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Topping Bush’s List: A Rule Making It Harder to Regulate Toxic Substances |
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The nation’s voters may have cast their ballots overwhelmingly for change Nov. 4, but the Bush administration’s drive to weaken worker safety laws and reward its corporate friends is far from dead.
In November, we reported on the Bush administration’s last-minute assault on the public with a slew of end-of-term, no congressional-approval-needed regulations that could roll back or weaken rules on job safety, family leave, airline safety and pollution.
Over the holiday weekend, The New York Times reported that one of the top items on Bush’s move-out checklist is the “secret rule” that could lead to increased exposure of workers to dangerous chemicals and toxins by changing the way worker exposure is measured.
The Labor Department is racing to complete a new rule, strenuously opposed by President-elect Barack Obama, that would make it much harder for the government to regulate toxic substances and hazardous chemicals to which workers are exposed on the job. The rule…has strong support from business groups.
AFL-CIO Safety and Health Director Peg Seminario told the Times:
This rule is being pushed through by an administration that, for the last seven and a half years, has failed to set any new OSHA health rules to protect workers, except for one issued pursuant to a court order…the administration is rushing to lock in place requirements that would make it more difficult for the next administration to protect workers.
While in the Senate and on the campaign trail, Obama was highly critical of the proposed rule, joining with other senators in a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao urging the rule be dropped.
If the rule is finalized, it could be rescinded under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Under the CRA, a regulation that is enacted within 60 days of congressional adjournment can be reviewed and overturned by a simple majority vote in both houses and Senate filibusters are not allowed.
For more on Bush’s last-minute regulations and proposals, read Think Progress’ report, “Bush’s Backward Sprint to the Finish.”
1 Comment
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Either Bush really doesn’t care, or there are others, ‘politically connected’, to him that are making the decisions for him, or both! This is the Bush’s administration’s final harrah to do as much damage to this country as he possibly can before he leaves the White House.
This country’s government , through our Constitution, was set up so no one single person could have absolutely power, for very obvious reasons. WHAT THE H— HAPPENED!!!!