[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 26, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H1945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 SILICA

  (Mr. LANKFORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. Speaker, comments have closed on a proposed rule 
from OSHA for sand in the workplace.
  Prolonged breathing of silica, sand, can cause serious health issues. 
No one will dispute that. But this new rule is interesting in its 
design. In the comment request, OSHA specifically singles out one 
industry--oil and gas--as a key reason for the rule change. They write, 
in part, ``A recent cooperative study identified overexposures to 
silica among workers conducting hydraulic fracturing operations,'' as 
their prime reason for the rule change.
  It is interesting that after the rule has been in place since 1971, 
OSHA has made this change. Fracking is not new. It has been around for 
decades. Why the sudden change in this administration?
  I believe the change is because this administration is looking for 
one more way to impede oil and gas development in the United States. If 
this is not just about oil and gas, will OSHA set new rules for beach 
lifeguards who work in sand all day? How about road crews in Arizona 
who work in blowing sand all day? How about gift shops and restaurants 
along our coasts? What about dune buggy operators in the sand dunes of 
Little Sahara State Park in northwest Oklahoma?
  The people of my district work every day to provide our Nation energy 
independence and to get our Nation out of the Middle East. But they are 
tired of fighting mounds of new regulations, unfunded mandates, and 
attacks on their livelihood as they serve our Nation.

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