Medicine’s 2000 text, “Clearing the Air,” discussed in previous “Friday Updates” and cited in AGA responses to asthma claims made by electrification advocates concerning residential natural gas cooking.  Not all commentary in the presentations excluded “combustion” as a concern, however.  Specifically, the Columbia University study identified diesel exhaust and emissions from oil-fired heating as variables that may affect vulnerabilities but that were not controlled for in its data analysis.

 

[This is a weekly feature of the “Friday Update” covering state code calendar activities as presented by the online utility “Fiscal Note,” which is sponsored by APGA and AGA Code and Standards.]

 

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