August 2010 Action Initiation List (as of 09/21/2010)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 foundat 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 provideUpdates on the actions listed herein. Updates on priority rulemakings are available from EPA's Rulemaking Gateway (www.epa.gov/rulemaking/).If one of the rules on this AIL is in the Rulemaking Gateway, a link to the rule's profile is included in the table below. Forall rules – those that arein the Gateway and those that are not – you may obtain updates twice a year in EPA’sSemiannual Regulatory Agenda,which is accessible fromthese 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 theSemiannual Regulatory Agendaand the Rulemaking Gateway.Action Initiation List – August 2010Page 1 of 3Action Initiation List – August 2010Page 2 of 3RINAction TitleStageContactAbstractProjectedPublicationDate2060-AQ49SupplementalDetermination forRenewable FuelsProduced Underthe FinalRenewable FuelStandards (RFS)2 Program fromPulpwoodDirectFinalPaul Argyropoulos(202) 564-1123Argyropoulos.Paul@epa.govAs indicated in the final rule for RIN 2060-AO81,Renewable Fuel Standards(RFS) Program, while EPAissued lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) thresholddeterminations for the majorfuel pathways projected tomeet the bulk of the RFS volume mandates, assessmentsof other new fuel pathways such as pulpwood, palm oiland sorghum could not be completed in time for the finalrule. In the process of assessing these fuels, EPA isissuing determinations through two supplemental noticesto the final rule. While some data collection for canola oilhad already begun during the final rulemaking process, inthe case of fuels produced from pulpwood, palm oil andsorghum, EPA requires a longer amount of time tocomplete data collection and the necessary analyses.Thus, determinations for these fuels will be included in aseparate second Notice (RIN 2060-AQ36).For this supplemental notice, EPA plans to publish a finaldetermination for cellulosic biofuels produced frompulpwood, biomass-based diesel produced from palm oil,and ethanol produced fromsorghum. EPA will issue aDirect Final Notice of Supplemental Determination in earlyNovember.12 months orless2070-AJ79Pesticides;Revisions toMinimum RiskExemptionsNPRMNiva Kramek(703) 605-1193Kravek.Niva@epa.govEPA has determined that the current listing of activeingredients and references to inert ingredients in MinimumRisk Pesticides, 40 CFR 152.25(f), should be madeclearer to facilitate manufacturing processes,enforcement, and consumer choice among products. Inthis action, EPA will exploreoptions for clarifying theactive and inert ingredient listings, including the use ofboth rule and non-rule actions.12 months orlessAction Initiation List – August 2010Page 3 of 3What EPA Actions Appear on the AILs?Generally, AILs include those actions that 1) will appear in upcomingSemiannual Regulatory Agendaand 2) have been approvedfor commencement by EPA'sRegulatory Policy Officer. In rare instances, an action will not appear on an AIL before it appears in theAgenda. Also, keep in mind that AILs will not postimmediately. You can access a given month's list roughly 15 days after the close of the month (e.g., the April 2008 AIL will post sometime around May 15th).What Does Each Column in the AIL Mean?RINRIN stands for "Regulation IdentifierNumber." A RIN is assigned by theRegulatory Information Service Center, a component of the U.S. GeneralServices Administration, to identify each regulatory action listed in ourSemiannual Regulatory AgendaandAnnual Regulatory Plans. Also, RINs are included inthe headings of our rules when they are publishedin 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 withinEPA is in charge of the action. In thiscase, it is the Office of Solid Waste andEmergency Response. The second part (e.g., AG37) is an alpha-numeric code automatically generated as rules are assigned a RIN.TitleSelf-explanatory.StageThe 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 ispublished as a final rule (or other action) in the Federal Register. For example, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) stage announces a proposed rule orproposed modification to an existing rule. Inthe AILs, the following acronyms are used:•ANPRM - Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking•Direct Final - Direct Final Action•NPRM - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking•Supplemental - Supplemental NPRMContactProvides the name, phone, and email address for the EPA staff personassigned to this rule. Additionally, if a rule is in EPA's Rulemaking Gateway(www.epa.gov/rulemaking/), then a link to the rule's profile will be provided in this column.AbstractA brief summary of the action and its purpose.Projected Publication DateSince 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 anaction. 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 optionsgive you some idea of how quickly we expect to complete an action.