Assembly Bill 127 (Skinner) Safer Building Insulation

ISSUE Standards regulating the fire safety of building insulation were written decades ago. Plastic foam insulation began to be used in the 1960s. Fire safety standards for the use of plastic foam insulation were developed in pieces throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and those standards have been in place ever since. State building code requires (1) that a thermal barrier be installed to provide structural elements at least 15 minutes of protection from fire, and (2) that insulation pass a test for flammability without the thermal barrier. The code does not specifically call for the use of flame retardants on plastic foam insulation. However, it is common practice to use flame retardants to meet the code requirements. Due to the piecemeal way in which the standards were developed, these two requirements may be redundant in many situations; the use of flame retardants may not actually provide any fire safety benefit. Now is a good time to update these standards. The State Fire Marshal will ensure that fire safety is maintained in all situations. Updating the building code may result in changes to the flammability requirements such that flame retardants would not be absolutely necessary to meet the code. Instead, flame retardant use will be optional, thereby creating variability and choice. Insulation producers will be able to manufacture insulation with flame retardants and insulation without flame retardants. Consumers will then have a choice of which insulation they would like to use. Updating the code will create two markets for plastic foam insulation, which is better for producers and for consumers. AB 127 (SKINNER) AB 127 calls for the State Fire Marshal to propose updated insulation flammability standards while maintaining building fire safety. BILL SPONSOR US Green Building Council California

Assemblymember Nancy Skinner Staff Contact: Neela Babu (916) 319-2015 or neela.babu@asm.ca.gov