©2025 League of Conservation Voters
1982 Scorecard Vote
52
38
10
Issues
The vote is on the Bumpers (D-AR) – Nickles (R-OK) amendment to the Urgent Supplemental Appropriations bill (H.R. 5922), to let the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 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 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, and the number of miners killed tripled. Environmentalists support a safe workplace environment in the development of the nation’s natural resources. Amendment adopted 52-38; May 27, 1982. NO is the pro-environmental vote. (An identical amendment was defeated in the House, and the Bumpers amendment was dropped in Conference, thus returning control to MSHA.)
©2025 League of Conservation Voters