Action Initiation List – August 2011 Page 1 of 6

August 2011 Action Initiation List (as of 9/20/2011)

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 (Reg DaRRT) on www.epa.gov/rulemaking/. 

If one of the rules on this AIL is in Reg DaRRT, a link to the rule's profile is included in the table below. For all rules – those that are in 

Reg DaRRT 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)

To assist you in tracking actions’ progress, the RINs in the table below are also displayed in the Semiannual Regulatory Agenda and 

Reg DaRRT.
Action Initiation List – August 2011 Page 2 of 6

RIN Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

2060-AR11 Federal Plan 

Requirements for 

Hospital/Medical/I

nfectious Waste 

Incinerators 

Constructed On 

or Before 

December 1, 

2008

NPRM Amy Hambrick

919-541-0964

Hambrick.Amy@epa.gov

On October 6, 2009, EPA adopted amendments to the 

September 15, 1997, new source performance standards 

(NSPS) and emissions guidelines (EG) for 

hospital/medical/infectious waste incinerators (HMIWI). The 

amendments were developed in response to the March 2, 

1999, remand of the 1997 HMIWI regulations by the U.S. 

Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (the 

Court), which requested further explanation of EPA’s 

reasoning in determining the minimum regulatory “floors” for 

new and existing HMIWI. Sections 111 and 129 of the Clean 

Air Act (CAA) require states with existing HMIWI subject to 

the EG to submit plans to EPA that implement and enforce 

the EG. State plans to implement the EG adopted on 

September 15, 1997, are already in place, and revised or 

new state plans to implement the amended EG adopted on 

October 6, 2009, are currently undergoing EPA review. The 

deadline for states to submit revised/new state plans to EPA 

for review was October 6, 2010. If a state with existing 

HMIWI does not submit an approvable plan within 2 years 

after promulgation of the EG, sections 111(d) and 129 of the 

CAA require EPA to develop, implement, and enforce a 

federal plan for HMIWI in the state. The EPA adopted a 

HMIWI federal plan on August 15, 2000, to implement the 

September 15, 1997, EG. This action will propose 

amendments to the HMIWI federal plan to implement the 

amended EG adopted on October 6, 2009, for those states 

that do not have an approved revised/new state plan in place 

by October 6, 2011.

12 months or 

less

2060-AR13 National Emission 

Standards for 

Hazardous Air 

Pollutants for 

Major Sources: 

Industrial, 

Commercial, and 

Institutional 

Boilers and 

Process Heaters; 

Proposed 

Reconsideration

NPRM Brian Shrager

919 541-7689

Shrager.Brian@epa.gov

Follow this rule on Reg DaRRT

On March 21, 2011, EPA issued a final rule establishing 

standards for emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) 

from boilers and process heaters located at major sources of 

HAP. EPA also issued on March 21, 2011 a Notice of 

Reconsideration listing issues that additional opportunity for 

public review and comment should be provided. 

Subsequently, we received more than 25 petitions to 

reconsider, clarify, and amend certain provisions of the final 

rule. This action will propose the amendments after we 

analyze the information submitted in the petitions.

12 months or 

less
Action Initiation List – August 2011 Page 3 of 6

RIN Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

2060-AR14 National 

Emission 

Standards for 

Hazardous Air 

Pollutants for 

Area Sources: 

Industrial, 

Commercial, and 

Institutional

Boilers; 

Reconsideration 

and Proposed 

Rule 

Amendments

Direct Final Jim Eddinger

919 541-5426

Eddinger.Jim@epa.gov

On March 21, 2011, EPA issued a final rule establishing 

standards for emissions of hazardous air pollutants from 

boilers located at area sources. EPA also issued on March 

21, 2011 a Notice of Reconsideration listing four issues for 

which additional opportunity for public review and comment 

should be obtained. Subsequently, we received petitions to 

reconsider and clarify and amend certain applicability and 

implementation provisions of the final rule. This action will 

proposed the amendments after we analyze the information 

submitted in the petitions.

