MSHA drops civil penalties rule
Published by Rebecca Bowden,
Assistant Editor
World Cement,
In a major win for aggregates operators, the US Department of Labor’s Fall 2016 Agency Rule List indicates that the MSHA is no longer seeking to reform the system by which civil penalties are assessed against operators.
Since it was issued in 2014, the NSSGA has constantly fought the proposal through testimony at multiple public hearing, formal written comments, meetings with the White House Office of Management and Budget, and in meetings with key congressional committees. According to NSSGA’s conservative estimate, the rule would have increased costs associated with MSHA penalties by a range of 50 to 80 percent, and these increases dramatically undercut an operator’s ability to invest in safety. Last year alone, MSHA assessed about $12 million in penalty costs against aggregates operators.
“While we are pleased that this administration will not enact this unnecessary regulation, we continue to advise the Trump transition team on the negative effects that this and other regulations have on our operations,” said Michael W. Johnson, NSSGA president and CEO.
NSSGA continues to express concerns to the incoming administration on other regulations that MSHA listed on the agenda and could pursue in 2017. That way, President Trump and his team have a clear understanding of the negative impacts of these regulations.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/25112016/msha-drops-civil-penalties-rule/
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