As OMB Reviews, Industry Voices Opposition to OSHA Regulation - Industry Influence - RegWatch

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Friday, October 26, 2007

As OMB Reviews, Industry Voices Opposition to OSHA Regulation

Thanks to the Pump Handle blog for pointing out this story. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are lobbying the White House, potentially with the aim of derailing an important worker safety rule.

The Pump Handle has some background on the rule:

More than 8 years ago, OSHA proposed a rule designed to clarify that employers are supposed to provide and pay for [personal protective equipment (PPE)] . . . Under Bush's Labor Department, a final version of the rule was in perpetual limbo until two labor unions filed suit in January 2007 to compel OSHA to issue it.

OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) began reviewing the rule on Sept. 10. Although OSHA and Department of Labor officials have committed to issuing the final rule in November, OIRA could continue its review of the rule into the new year under the rules of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review.

Meanwhile, on Oct. 23, officials from NAM and the Chamber of Commerce met with officials from OMB to discuss the rule. Because these meetings occur behind closed doors, it is unlikely the public will ever know what was discussed.

What we do know is that no official from OSHA was present. E.O. 12866 requires a representative from the appropriate agency (in this case OSHA) to attend these meetings or, if a representative cannot attend, requires the public be notified as to why no agency official was present. No explanation has been made public.

Regular readers of Reg•Watch may remember a similar story surrounding OMB's review of EPA's national ambient air quality standard for ozone. In that instance, no EPA official was present at a meeting featuring lobbyists from the Chemical Industry Institute and the Auto Alliance.