On September 23, 2017, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) began enforcement of the new respirable crystalline silica in construction standard, codified at 29 CFR § 1926.1153. This standard establishes a new 8-hour time-weighted average Permissible Exposure Limit (“PEL”) of 50 μg/m3, an action level of 25 μg/m3, and a “host of ancillary requirements.” In a recent letter of interpretation, Thomas Galassi, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary to OSHA Regional Administrators, announced that for the first thirty (30) days of enforcement, “OSHA will carefully evaluate good faith efforts taken by employers in their attempts to meet the new construction silica standard.”… Read more
Tag: o’day
Fracking on Public Lands: EIS May Be Required
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has agreed to settle litigation in California by preparing environmental impact statements (EISs) for two disputed oil and gas well leases in the Monterey Shale formation. The agreement includes suspension of operations and production on the leased sites pending preparation of the EISs, with the right of the plaintiff environmental groups to return to court to litigate the sufficiency of the EISs, or challenge a decision to move forward with the fracking leases after completion of the EISs. The settlement is of two related lawsuits, both styled Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club… Read more