Congressional opponents of public protections spent much of 2012 attempting to increase the procedural hurdles to establishing new rules that would implement federal laws and standards according to the regulatory watchdog group OMB Watch. Efforts to attack the scientific evidence employed by agencies continued.

I have visited several gas plants across the US. Gas plants are complex facilities. They operate at pressure with flammable materials and dangerous products. Gas plants are regulated by Process Safety Management standards to address the inherent hazards of operations. 

Public Citizen is the latest organization to criticize the White House Office of Budget and Management (OMB) for failing to complete its review of OSHA's proposed silica rule in a timely manner.

Extending a review of OSHA's proposed crystalline silica standard allows certain industry groups to attempt to "short circuit" the existing process -- and makes it vulnerable to political influence, according to the American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA).