©2025 League of Conservation Voters
1982 Scorecard Vote
186
220
26
Issues
The vote is on the Rousselot (R-CA) amendment to the Urgent Supplemental Appropriations bill (H.R. 5922), to allow the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to keep jurisdiction over 123,000 sand, gravel and stone miners. The bill would have shifted control back to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) which had jurisdiction until 1981. Environmentalists wanted MSHA to get back the jurisdiction, because OSHA is heavily overworked and has neither the experience nor the people to oversee mine safety. 80% of all sand and gravel mines are exempt from regular OSHA inspection. In its first 7 months, OSHA made only 31 inspections, compared to 1800 by MSHA during the same period a year earlier. The number of miners killed tripled. Environmentalists support a safe workplace environment for the development of the nation’s natural resources. Amendment rejected 186-220; May 12, 1982. NO is the pro-environmental vote. (An identical amendment passed the Senate, but was dropped in Conference. MSHA got the jurisdiction back.)
©2025 League of Conservation Voters