[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. BILL HUIZENGA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 2017

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3354) making 
     appropriations for the Department of the Interior, 
     environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2018, and for other purposes:

  Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prohibit funds from being 
used to implement a misguided and harmful rule from the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration regarding occupational exposure to 
respirable crystalline silica.
  This destructive rule was first proposed in 2013 and significantly 
threatens jobs in a number of industries around the country including: 
construction, foundries, aggregates, oil and gas, brick manufacturers, 
maritime as well as several other industries.
  The limits set in this rule are simply unworkable, without 
extraordinary costs to both workers and job creators in my district and 
manufacturing centers across America. We are talking about the loss of 
thousands upon thousands of American jobs.
  Furthermore, even if these companies were able to meet this 
unreasonable requirement without putting hardworking Americans out of 
work, commercial laboratories have not been able to measure workplace 
silica levels with any accuracy or consistency making it nearly 
impossible for employers to determine if they are in compliance.
  We are in the midst of strong economic growth, but burdensome 
regulations like this threaten our economic well-being. In fact, the 
cost of compliance for the construction industry alone has been 
estimated to be nearly $5 billion per year.
  This rule's impact on the Foundry industry would also be 
catastrophic. Independent analyses show it would cost the industry $2.2 
billion annually, which represents 9.9 percent of the industry's 
revenue and an astounding 276 percent of its profits.
  Another key industry that will suffer under this regulation is 
hydraulic fracturing which uses tremendous amounts of sand. The 
American energy sector has boomed in recent years--increasing economic 
prosperity and creating thousands of jobs across America. Hydraulic 
fracturing is also a major reason why our nation has become more energy 
independent and allowed us to help our allies in Europe while 
countering countries such as Russia and Iran.
  The deadline for the construction industry to comply with this rule 
is September 23.
  We cannot stand by while another burdensome and unworkable regulation 
is piled on job creators that are finally starting to see growth. We 
need to act now to protect American Jobs. I encourage you to join me in 
voting for this amendment to stop this job-destroying rule.