Aug. 22, 2025
HARRISBURG – Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover) praised the work of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) when it voted today to remove a series of outdated and irrelevant regulations from the books.
“Pennsylvanians are already subjected to a bevy of unneeded regulations. The vote by IRRC to clean up some of the regulations is certainly a step in the right direction. I thank the commission and the Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of State for their efforts,” Grove said. “This action should be seen as the start, not the end. A lot more work must be done to roll back regulations and clean up the books.”
In its action, IRRC voted to repeal two regulations. One of the regulations pertaining to blasting, demolition, fireworks and explosives was not being enforced by the Department of Labor and Industry since regulatory powers were transferred to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Yet, the regulation remained on the books under the Department of Labor and Industry’s purview, making it redundant. As such, the commission approved its repeal, leaving DEP as the sole agency to enforce it.
“This specific regulation has been on the books for 40 years too long. Since 1981, DEP has been enforcing this regulation, leaving the Department of Labor and Industry with absolutely nothing to do with it,” Grove said.
The initiative to clean up regulations started during the 2021-22 session when Grove was chairman of the House State Government Committee. He led chairs of five other House committees to request that IRRC conduct a review of regulations, finding those which should be repealed or amended. Requests were forwarded to IRRC, which then worked with agencies to review regulations and ordered adjustments as needed.
With approval of commission members, the updates will be reviewed by the attorney general and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin to alert the public of the changes.
“This initiative prompted state agencies to review their own regulations so that the public has access to better, more up-to-date regulations. Agencies make rules and then forget about them. Over the years, laws change, yet rules aren’t updated to reflect the changes,” Grove said. “It is my hope this effort will carrying on for years to come.”
Representative Seth Grove
196th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
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