### Acti on Initiation List

– June 2013 Page 1 of 3 

## June 201 3 Ac tion Initiation List (as of 7 /

31 /201 3 )

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.ep a.gov/rulemaking/.

If one of the rules on this AIL is in RegDaRRT, a link to the rule's profile i s 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 Re gulatory 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.regu lations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=UnifiedAgenda&agency=EPA&pubperiod=200710)

### Acti on Initiation List

– June 2013 Page 2 of 3 Action Title Stage Contact Abstract Projected

Publication

Date

Treatment of Data Influenced by Exceptional

Events NPRM Elizabeth Palma

919

- 541

- 5432 Palma.Elizabeth@epa.gov This proposal will revise th e Exceptional Events Rulemaking to clarify and streamline certain rule elements, including, but not limited to, those associated with high wind dust events, historical fluctuations, the “not reasonably co ntrollable or preventable” criterion, and “but for.” On March 22, 2007, the EPA promulgated the “Treatment of Data Influenced by Exceptional Events; Final Rule” (72 FR 13560) pursuant to the 2005 amendment of CAA Section 319. This rule, known as the Except ional Events Rule (EER), superseded the EPA’s previous natural events guidance and those sections of the interim fire policy document that address exceptional events. The EER created a regulatory process codified at 40 CFR parts 50 and 51 (50.1, 50.14 and 51.930). These regulatory sections contain definitions, procedural requirements, requirements for air agency demonstrations, and criteria for EPA approval for the exclusion of air quality data from regulatory decisions under the EER. Since EPA promulgated the EER in 2007, numerous interested parties have raised questions and issues regarding implementation of the rule. 12 months

or less

Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Technical Updates

to HTS Codes and Party

Ratification Status under

the Montreal Protocol NPRM Staci Gatica

202

- 343

- 9469 Gatica.Staci@epa.gov This action is a technical update to address outdated a ppendices in the stratospheric protection regulations as well as associated regulatory text language referring to the a ppendices. First, Appendix C (Parties to the Montreal Protocol as of January 2003) will be deleted and regulatory text will refer to the Ozone Secretariat’s

website for lists of countries that have ratified various amendments of the Montreal Protocol. This will help clarify those countries the Unite d States is able to trade with per ratification status and decisions of the

Montreal Protocol . Referring to the Montreal Protocol website will increase certainty by avoiding the need for future updates to ratification status. Second, Appendix K will be updated to reflect the current harmonized tariff schedule (HTS) codes associated with

ozone

- depl eting substances. This will h elp importers identify what

HTS code they should use. 12 months

or less

### Acti on Initiation List

– June 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 ar e 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 anno unces 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.