WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, along with Reps. Stauber (R-MN) and Meuser (R-PA), wrote to Acting Secretary of Labor, Julie Su, and Assistant Secretary of Labor, Christopher Williamson, to address the Department’s new proposed rule that would change dust protection standards in mining.

This letter builds on the House Committee on Small Business’ work to ensure federal agencies adhere to the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act to protect small businesses from burdensome regulations and rulemaking.

Read the full letter here.

Read excerpts from the letter below:

“The increased standards described in this rule would force many small mines to implement new engineering and administrative controls to achieve the air quality benchmarks. These controls include installing new air vents, using wetting agents, installing machine mounted dust collectors, and installing control booths to enclose operators. These additional requirements not only compromise the operations of existing small mines, but also increases material and compliance costs for entrepreneurs seeking to open a new mine.

“It is important for agencies to examine small businesses interests—which make up 99.9 percent of all businesses in the United States—when passing any new rule. America’s small businesses deserve to have their voices heard and considered.”

Background:

Signatories include Chairman Roger Williams (R-TX), Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), and Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA).

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