Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002

Advocating environmental reforms, such as the Clean Air Act, the endangered Species Act, Superfund, and a modification of wetlands for regulatory purposes. To Prohibit land form being set aside as "potential habitat." Abandoned Mine Lands (Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund) in favor of spending $$ from the AML trust fund to clean up abandoned mine land sites. Drinking Water & Wastewater Inrastructure needs to provide stable annual funding for the clean Water & Drinking Water State Revolving funds and SRDA (HR668/S252, S 1961). Pipeline Safety Act (HR 3609)

Client expense: $40,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Education, Dept of, Federal Highway Administration (FHA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission, Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, White House Office

IBEW opposed pay cap provisions contained in the Treasury and General Government Appropriations bill for FY 2003. The proposed legislation would have subjected blue collar employees to be limited to pay increases that could not exceed the same percentage paid to white collar government employees, regardless of the percentage actually due to them under Federal Wage System, creating a wage gap for tradespeople in federal employment. (H.R. 5120/S.2740). IBEW opposed any amendments to the National Homeland Security and Combating Terrorism Act that would weaken or strip longstanding worker rights or Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections. H.R. 5005/S.2452(Ltr. 9/16/02) The IBEW supported H.R. 3609, the bill that establishes mandatory inspections of all U.S. oil and natural gas pipelines within 10 years, with at least half of the pipelines to be inspected within the first five years. It also increases monetary penalties for safety infractions and includes an integrity management program. The IBEW sought to include a worker training provision that mandated testing of knowledge, skills and abilities with periodic re-examination of employees in safety-sensitive positions. This was met with fierce opposition from the industry, and in the end, the language was permissive, not mandatory. Standards for the qualification process are, however, mandatory. IBEW supported passage of unemployment benefits for more than 800,000 laid-off workers and their families that was to run out on December 28, 2002. The benefits would have provided laid-off workers 13 additional weeks of federal benefits after they exhausted their state aid. Bill Reference (H.R. 3529 and H.R. 5063). The IBEW opposed a newly created Electronic Systems Technician (EST) classification formed by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (BAT, now known as OATELS). The new EST work processes were similar to the functions of an inside wireman or telecommunication installer-technician aleady in place.. IBEW attempted to reverse the Department of Labor’s (DOL) course.

Client expense: $300,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Federal Communications Commission (FCC), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), SENATE

Advocating environmental reforms, such as the Clean Air Act, the endangered Species Act, Superfund, and a modification of wetlands for regulatory purposes. To Prohibit land from being set aside as "potential habitat." Abandoned Mine Lands (Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund) in favor of spending $$ from the AML trust fund to clean up abandoned mine land sites. Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure needs to provide stable annual funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving funds and SRDA (HR668/S252, S 1961). Pipeline Safety Act (HR 3609)

Client expense: $40,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Education, Dept of, Federal Highway Administration (FHA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Transportation, Dept of (DOT), Treasury, Dept of, White House Office