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Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Office; Jeff Hannapel & Christian Richter, The Policy Group, Washington, D.C.


WASHINGTON ALERT Congress Approves Infrastructure Package


THE BILL ALSO CONTAINS PROVISIONS TO STREAMLINE THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESS AND REAUTHORIZES THE EXPORT-IMPORT BANK UNTIL 2019.


Te U.S. House of Rep-


resentatives and U.S. Senate voted to overwhelmingly pass a $305 billion five-year high- way, transit and rail bill. Te bill, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST Act), H.R. 22, sets federal policy and funding levels for highways, transit, passenger rail and bridge programs through 2020. It also contains provisions to streamline the environmental review and permitting process and reau- thorizes the Export-Import Bank until 2019. In addition, the package includes a


Infrastructure projects like bridge construction will receive funds from the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act.


provision that strikes the prohibition that bars municipalities from using tax exempt bonds toward Water Infrastruc- ture Finance and Innovation Act proj- ects intended for large drinking water, wastewater and water reuse systems. Te provisions included in H.R. 22


will bring greater efficiency, transpar- ency and accountability to the federal permitting review process and covers infrastructure, energy and aviation, broadband and manufacturing projects. Specifically it will: • Establish a permitting time- table, including intermediate and final completion dates for covered projects, i.e. those over


ON THE HILL


OSHA’s Latest Regulatory Agenda Slates Silica Rule Release in February


The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released its Fall 2015 Regulatory Agenda, which details the agency’s plans for 2016. OSHA now anticipates releasing its final rule for crystalline silica for general industry and construction in February. These dates are not set in stone. In addi- tion, the agency expects to finalize these additional rules in 2016 before the end of


the Obama administration:


• Injury and Illness Electronic Record- keeping—March.


• Eye and Face Protection—March.


• Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls— April.


Additional regulatory actions under consideration by OSHA include:


• Occupational exposure to beryllium.


• Chemical management and permis- sible exposure limits (PELs).


• Combustible dust.


• Preventing backover injuries and fatalities.


• Lock-out/tag-out update. • Mechanical power presses update. • Powered industrial trucks.


• Clarification of employers’ con- tinuing obligation to make and maintain accurate records of each recordable injury and illness.


For additional information, contact Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Off ice,


202/842-4864, ssalmon@afsinc.org. January 2016 MODERN CASTING | 21


$200 million or subject to fed- eral permitting review require- ments so they will benefit from enhanced coordination.


• Designate a lead agency to coordinate responsibilities among multiple agencies involved in project reviews to ensure that “the trains run on time.”


• Provide for concurrent reviews by agencies, rather than sequen- tial reviews.


• Allow state-level environmental reviews to be used where the state has done a competent job, thereby avoiding needless dupli- cation of state work by federal reviewers.


• Require agencies to involve themselves in the process early and comment early, avoiding 11th-hour objections that can restart the entire review timetable. • Establish a reasonable process for determin- ing the scope of project alternatives, so that the environmental review does not devolve into an endless quest to evaluate infeasible alternatives. • Create a searchable, online “dashboard” to track the status of projects during


the environmental review and permitting process.


• Reduce the statute of limitations to challenge a project review from six years to two years.


• Require courts, when address- ing requests for injunctions to stop covered projects, to consider the potential negative impacts on job creation if the injunction is granted.


Te multiyear transportation bill


is paid for with gas tax revenue and a package of $70 billion in offsets from other areas of the federal budget. Te final measure is now headed to the White House, where the president is expected to sign it.


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