Action Initiation List – January 2014 Page 1 of 4

January 2014 Action Initiation List (as of 3/07/2014)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The following actions were initiated by EPA this month. Explanations of which EPA actions are included on this list and of each 

element of the table can be found at the end of this document. 

The two most recent Action Initiation Lists (AILs) can always be found at: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/search/ail.html. But, they 

will not provide updates on the actions listed herein. Updates on priority rulemakings are available from EPA's Regulatory 

Development and Retrospective Review Tracker (RegDaRRT) on www.epa.gov/rulemaking/. 

If one of the rules on this AIL is in RegDaRRT, a link to the rule's profile is included in the table below. For all rules – those that 

are in RegDaRRT and those that are not – you may obtain updates twice a year in EPA’s Semiannual Regulatory Agenda, which 

is accessible from these Web sites:

• EPA’s Laws, Regulations, Guidance and Dockets (http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/search/regagenda.html)

• RegInfo.gov (http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaMain)

• Regulations.gov 

(http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=UnifiedAgenda&agency=EPA&pubperiod=200710) 
Action Initiation List – January 2014 Page 2 of 4

Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

Relaxation of the Summer 

Gasoline Volatility 

Standard for Florida and 

North Carolina

NPRM Mark Coryell 

734-214-4446

Coryell.Mark@epa.gov

EPA established a two-phase reduction in summertime commercial 

gasoline volatility. These rules reduce gasoline emissions of volatile 

organic compounds that are a major contributor to ground-level 

ozone (smog). EPA is proposing to approve Florida’s request to 

relax the federal Reid Vapor pressure (RVP) standard applicable to 

gasoline sold in the state by revising 40 CFR 80.27. In addition, 

EPA is proposing to approve North Carolina’s request to relax the

applicable RVP standards in Wake, Durham, Granville, Davidson, 

Davie, Forsyth and Guilford counties.

12 months 

or less 

Federal Reformulated 

Gasoline Program Opt-in 

for Counties in Maine

NPRM, 

Direct Final 

Mark Coryell 

734-214-4446

Coryell.Mark@epa.gov

Under section 211 (k) (6) of the Clean Air Act, the Administrator of 

EPA shall require the sale of reformulated gasoline (RFG) in an 

ozone nonattainent area classified as marginal, moderate, serious or 

severe or in the ozone transport region established under section 

184 of the Act upon the application of the Governor of the state. In 

this direct final action, EPA is extending the Act's prohibition against 

the sale of conventional gasoline (i.e., gasoline that is not RFG) to 

the southern Maine counties of York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, 

Androscoggin, Kennebec, Knox, and Lincoln which are part of the 

ozone transport region as defined in section 184 of the Act. The 

RFG requirements will apply to refiners and all other persons in the 

fuel distribution system other than retailers and wholesale 

purchaser-consumers on May 1, 2014. For retailers and wholesaleconsumers, the requirements of this rule will apply on June 1, 2014. 

As of the June 1, 2014 implementation date, this area will be treated 

as a covered area for all purposes of the federal RFG program.

12 months 

or less 
Action Initiation List – January 2014 Page 3 of 4

Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

and Fuel Efficiency Standards 

for Medium- and Heavy-Duty 

Engines and Vehicles –

Phase 2

NPRM Matt Spears 

734-214-4921

Spears.Matthew@epa.gov

During the President's second term, EPA and the Department of 

Transportation, in close coordination with the California Air 

Resources Board, will develop a comprehensive National Program 

for Medium - and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission 

and Fuel Efficiency Standards for model years beyond 2018. These 

second sets of standards would further reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions and fuel consumption from a wide range of on-road 

vehicles from semi-trucks and their trailers to the largest pickup 

trucks and vans, and all types and sizes of work trucks and buses. 

This action will be in continued response to the President's directive 

to take coordinated steps to produce a new generation of clean 

vehicles. The program would benefit consumers and businesses by 

reducing the costs for transporting goods while spurring job growth 

and innovation in the clean energy technology sector. This action 

follows the first ever Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and 

Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and 

Vehicles (75 FR September 15, 2011).

More than 

12 months 

Rulemaking to Provide 

Process for Tribes to obtain 

“Treatment in the Same 

Manner as a State” status for 

the CWA Section 303(d) 

Impaired Water Listing and 

Total Maximum Daily Load 

Program

NPRM Sarah Furtak 

202-566-1167

Furtak.Sarah@epa.gov 

EPA is leading development of a proposed rulemaking to provide 

more opportunities to fully engage tribes in the Clean Water Act 

Section 303(d) Impaired Water Listing and Total Maximum Daily 

Load (TMDL) Program by clarifying the process for tribes to obtain 

Treatment in the Same Manner as a State authority for the 

Impaired Water Listing and TMDL Program.

12 months 

or less 
Action Initiation List – January 2014 Page 4 of 4

What EPA Actions Appear on the AILs? 

Generally, AILs include those actions that 1) will appear in upcoming Semiannual Regulatory Agenda and 2) have been approved for 

commencement by EPA’s Regulatory Policy Officer. In rare instances, an action will not appear on an AIL before it appears in the Agenda. 

Also, keep in mind that AILs will not post immediately. You can access a given month's list roughly 20 days after the close of the month (e.g., 

the April 2014 AIL will post sometime around May 20th).

What Does Each Column in the AIL Mean?

Title: Self-explanatory.

Stage: The stage of an action describes where we are in the rule writing process, from the very beginning when a rule (or other action) is 

just an idea to the end when it is published as a final rule (or other action) in the Federal Register. For example, the Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (NPRM) stage announces a proposed rule or proposed modification to an existing rule. In the AILs, the following acronyms are 

used:

• ANPRM - Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

• NPRM - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

• Supplemental - Supplemental NPRM 

• Direct Final - Direct Final Action

• Interim Final – Interim Final Action

• Final – Final Action

• Section 610 Review – Agency Review under Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act

Contact: Provides the name, phone, and email address for the EPA staff person assigned to this rule. Additionally, if a rule is in EPA's 

RegDaRRT (www.epa.gov/rulemaking/), then a link to the rule's profile will be provided in this column.

Abstract: A brief summary of the action and its purpose. 

Projected Publication Date: Since many variables affect how long it takes to write a rule or other action, it is difficult to predict a firm 

publication date when we have just started working on an action. Therefore, we insert one of two options in the "Projected Publication Date" 

column: 1) "12 months or less" and 2) "more than 12 months." These options give you some idea of how quickly we expect to complete an 

action.