Deal Reached On Blasting Bill

The Senate Commerce Committee has approved a bill to smooth out differences between professional dynamite blasters and homeowners. The new bill will update the way blasting vibration is measured. Supporters say it will be the first update in twenty years.

The new law will also require that a contractor planning to blast must make a survey of all improvements within 300 feet of the site.

Blasting industry lobbyist Kent Starwalt says the new standards have been in force in other parts of the nation for several years, and that some local contractors had already been following them. He says the new standards won’t add significantly to the cost of construction.

The damage done by construction blasting has prompted a number of complaints in the Middle Tennessee area, where the subsurface is predominantly limestone rock and carries vibration a long way.

The compromise bill is SB 2201 Kyle/HB 2256 Sontany.