The Department of Labor failed to meet its original April target for releasing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for its proposed “Plan / Prevent / Protect” regulation, which would be a major overhaul of DOL enforcement under several agencies, touching on health and safety, mining, and construction, among others. The one we are most concerned about is the “Right To Know” initiative, which proposes the introduction of new enforcement tools for DOL’s Wage and Hour Division.

On July 12, AbitibiBowater announced that its Coosa Pines, Alabama pulp mill had signed a five-year contract with Alabama Power to provide the utility with 15 megawatts of generating capacity, as an element in its ongoing reconfiguration. In February, the mill stated that it would cease paper manufacturing, to concentrate on fluff pulp.

Several reports of serious injuries and fatalities associated with log trucking have come to our attention recently:

This spring’s Wallow fire had burned 520,000 acres in Arizona as of June 18, causing the evacuation of eight communities, and has now moved into New Mexico; among other consequences, the National Weather Service warns that the extensive burns on the White Mountains “will make numerous locations vulnerable to flash floods and debris flows” even in moderate-intensity rains and urged those in the watershed to take precautions, at least during the coming summer. On June 18, the fire was rated as 51% contained.