12 months 

or more

2060-AR15 Standards of 

Performance for 

New Stationary 

Sources and 

Emission 

Guidelines for 

Existing Sources: 

Commercial and 

Industrial Solid 

Waste 

Incineration Units; 

Reconsideration 

& Proposed Rule 

Amendments

NPRM Toni Jones

919 541-0316

Jones.Toni@epa.gov

Follow this rule on Reg DaRRT

On March 21, 2011, EPA issued a final rule establishing 

new source performance standards and emission 

guidelines for commercial and industrial solid waste

incineration units. EPA also issued on March 21, 2011 a 

Notice of Reconsideration listing issues that additional 

opportunity for public review and comment should be 

obtained. Subsequently, we received more than 15 petitions 

to reconsider, clarify, and amend certain provisions of the 

final rule. This action will propose the amendments after we 

analyze the information submitted in the petitions.

12 months 

or less
Action Initiation List – August 2011 Page 4 of 6

RIN Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

2060- AR16 National Emission 

Standards for 

Hazardous Air 

Pollutants: Area 

Source Standards 

for Prepared 

Feeds 

Manufacturing —

Amendments

NPRM Jan King

919 541-5665

King.Jan@epa.gov

Section 112(k) of the Clean Air Act requires the 

development of standards for area sources that account for 

90 percent of the emissions in urban areas of the 30 urban 

hazardous air pollutants (HAP) listed in the Integrated 

Urban Air Toxics Strategy. The Integrated Urban Air Toxics 

Strategy lists prepared feeds manufacturing as an area 

source category. EPA issued national emission standards 

for control of HAP for the Prepared Feeds Manufacturing 

area source category on January 5, 2010 (75 FR 522). In 

determining Generally Available Control Technology 

(GACT), EPA assumed that the vast majority of prepared 

feeds manufacturers were already meeting the cyclone 

design efficiency standard promulgated in the final rule. In 

light of issues raised by industry with regard to the 

certification requirements associated with the design 

efficiency standard, this action is to revise the rule to clarify, 

consistent with the rulemaking record and preamble of the 

final rule, that GACT for larger sources is the equipment 

practice of using a cyclone. This action will also clarify 

certain management practices in 63.11621(a)(1) and 

63.11621(d).

12 months 

or less

2060-AR17 Air Quality 

Designations for 

the 2008 Lead 

National Ambient 

Air Quality 

Standards: 

Second Round

Direct Final Rhonda Wright

919 541-1087

Wright.Rhonda@epa.gov

This final rule will establish air quality designations for 

certain areas in the US that in 2010 received deferred 

designations due to pending collection and review of 

additional data from recent deployed monitors for the 2008 

lead (Pb) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). 

EPA is required to make the final initial designations no 

later than two years from the October 15, 2008 

promulgation of the revised NAAQS. However, if the 

Administrator has insufficient information to make these 

designations, the EPA has the authority to extend the 

designation process by up to one year. Because data from 

existing monitors indicated 

violations of the standard, and began collecting data from 

new monitors that began operation in January 2010, EPA is 

issuing this second rule to designate those deferred areas 

as meeting or not meet the 2008 Pb NAAQS.

12 months 

or less
Action Initiation List – August 2011 Page 5 of 6

RIN Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

2070-AJ91 Significant New 

Use Rule for 

Toluene 

Diisocyanates 

(TDI)

NPRM Katherine Sleasman

202-564-7716

Sleasman.Katherine@epa.gov

EPA is proposing a significant new use rule (SNUR) under 

section 5(a)(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) 

designating the use of uncured TDI and its related 

polyisocyanates in a consumer product as a new use. This 

action would require persons who intend to manufacture, 

import, or process the chemical substance for the 

designated significant new uses to notify EPA at least 90 

days before commencing such manufacture, import, or 

processing. The required notification would provide EPA 

with the opportunity to evaluate the intended use and, if 

necessary, to prohibit or limit that activity before it occurs.

12 months 

or less
Action Initiation List – August 2011 Page 6 of 6

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., an April AIL would post sometime around May 15th).

What Does Each Column in the AIL Mean?

RIN: RIN stands for "Regulation Identifier Number." A RIN is assigned by the Regulatory Information Service Center, a component of the U.S. General Services 

Administration, to identify each regulatory action listed in our Semiannual Regulatory Agenda and Annual Regulatory Plans. Also, RINs are included in the headings 

of our rules when they are published in the Federal Register to make it easier for you to track our actions. An example of an EPA RIN is 2050-AG37. It is composed 

of two parts. The first part (i.e., 2050) identifies which office within EPA is in charge of the action. In this case, it is the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency 

Response. The second part (e.g., AG37) is an alpha-numeric code automatically generated as rules are assigned a RIN. 

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 Reg DaRRT

(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.