Overnight Regulation: Trump administration delays Obama-era safety rules on miners, truckers

by Tim Devaney and Lydia Wheeler - 05/22/17 6:17 PM ET

Welcome to Overnight Regulation, your daily rundown of news from the federal agencies, Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Monday evening here in Washington. Here’s the latest.

THE BIG STORY

President Trump’s Transportation Department is again delaying Obama-era training requirements for truck and bus drivers.

The Transportation Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued the training requirements last December for entry-level drivers, as well as those with more experience who are looking to upgrade or reapply for a commercial driver’s license.

Semi-truck drivers would face 30 hours of training behind the wheel, while school bus, city bus, tour bus and motor coach drivers must complete 15 hours of training on the road.

The DOT delayed the training requirements Monday for the third time since Trump took office.

The training requirements — originally scheduled to go into effect on Feb. 6 — were delayed because of Trump’s regulatory moratorium, which forced federal agencies to postpone new rules, giving the administration more time to review them.

The rules were delayed again in March, and now they have been pushed back until June 5.

The Trump administration has not yet said whether it intends to get rid of the new training requirements. Because the Obama administration finalized the rule, the Transportation Department would have to issue a new rule to remove the old one.

Click here for the story.

The Trump administration is also delaying Obama-era workplace safety requirements for miners.

The Labor Department on Monday delayed the agency’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rule, the day before it was set to go into effect.

MSHA issued the rule on the final day of President Obama’s administration in January. It was delayed to give small businesses that operate mines more time to comply with the changes, the agency said.

The rule called for mine operators to examine new sites before sending miners to work and alert the workers to dangers if hazardous conditions are not fixed promptly. It also called for operators to keep track of places they examined, any hazards identified there and when the problems were fixed.

The Obama administration said the rule is intended to prevent mining accidents and save workers’ lives. According to the Labor Department, 122 workers died as a result of mining accidents from 2010 through 2015.

At the time the rule was issued, the Labor Department argued 16 of these accidents could have been prevented if the condition of these mines had been reported.

The Labor Department estimates the mining rule will cost industry nearly $35 million to comply with, but did not quantify the benefits.

The costs could affect about 11,000 mine operators, most of which are small businesses, according to the agency.

The miner protections are now set to go into effect on Oct. 2.

Click here for the story.

ON TAP FOR TUESDAY

The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety will hold a hearing on bills to make implementation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone attainable.

The House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on the Environment will hold a hearing on expanding the role of states in EPA rulemaking.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing to discuss the U.S. public health response to the Zika virus.

TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY

Keep an eye on these rules in Tuesday’s edition of the Federal Register:

–The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will examine its cosmetic labeling rule.

Under the rule, companies must disclose product information about cosmetics on the label. The FDA will propose a routine information collection request that could lead to potential changes in the rule.

The public has 60 days to comment.

–The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will consider changes to the existing protections for North Carolina red wolves.

These red wolves have been listed as endangered since the 1970s.

The FWS will issue an advance notice of proposed rulemaking as it prepares for potential changes to how it handles the wolf population.

The agency plans to conduct an environmental review.

The public has 60 days to comment.

NEWS RIGHT NOW

Groups sue FDA over food additive rule

Supreme Court limits ‘venue shopping’ for patent case

Supreme Court strikes down NC districts as illegally based on race

GOP talks of narrowing ‘blue-slip’ rule for judges

Labor Dept delays Obama-era mine safety rule