Letter to David Michaels, Assistant Secretary, Occupational Safety and Health Administration - Respirable Crystalline Silica

Letter

Today, Subcommittee Chairman on Workforce Protections Tim Walberg (R-MI) sent a letter to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Assistant Secretary David Michaels requesting an extension for the public comment period on the agency's proposed rule for Respirable Crystalline Silica. Due to an incorrect deadline on regulations.gov, interested stakeholders may be deterred from providing comments on the proposed rule.

Adequate time for public input on the proposed rule is necessary because of the complexity of this regulation. Hundreds of technical documents have been included in the docket and the economic impact of the rule has been estimated in the billions.

Chairman Walberg released the following statement after sending the letter:

"The administration's decision to heed our call for increased transparency in the silica regulatory proposal was a welcome and necessary one. Without robust input from the public, our shared goal of combating the health risks posed by silica will be severely hampered. The rule's potential to affect millions of jobs makes it clear that another malfunctioning federal government website should not stand in the way of achieving a sensible and workable standard. Extending the comment period will allow stakeholders deterred by a computer glitch to submit their comments on this complicated rule."

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