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Permit writing, rulemaking, data collection and analysis, issuing policy statements and guidance documents, holding public hearings, maintaining community liaisons and other communication with the public and, of course, conducting compliance inspections—these are some of the critical EPA functions that ground to a halt on December 28, 2018, when the Agency’s funding ran out because of […]
More than 120 deaths and thousands of injuries occur each year because equipment unexpectedly starts up or is released. Keep reading for reminders about controlling hazardous energy by locking and tagging out equipment.
The Trump administration is relying heavily on its environmental authority to try to reverse the declining role of coal in energy generation. Under both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Agency has the power to regulate how much the coal-fired electricity sector must do and how much […]
Recently, one of our subscribers asked the following question:
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA) includes sections to specifically fund research to improve the scientific understanding of the health risks posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and to use existing statutory authorities to require regulated sectors to add information to that understanding. Among the new and major legal provisions […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 28 that an administrative law judge (ALJ) with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ruled that Shawn D. Purvis is personally responsible for $1,572,340 in OSHA fines. Purvis, who does business as Purvis Home Improvement Co. Inc., willfully exposed roofing workers to fall hazards at […]
On November 18, the National Safety Council (NSC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) renewed their partnership alliance.
Among the actions President Donald Trump has taken to reform the issuance of federal regulations, none exceed Executive Order (EO) 13771, Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs (January 30, 2017) in originality. That action stipulated that for every new regulation, the issuing federal agency must identify at least two prior regulations for repeal, replacement, or […]
A Trenton, New Jersey, roofing contractor faces Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties totaling $584,333 for fall protection and other violations at a Toll Brothers Inc. residential construction project, the agency announced January 12. The agency cited Guelsin Lima, operating as Extreme Roofing and Siding LLC, for nine willful and three serious violations. During […]
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has approved two bills that would modify aspects of how science is conducted at the EPA. Introduced by the two top Republicans on the Committee, the bills focus on the right of the public to know more about the science the EPA uses in making policy decisions […]