Legislative Committee Update

By: Richard Ludt and Andrea Johnson

During the most recent meeting, the agenda included a presentation by Kirk Sander, the Chief of Safety and Standards at the National Waste and Recycling Association, who discussed expected changes to OSHA regulations due to the change in administrations. He predicted a pause in all regulatory activities to allow the new administration to assess the current state of regulations. Kirk also mentioned the potential demise of the “heat standard”, which was tied to the Biden Administration's climate change initiatives, and that the standard involves more paperwork, training, and basic accommodations for employees. Kirk also highlighted the unique situation of volunteer firefighters, who are often classified as 501(c)(3) charities. He expressed concern about the classification of waste and recycling industry employees as firefighters due to the number of fires they respond to, which could lead to medical monitoring requirements, and believes a regulatory change could have a significant impact on volunteer firefighters in rural areas. He encouraged attendees to reach out to their volunteer fire departments to gauge their awareness and discuss potential responses to proposed classification changes. 

Next, Kirk discussed the proposed rule process for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) concerning automatic driving systems. He highlighted the focus on long-haul over-the-road trucks and the challenges posed by automatic emergency braking systems, particularly in urban areas. He mentioned the potential for unintended consequences, such as false positives for steel plates. Chair Richard Ludt expressed concern about the potential impact on short-haul operations, and Kirk suggested a meeting with FMCSA to discuss these issues and other potential impacts. Other concerns were raised related to the application of automatic braking systems in the Northeast. 

Committee discussions concluded with Executive Director Terri Ward sharing conversations related to the USGBC’s proposed LEED v5 of interest, during which an update on the Materials and Resource Credits was shared. The CDRA provided official comments regarding Leed v5 in a recent communication to USGBC, with the help of this committee and CDRA leadership. During this discussion, an update on wood-derived fuel’s status under the new version of LEED was addressed. The conversation ended with an update on mattress recycling in Virginia, and Andrea expressed optimism about the bill's potential and encouraged others to consider getting involved in legislative processes.

This committee monitors ongoing legislation in order to identify issues, gather and evaluate information and recommend courses of action to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and values input from every member. There’s no bad time to get involved in the important work being advanced by this committee!