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On August 15, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it cited Houston-based Fiesta Mart LLC for 7 willful violations, with $1,015,189 in proposed penalties, for failing to guard machinery following amputation injuries at 2 of the chain’s Texas locations. According to the agency, this is the 13th time in 9 years that OSHA […]
On August 17, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region 3 office announced a regional emphasis program (REP) of outreach, inspection, and enforcement for warehouse operations that includes a focus on ergonomic and heat hazards. In response to the ongoing growth of e-commerce, the REP focuses on employers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, […]
The EPA recently announced flyover emissions monitoring of the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico to identify super-emitters. “The Permian Basin accounts for 40 percent of our nation’s oil supply and has produced large quantities of dangerous [volatile organic compounds (VOCs)] and methane over the years, contributing to climate change and poor air quality,” […]
On August 12, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a limited reopening of comment on the agency’s proposed revocation of approval for Arizona’s workplace safety and health program (87 Federal Register (FR) 50025). The federal agency also postponed a public hearing on the issue. On April 21, the agency proposed revoking its final […]
On August 18, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) approved Massachusetts’ developmental health and safety program (87 Federal Register (FR) 50766). OSHA has determined Massachusetts’ program will be at least as effective as the federal program in protecting the safety and health of state and local government workers. The initial approval is based on […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on August 4 announced that Mid-Nebraska Disposal is facing $337,903 in proposed penalties and has been placed in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) following a worker fatality. Agency investigators found that a 20-year-old worker was feeding cardboard waste into a baler on February 7, 2022, when […]
On July 20, 2022, the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report critical of EPA management practices, entitled “The EPA Needs to Improve the Transparency of Its Cancer-Assessment Process for Pesticides.” The controversy uncovered by the report centers around the use of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) pesticide. The report concludes the Trump Administration EPA did […]
Expect new limits on coal ash and ozone pollution from the EPA to continue the push toward the transition from fossil fuel-powered energy generation to clean energy. The Agency continues to explore other options for decarbonization as the Biden administration pushes to achieve the president’s stated campaign goals of achieving net-zero emissions by 2035. “We […]
In Humane Society of the U.S. v. USDA, a divided D.C. Circuit Court ruled that an agency must provide notice and an opportunity for comment when withdrawing a rule that has been filed for public inspection but not yet published in the Federal Register. What is public inspection? The National Archives Office of the Federal […]
On August 2, 2022, California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta led a coalition of 17 AGs in urging the EPA to grant, in full, California’s preemption waiver applications for its heavy-duty truck standards. Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), California may request a waiver of preemption that allows California to enforce different emissions standards for […]