GAO Report Released: Workplace Safety and Health OSHA Can Better Respond to State-Run Programs Facing Challenges

Recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, titled Workplace Safety and Health OSHA Can Better Respond to State-Run Programs Facing Challenges GAO-13-320 (Apr. 16, 2013). The details of the 45-page report, available here, are discussed below:

Why GAO Did This Study

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is generally responsible for setting and enforcing occupational safety and health standards in the nation's workplaces. OSHA carries out enforcement directly in 34 states and territories, while the remaining 22 have chosen to administer their own enforcement programs (referred to as state-run programs) under plans approved by OSHA. GAO was asked to review issues related to state-run programs. This report examines (1) what challenges states face in administering their safety and health programs, and (2) how OSHA responds to state-run programs with performance issues. GAO reviewed relevant federal laws, regulations and OSHA policies; conducted a survey of 22 state-run programs; and interviewed officials in OSHA's national office, all 10 OSHA regions, and from a nongeneralizable sample of 5 state-run programs; and interviewed labor and business associations and safety and health experts.

What GAO Recommends

Congress should consider giving OSHA a mechanism to expedite assistance to states experiencing challenges. In addition, OSHA should take a number of actions, including facilitating access to training; establishing time frames for resuming enforcement if states do not address challenges in a timely manner; and documenting lessons from its past experiences in resuming federal enforcement of state-run programs. In response, OSHA agreed with the recommendations and said it will explore ways to implement them.

Environment Northeast Report Released: RGGI’s Past and Future: Emissions Trends and Potential Reforms

Recently, Environment Northeast, a "a non-profit organization [focused] on efforts to combat global warming and promote clean energy and clean air solutions in New England and Eastern Canada," released a report titled, RGGI’s Past and Future: Emissions Trends and Potential Reforms (2012). The 6-page report available here, found the following:

Summary of Key Findings

• 2012 emissions are projected at 91,017,970 tons or 45% below the RGGI cap. 

• Electricity prices across the region have decreased by 10% since RGGI’s launch.

• Electric sector trends responsible for low emissions – increasing natural gas and renewable generation, growing investments in energy efficiency, and decoupling of economic growth and emissions – show no signs of reversing, suggesting that emissions will remain low.

• Of four cap proposals by the states, the highest three would not reduce emissions from current levels, and lowest one would cause emissions to decline slightly. Economic analysis shows net benefits for all of the proposals, with the highest level of benefits from the lowest caps.

• RGGI reforms have implications beyond the region, as federal regulations of greenhouse gas emissions may lead other states to join RGGI.

 

Focus on Change: A Closer Look at Climate Change Impacts in the Northeast -- Pace Energy and Climate Center conference

Landscapes: Improving Conservation Practice in the Northeast Megaregion -- RPA and America 2050

Landscapes: Improving Conservation Practice in the Northeast Megaregion from the Regional Plan Association and American 2050 (Feb. 2012)  finds that "Buying land isn’t enough. Building parks

won’t get it done. Restoring forests and wetlands by themselves is not an answer. Successful conservation requires a comprehensive, regional approach.

Landscape conservation means looking beyond property boundaries and political jurisdictions.... With funding scarce, it’s also crucial to build partnerships that can set mutual priorities, share resources and collaborate effectively....

This is especially true for complex geographies like the 13-state Northeast megaregion.... Its cities, suburbs and rural areas are expected to add an additional 15 million people by the year 2040. Where these people are housed, and how their transportation and energy needs are met, will dictate whether the region’s wildlife, drinking water and other resources, farms and forests, and outdoor recreational opportunities are truly lasting.

Landscape conservation initiatives can bring together the diverse interests critical for conservation success in the Northeast and elsewhere.... Such collaboration can enable the conservation community to align protection and management of individual properties while providing a platform for engaging non-traditional partners in their work. 

This report offers a summary of the work landscape conservation initiatives are doing in the Northeast megaregion. Specific examples on how landscape practitioners are carrying out their work are highlighted throughout the document.... The survey was used to identify the major challenges facing landscape conservation, including urban growth and land-use change, investments in transportation, water and energy infrastructure, climate change and limited funding for conservation and management.... Maps and analyses of infrastructure investments, energy resources and climate change similarly help paint a mega-regional-scale picture of challenges and opportunities.