OSHA Seeks Volunteers for Small Business Panel on Tree Care Safety
On December 10, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) notified the Office of Advocacy that it plans to convene a small business panel on a possible OSHA Tree Care Operations safety standard in early 2020. …
EPA Proposes New Deadline to Initiate Closure for Surface Impoundments Under CCR Regulations
On Dec. 2, 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed changes to its requirements for the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR) from electric utilities under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The proposal seeks to…
Advocacy and SBA National Ombudsman Formalize Intent to Cooperate on Small Business Regulatory…
By Brooke Justus, Public Affairs Liaison
There’s
no secret that small businesses face a high share of federal regulatory burden
because they lack economies of scale. Thankfully, there are two offices in the
federal government working…
Best Christmas Ever: Small Holiday Business Turns Tariff Threat into Opportunity for Growth
By Christine Myers, Region 2 Advocate
While visiting Rochester
and Buffalo, N.Y., I had the opportunity to meet with a small business that turned
a possible catastrophe into a new opportunity for growth.
The Gordon Companies is
a…
Interagency Cooperation Saves Christmas for Tree Harvesting Company
By Apollo Fuhriman, Region 10 Advocate
At the end of October, a distraught business owner in Salem, Ore., contacted Regional Advocate Apollo Fuhriman seeking help for her business. This Christmas tree harvesting business opened its…
SBA Issues Final Rule on Calculation of Average Annual Receipts for the Purposes of Certain Size…
By Joseph Sobota, Assistant Chief Counsel
Many people think that they know a
small business when they see one. But when it comes to eligibility for various
government programs designed to assist small businesses, agencies must have a…
Small Businesses in Region 6 Have Another Great Year
By Rhett Davis, Region 6 Advocate
The Office of Advocacy visited
every corner of Region 6 in 2019. We traveled to places from the top of the
region in Oklahoma City and Fayetteville, to the bottom in Brownsville, Texas. We
hit stops…
Advocacy Attorneys Attend Annual ABA Administrative Law Conference in D.C.
By David Rostker, Assistant Chief Counsel
Like doctors, mechanics and computer programmers,
lawyers have to stay up-to-date in their field, and the attorneys of the Office
of Advocacy’s Office of Interagency Affairs are no different.…
Advocacy Submits Comments to FDA on PMTA Proposed Rule
On November 27, 2019, the Office of Advocacy submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asserting that the agency improperly certified the Tobacco Product Applications and Recordkeeping Requirements Proposed Rule. The…
EPA Proposes Revisions of Application Exclusion Zone Requirements for Agricultural Worker Protection…
On November 1, 2019, EPA published proposed revisions to the
application exclusion zone (AEZ) requirements under its Agricultural Worker
Protection Standard (WPS) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act. An AEZ…