Action Initiation List – May 2013 Page 1 of 3

May 2013 Action Initiation List (as of 7/31/2013)

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 – May 2013 Page 2 of 3

Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

Air Quality: Revision to 

Definition of Volatile 

Organic Compounds -

Exclusion of 

Benzotrifluoride

NPRM

Direct Final

Dave Sanders 

919-541-3356

Sanders.Dave@epa.gov

This direct final with parallel proposal would revise EPA's definition of 

voltile organic compounds (VOC) for purposes of preparing state 

implementation plans (SIPs) to attain the National Ambient Air Quality 

Standards for ozone. The action would add benzotrifluoride to the list of 

compounds excluded from the definition of VOC on the basis that this 

compound makes a negligible contribution to tropospheric ozone 

formation. VOC exemption petition submitted by Kowa American Corp. 

(Prior: OCC) on 7/29/12.

12 months 

or less 

Clarification of 

Requirements for Method 

303 Certification Training

Direct Final Kim Garnett 

919-541-1158

Garnett.Kim@epa.gov

The EPA is proposing changes to Method 303 to better define the 

requirements associated with conducting Method 303 certification 

courses. Method 303 is an air pollution test method used to 

determine the visible emissions from coke ovens. This action adds 

additional language that clarifies the criteria used by the EPA to 

determine the competency of training providers, but does not change 

the requirements for conducting the test method. These changes will 

help entities interested in conducting training classes to better

understand the requirements necessary to be approved to conduct 

these training courses.

12 months 

or less 
Action Initiation List – May 2013 Page 3 of 3

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 15 days after the close of the month (e.g., 

the April 2011 AIL will post sometime around May 15th).

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.