Action Initiation List – April 2013 Page 1 of 3

April 2013 Action Initiation List (as of 6/25/2013)

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 – April 2013 Page 2 of 3

Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

Additions to List Section 

241.4 Categorical NonWaste Fuels

NPRM Tab Tesnau 

703-605-0636

Tesnau.Tab@epa.gov

In the 2013 Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials (NHSM) final rule, EPA

established a rulemaking process for categorical determinations for 

adding NHSMs as non-waste fuels. In addition, EPA identified several 

NHSMs that it considered to be good candidates for a categorical listing. 

This action will propose adding NHSMs to the list of categorical nonwastes, and will demonstrate how each NHSM successfully meets the 

criteria listed in 40 CFR 241.4(b)(5).

12 months 

or less 

Amendment to Standards 

and Practices for All 

Appropriate Inquiries 

Under CERCLA

NPRM, 

Direct Final 

Patricia Overmeyer 

202-566-1926

Overmeyer.Patricia@epa.gov

EPA plans to amend the Standards and Practices for All Appropriate 

Inquiries to reference changes to a standard practice when ASTM 

International, a widely recognized standards development 

organization, makes available changes. Currently, EPA is considering 

amending the All Appropriate Inquiries Rule to reference ASTM 

International's most recent E1527 "Standard Practice for 

Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site 

Assessment Process" and allow for its use to satisfy the statutory 

requirements for conducting all appropriate inquiries under the 

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability 

Act (CERCLA).

12 months 

or less 

Technical Revisions to the 

Petroleum and Natural Gas 

Systems Source Category 

of the Greenhouse Gas 

Reporting Rule

NPRM Mark DeFigueiredo 

202-343-9928

DeFigueiredo@epa.gov

This action will propose technical revisions to the Petroleum and 

Natural Gas Systems source category (Subpart W) of the 

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. Specifically, the rule would correct 

technical errors, revise unclear or ambiguous provisions, address 

implementation issues raised by facilities, improve consistency of the 

data collected, and help ensure that data collected is representative of 

industry.

12 months or 

less 

Air Quality Designations 

for the 2012 PM2.5 

Standards

Direct Final Elizabeth Palma 

919-541-5432

This action will establish the air quality designations and 

classifications for all areas of the United States under the revised 

2012 annual particular matter (PM) 2.5 National Ambient Air Quality 

Standards (NAAQS). Designations of attainment, nonattainment, or 

unclassifiable are based on air quality monitoring data and other 

relevant information pertaining to the air quality in the affected area, 

including whether an area contributes to a violation of the standard in 

a nearby area.

More than 12 

months 
Action Initiation List – April 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.