## March 201 5 Ac tion Initiation List (as of 3 /

25 /201 5 )

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 ea ch

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.e pa.gov/rulemaking/.

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

– March 201 5 Page 1 of 4Action Title Stage Contact Abstract Projected

Publication

Date

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

- General Revisions NPRM Lisa Grogan

- McCulloch

617

- 918

- 1481 Grogan

- Mcculloch.Lisa@epa.gov This action would improve the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program by clarifying rule requirements, enhancing data quality to ensure that the data collected is representative of industry and comparable to the US GHG Inventory, and streamlining requirements to improve implementat ion efficiency. This actio n would make targeted technical amendments to municipal solid waste landfills as well as improve and streamline multiple source categories covered by the

program. 12 months

or less

Title V Petitions Process Improvement Rulemaking NPRM Carrie Wheeler

919

- 541

- 9771 Wheeler.Carrie@epa.gov This proposal will identify mandatory guidelines on the substance and format of title V petitions submitted to the Agency as well as requirements for the electronic submittal of title V petitions by the specific method identified in the rule. The proposal will set forth a more detailed process for the EPA review of title V petitions, next steps following the EPA action on a petition, and mandated minimum contents of a petition. In addition, the proposal may provide a gre ater level of engagement with state and local permitting authorities concerning the EPA’s review of a petition regarding state and local title V permits. It supports the Digital Government Strategy issued by the

White House in 2012 that calls for the EPA t o take advantage of new technology and improve transparency for our stakeholders. The proposed changes in this rule are consistent with feedback from state partners to ensure they have a part in the petition process. It also supports the EPA 2014

- 18 Strate gic Plan Cross

- Agency Strategy Goal of Embracing EPA as a High

- Performing Organization, which includes

E

- Enterprise. E

- Enterprise is a U.S. EPA

– state initiative to improve environmental performance and enhance services to the regulated community, environme ntal agencies, and the public, in particular conducting two

- way business electronically in an integrated way. Furthermore, this rule is responsive to the title V Task Force recommendations and supports Agency

- wide efforts on sustainability and is a step f orward in the agency’s larger e

- Enterprise for the

Environment Initiative. 12 months

or less



### Action Initiation List

– March 201 5 Page 2 of 4Action Title Stage Contact Abstract Projected

Publication

Date

Relaxation of the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP)

Gasoline Standard for Mecklenburg and
Gaston Counties, North

Carolina NPRM/

Direct Final Patty Klavon

734

- 214

- 4476 Klavon.Patty@epa.gov To reduce gasoline emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) that are a major contributor to ground

- level ozone (smog), the EPA's regulations establish maximum Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) gasoline standards of 9.0 psi or 7.8 psi sold during the summer ozone season based on the state, the month, and the area's ozone designation. The EPA is proposing to approve North Carolina's request to relax the

RVP standa rd for gasoline sold in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties, North Carolina from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi by revising 40 CFR 80.27. This rulemaking is not expected to have an adverse impact on air quality in the subject area. 12 months

or less

Additional Air Quality Designations and Error
Correction for the 2012 Primary Annual Fine

Particle National Ambient Air Quality Standards (2012 PM2.5 NAAQS) Final Rhea Jones

919

- 541

- 2940 Jones.Rhea@epa.gov On December 18, 2014, the EPA designated 14 areas across the country as nonattainment for the 2012 PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) . These air quality designations were

based on 2011

- 2013 data and analyses. In this action, which was pub lished in the Federal Register on January 15, 2015 (80 FR 2206), the EPA deferred area designations for ten areas where available air quality monitoring data were not sufficient to determine whether the areas were meeting or not meeting the NAAQS. In this action, the EPA provided a process by which a full year of 2014 data that becomes available early in 2015 could be used in the designation process. Specifically, if any state submits complete, quality

- assured, certified 2014 data to the EPA by February 27, 2015, that suggest that a change of designation status is appropriate for any area within that state, and the EPA agrees that a change of designation status is appropriate, then we would withdraw the designation announced in the action for such area if ap plicable, and issue another or initial designation that reflects the inclusion of 2014 data. With early certified 2014 data, the EPA expects to promulgate initial designations for five of the deferred areas. The EPA also expects to withdraw up to four

nona ttainment designations and replace them with unclassifiable/attainment designations, and withdraw one nonattainment designation and replace it with an unclassifiable designation. Lastly, the EPA intends to promulgate one minor error
correction to the 40 CF R Part 81 table for Pennsylvania for the 2012 PM2.5 NAAQS, which inadvertently listed one county twice. 12 months

or less



### Action Initiation List

– March 201 5 Page 3 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 201 4 AIL will post sometime around May 20 th).



# 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 act ion) 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 annou nces a proposed rule or proposed mod ification 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 q uickly we expect to complete an

action.



### Action Initiation List

– March 201 5 Page 4 of 4