Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Office; Jeff Hannapel & Christian Richter, The Policy Group, Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON ALERT
House Passes Bill to Stop EPA’s Waters of the U.S. Proposed Rule
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS WARNED IT WILL VETO THE MEASURE. On September 10, the U.S. House
of Representatives passed the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act (H.R. 5078), on a vote of 262-152. H.R. 5078 requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to revisit the proposed rule with direct consultation with state and local of- ficials to determine which bodies of water should be covered under the Clean Water Act. In March, EPA and the Corps
proposed a new rule to redefine the term “waters of the United States,” and the agencies’ jurisdiction over waters they can regulate. Te rule extends federal jurisdiction well beyond traditional navigable waters to tributaries, adjacent waters (such as ponds) and vaguely-defined “other waters.” EPA’s proposal exposes new
ON THE HILL
OSHA Inspectors Focusing on Hazards to Temporary Workers
In August, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released Recommended Practices for staffing agencies and host employers in order to protect temporary workers from hazards on the job. The new publication highlights the joint responsibility of the staffing agency and host employer to ensure temporary workers are provided a safe work environment. Last year, OSHA launched a Tempo-
rary Worker Initiative which includes outreach, training and enforcement. In recent months, OSHA has investigated reports of temporary workers suffer- ing serious or fatal injuries and cited a number of businesses. The Recom-
mended Practices publication focuses on ensuring temporary workers receive the same training and protection that existing workers receive.
The new guidance recommends that staff agency/host employer contracts clearly define the temporary worker’s tasks and the safety and health responsi- bilities of each employer.
NAM Releases Study on Cost of Federal Regulations
On September 10, the National Associ- ation of Manufacturers (NAM) unveiled a report which examines the annual impact of federal red tape on the U.S. economy, manufacturers and small businesses. “Manufacturers have long cited more and more complex regulations as a bar- rier to their growth,” said NAM President Jay Timmons. “Today, we have new data demonstrating the true burdens shoul-
dered by manufacturers throughout the supply chain, particularly the small- est firms, in complying with growing federal mandates.”
The findings from this year’s report demonstrate that:
• Complying with federal regulations costs Americans $2.028 trillion in lost
economic growth annually.
• The average manufacturing firm faces $19,564 per employee per year
in compliance costs, nearly double the burden of the average U.S. firm.
• Small manufacturers pay $34,671 per employee per year to comply
with federal regulations—more than triple the burden—and nearly 59% of those costs are incurred to comply with environmental regulations.
For additional information, contact Stepha- nie Salmon, AFS Washington Off ice,
202-842-4864,
ssalmon@afsinc.org. October 2014 MODERN CASTING | 17
H.R. 5078 questions what would be defined as a navigable water in EPA's proposed waters of the U.S. rule establishing jurisdiction for protection under the Clean Water Act.
facilities and expansion projects to additional federal permitting, trigger- ing new upfront costs, project delays and threats of litigation. Te White House issued a veto threat against HR 5078. Te Senate is unlikely to take up the Overreach Protection Act this year. Te Waters of the U.S. Rule
remains a top priority for the Obama Administration. More than 300,000 comments have been received to date by EPA on the proposal. Te Ameri- can Foundry Society's Environmental Health and Safety 10-F Committee assembled comments from industry to provide to EPA. Comments are due by October 20.
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