WASHINGTON ALERT
Stephanie Salmon, Artemis Strategies; Jeff Hannapel & Christian Richter, The Policy Group, Washington, D.C.
House Expected to Vote on Keystone XL Pipeline Bill Prior to Memorial Day
THE PIPELINE PROJECT WILL NOT HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, ACCORDING TO REPORT.
TransCanada’s plans to build a 1,700-mile pipeline, known as Keystone XL, from Canada through the U.S., would not have a huge impact on the climate. Te State Department
T
will be asking for public comments on the report soon. Te analysis will be subject to at least 45 days of public comment, and the department must then re- spond to the expected hun- dreds of thousands of comments before finalizing its environmental impact statement. Te State Department also will be conducting a separate analysis to determine whether the project is in the country’s national interest, a question on which eight other agencies will offer input over 90 days. At this time, it ap- pears the President is unlikely to make a decision on TransCanada’s permit application until midsummer.
ON THE HILL
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Donning/ Doffing Safety Gear Case The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on whether workers should be paid for their time donning and doffing protective safety gear. The court is expected to hear this case in its next term, which begins October 2013. A ruling may not be made until June 2014.
The issue has been around the federal court system for a number of years. The referenced gear includes flame-retardant pants and jacket, work gloves, steel-toed boots, hard hats, safety glasses, ear plugs and a “snood” that covers the
14 | MODERN CASTING April 2013
top of the head, chin and neck. The case questions whether these items are considered clothing or safety gear. If they are clothes, the Fair Labor Standards Act notes workers do not get paid for changing into or out of work clothes. If labeled safety gear, work- ers might be paid for the donning and doffing time. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled workers must be paid for the time spent walking between their changing areas and their work areas after donning and before doffing their specialized protec- tive gear. However, they do not need to be paid for time spent waiting to don the equipment.
House Republicans Introduce Resolution Opposing Carbon Tax
U.S. House members unveiled a reso-
lution on March 13 declaring a proposed carbon tax a threat to the economy. The resolution notes a carbon tax would harm U.S. manufacturing and lead to jobs and businesses moving abroad due to higher energy costs. The National Association of
Manufacturers recently released an economic study finding a $20 carbon tax could erode production by 15% in energy-intensive sectors.
For additional information, contact Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Office, 202/842-4864,
ssalmon@afsinc.org.
he U.S. State De- partment recently issued a report that
various environmental reviews using Congress’ power under the Commerce Clause was introduced on March 15.
A similar process was used in the 1970s to ap- prove the Alaska Pipeline. Te U.S. House bill has 83 cosponsors. Companion legislation also was intro- duced in the U.S. Senate. While the Keystone
bill is certain to pass in the House, where Republicans have a majority, it is expect- ed to face a more difficult
Environmentalists have urged
President Obama to reject the project because it would be detrimental to the climate and enhance our reliance on fossil fuels, while the business commu- nity has criticized the administration for delaying the project, which they believe would bring jobs and more energy independence to the country. Bipartisan legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline and the
path in the Democratic-controlled Sen- ate. Both bills have bipartisan support, but a vote on a similar bill last year was unable to obtain the necessary 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster. Facebook users have an opportunity
to cast a vote and voice their opinion on the Keystone Pipeline. A survey has been posted on the pipeline. For a link to the poll, visit
www.afsinc.org/KeystoneVote.
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