Testifying at the 2017 National Regulatory Fairness Hearing at the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the National Ombudsman on Aug. 28, Brad Muller, AFS’ Government Affairs Chairman and Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Co., urged action on OSHA’s silica rule, and other onerous rulemakings and policies.

On October 10, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to repeal the Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants. EPA presented the rule to the public as designed to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing utilities. AFS has argued that the rule would hurt U.S. metalcasters with dramatically increased energy costs.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced on October 16, 2017 that EPA would end the practice of regulation through litigation to resolve legal challenges to Agency actions and inactions known as “Sue and Settle.” Administrator Pruitt indicated that the “Sue and Settle” process “undermines the fundamental principles of government,” including: “(1) the importance of process, (2) adherence to the rule of law, and (3) the applicability of cooperative federalism.”

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on Dec. 18 that they will continue accepting the 2016 OSHA Form 300A data through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) until midnight on Dec. 31, 2017.