Lawmakers Move to Strengthen OSH Act
The fact that the top job at OSHA remains unfilled has not deterred house Democrats from seeking to amend the act that establishes job safety laws in the U.S. Get the latest information here.
Category: Regulatory Developments
Pruitt Clears Senate to Become EPA Administrator
On Friday, February 17, the Senate voted 52-46 to approve President Trump’s nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the EPA. Upon being sworn in, Pruitt will take the helm of an Agency he sued at least 12 times as AG, primarily alleging that the EPA issued rules that exceeded the Agency’s […]
Science, Politics, and the EPA
News media have reported that President Trump will issue a new executive order to further limit some as yet unnamed additional aspect of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) powers. The president has already frozen the effective dates of dozens of EPA rules and also silenced most of the social networking of EPA staff.
Labor Nominee Withdraws; Trump Names New Pick
Andrew Puzder, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, withdrew his name from consideration for the position. In his place, Trump has nominated R. Alexander Acosta, dean of the law school at Florida International University. Puzder released the following statement: “After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary […]
Transition Goals of the Environmental Council of the States
States are watching the Trump administration’s revamping of EPA’s mission with either hope or trepidation or with a combination of both. Scott Pruitt, EPA’s administrator in the wings, has promised to pull back on the Agency’s dominating role in implementing federal environmental statutes and place more authority in the hands of the states, where, he […]
Does Trump’s Executive Order on Regulations Have Legal Legs?
Even nonlawyers have spotted the arbitrary nature of President Trump’s January 30, 2017, Executive Order (EO), Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs. Among other things, the EO directs that each executive agency identify 2 regulations to be repealed for each significant regulation it proposes in 2017. Why 2? Why not 1 or 5 or 10? […]
Bill Addresses Compliance Date for Ozone NAAQS
Republican lawmakers in both chambers, joined by Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), have reintroduced a bill that would modify the timing of EPA’s mandated reviews of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone. The Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2017 would also push back the compliance date for the 2015 ozone NAAQS to 2025 […]
Trump’s Regulatory Freeze Delays DOT and OSHA Rules
Shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, all executive branch departments and agencies were directed to freeze most pending regulatory actions in order to allow time for the new administration to review them. Two recent safety-related final rules are affected by the freeze.
What Might Trump’s EO to Cut Regulations Mean for OSHA?
On January 30, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) intended to make good on his promise to cut government regulations. What’s the potential impact on OSHA? Keep reading to find out.
Stream Protection Rule Disapproved by Congress
On Thursday, the Senate voted 54 to 45 to pass House Joint Resolution (J.R.) 38, disapproving the Stream Protection Rule (SPR), a major regulation 6 years in the making and issued by the Obama administration to protect streams from impacts from both surface and underground coal mining. The Senate vote followed passage, by 1 day, […]