Action Initiation List – December 2011 Page 1 of 3

December 2011 Action Initiation List (as of 1/12/2012)

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 – December 2011 Page 2 of 3

Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

National Volatile 

Organic Compound 

Emission Standards for 

Aerosol Coatings –

Addition of Dimethyl 

Carbonate, 

Benzotrifluoride, and 

Hexamethyldisiloxane 

to Table of Reactivity 

Factors

Direct 

Final

Kaye Whitfield

919-541-2509

Whitfield.Kaye@epa.gov

On March 24, 2008, EPA published national emission standards for 

aerosol spray paints under section 183(e) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) 

(73 FR 15604, which are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations 

(CFR) at 40 CFR part 59, subpart E (sections 59.500–59.516)). This 

rule established national reactivity based emission standards for the 

aerosol coatings category (aerosol spray paints) under the CAA. A 

provision in the rule allows regulated entities to petition the Agency to 

add compounds and corresponding reactivity factors to a Table of 

Reactivity Factors. In response to previous petitions, EPA previously 

added several compounds and reactivity factors on June 23, 2009 (74 

FR 29595). This proposed action adds three additional compounds: 

dimethyl carbonate, benzotrifluoride and hexamethyldisiloxane, and 

their associated reactivity factors, based on petitions received from 

regulated entities.

12 months 

or less

Protection of 

Stratospheric Ozone: 

The 2013 Critical Use 

Exemption from the 

Phaseout of Methyl 

Bromide

NPRM Jeremy Arling

202-343-9055

Arling.Jeremy@epa.gov

Methyl bromide was phased out under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and 

the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 

2005, except for limited exemptions. This action would authorize uses 

for the 2013 critical use exemption from the phaseout of methyl 

bromide, and would authorize the amount of methyl bromide that may 

be produced, imported, or supplied from inventory for those uses in 

2012. Absent this rulemaking, production and import of methyl 

bromide for critical uses would be zero for 2013. EPA takes this action 

under the authority of the CAA to reflect a consensus Decision taken 

by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol at the 23nd Meeting of the 

Parties.

12 months 

or less

Implementation of the 

2008 NAAQS for 

Ozone: Nonattainment 

Area Classifications 

Approach, Attainment 

Deadlines and 

Revocation of the 1997 

Ozone Standards for 

Transportation 

Conformity Purposes

NPRM Karl Pepple

919-541-2683

Pepple.Karl@epa.gov

This NPRM will propose rules for implementing the 2008 8-hour Ozone 

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This proposal will 

address the classification system, the attainment deadlines for areas 

designated nonattainment, the methodology to address areas receiving 

voluntary reclassifications for the 1997 ozone NAAQS, and revocation 

of the 1997 ozone NAAQS for transportation conformity purposes.

12 months 

or less
Action Initiation List – December 2011 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.