MANATEE — Homeowners with contaminated Chinese drywall should be eligible for federal disaster assistance, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan said.
Buchanan, R-Sarasota, and Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Va., filed an amendment late Thursday that would allow the Small Business Administration to issue low-interest disaster loans to homeowners to repair or replace contaminated imported drywall in their primary homes.
“The impact of Chinese drywall is no different than a hurricane or any other natural disaster,” Buchanan said in a statement. “These people can’t wait indefinitely to clean up their homes.”
Certain brands of Chinese drywall have been blamed for emitting a rotten-egg odor, corroding air-conditioning parts and electrical outlets, and causing allergic reactions and other health problems in homeowners. The product is the subject of numerous federal and state lawsuits, investigations by several state and federal agencies, Congressional hearings and trade talks.
In July, four senators — including Florida’s Bill Nelson —asked the SBA to determine whether it can loan money to homeowners with Chinese drywall under a disaster declaration.
Nelson’s office could not immediately confirm Wednesday night if the SBA had responded to the request. Messages left with the SBA’s press office were not immediately returned.
The Buchanan/Nye amendment would allow, but not require, the SBA to issue loans to those with Chinese drywall, Buchanan spokeswoman Sally Tibbetts said. Under the amendment, the loans also could be used to replace personal property damaged by the drywall.
The amendment is attached to an existing bill that the House is expected to vote on today, the same day the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other federal agencies are scheduled to release preliminary findings from their drywall investigations.
Those results include testing on the elemental and chemical composition of domestic and imported drywall samples; on air samples collected from 10 homes with Chinese drywall, including some in Florida; and chemical emissions by Chinese drywall.
The Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Florida Department of Health are conducting the tests to determine the drywall’s potential health impacts.
Chinese drywall imports surged from 2004 to 2007, as a housing boom and post-hurricane reconstruction caused shortages of domestic drywall. Enough drywall was imported from China to be used in as many as 100,000 U.S. homes, including 36,000 in Florida.
Some homebuilders have estimated the cost to replace the drywall could be as high as $100,000 per house.
Duane Marsteller, transportation/growth and development reporter, can be reached at 745-7080, ext. 2630.
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