January 2015 Action Initiation List (as of 2/5/2015)

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/. 

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 – January 2015 Page 1 of 5
Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

Review of the National 

Ambient Air Quality 

Standards for Particulate 

Matter

NPRM Scott Jenkins 

919-541-1167

Jenkins.Scott@epa.gov

On January 13, 2013, the EPA published a final rule revising the national 

ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (78 FR 

3086). Specifically, the EPA revised the level of the annual PM2.5 

standard to provide increased protection against the health effects of PM. 

The other primary and secondary PM standards were retained. On 

December 3, 2014, the EPA published a call for information for research 

studies on PM (79 FR 71764) in order to inform the development of the 

Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for the next review of the PM 

NAAQS. This ISA will be developed by EPA’s National Center for 

Environmental Assessment and will present a rigorous assessment of the 

most policy-relevant scientific evidence on PM. Building on the evidence 

assessed in the ISA, the EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and 

Standards (OAQPS) will conduct quantitative analyses of PM exposures 

and risks and, as appropriate, will prepare a risk and exposure 

assessment document (REA) presenting and assessing these analyses. 

The OAQPS will also prepare a Policy Assessment document (PA) 

synthesizing the scientific evidence from the ISA and the exposure/risk 

information from the REA (if an REA is prepared). The PA will present 

considerations and conclusions of the EPA staff regarding the range of 

policy options that could be supported by the available evidence and 

information. Draft versions of the ISA, REA (if prepared), and the PA will 

be reviewed at public meetings by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory 

Committee (CASAC). Final documents will reflect CASAC’s advice and 

recommendations, as well as staff’s consideration of the comments 

expressed by members of the public. After completion of the ISA, REA (if 

prepared), and PA, the Administrator's proposal to retain or revise the PM 

NAAQS will be published in the federal register with a request for public 

comment. Input received during the public comment period will be 

reflected in the Administrator's final decision.

More than 

12 months

Action Initiation List – January 2015 Page 2 of 5
Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

Prevention of Significant 

Deterioration Permitting 

for Greenhouse Gases: 

Providing Option for 

Rescission of EPAIssued Tailoring Rule 

Step 2 Prevention of 

Significant Deterioration 

Permits

NPRM, 

Direct Final

Jessica Montanez 

919-541-3407

Montanez.Jessica@epa.gov

The EPA is taking direct final action to revise the Prevention of Significant 

Deterioration (PSD) provisions for permit rescissions in 40 CFR 52.21(w) 

to allow EPA to rescind Tailoring Rule Step 2 Prevention of Significant 

Deterioration (PSD) permits that were based on regulations that the US 

Supreme Court determined to be invalid in the case titled: Utility Air 

Regulatory Group (UARG) v Environmental Protection Agency.

12 months 

or less 

Revisions to the Public 

Notice Provisions in 

Clean Air Act Permitting 

Programs

NPRM Phil Lorang 

919-541-5463

Lorang.Phil@epa.gov

This proposed rule will amend the public notice provisions of the PSD, 

nonattainment new source review (NNSR), Title V Operating Permit and 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) regulations to remove the current 

mandatory requirement in these regulations that a public notice be 

provided in a newspaper of general circulation in the area where the 

source seeking a PSD, NNSR, Title V or OCS permit plans to locate. The 

proposed rule will include a public notice requirement that is media-neutral 

and allows among other mechanisms electronic noticing on permitting 

authority websites. The option of providing public notice via a traditional 

newspaper advertisement will still be available to air agencies. This rule 

revision is anticipated to result in significant annual savings in newspaper 

publication costs for EPA Regions and Delegated States.

12 months 

or less

Action Initiation List – January 2015 Page 3 of 5
Action Title Stage Contact Abstract

Projected

Publication 

Date

Oil and Natural Gas 

Sector: Low Pressure 

Wells Definition

NPRM Bruce Moore 

919 541-5460

Moore.Bruce@epa.gov

This action will re-propose the definition of “low pressure gas well” in 40 

CFR part 60, subpart OOOO, and will acknowledge that EPA overlooked 

one public comment that was received following the July 17, 2014, action 

titled “Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Reconsideration of Additional 

Provisions of New Source Performance Standards; Proposed Rule.” The 

action will also solicit comment on the commenter’s alternative definition of 

“low pressure gas well” that had been discussed in the July 17, 2014, 

proposed rule.

12 months 

or less 

Lead-based Paint 

Program; Extension of 

Renovator Certifications

Final Marc Edmonds 

202-566-0758

Edmonds.Marc@epa.gov

EPA is extending the certifications for subset of renovators under its 

Renovation, Repair and Painting Program. In January 2015, the Agency 

published a proposed rule that would, among other things, change the 

requirements for the refresher training course that renovators must take to 

become recertified so renovators can take the course online without 

having to travel to a training facility. The certifications of thousands of 

renovators will expire before this rule can be finalized, therefore, EPA is 

extending the certifications for certain renovators so they can take 

advantage of the final rule.

 12 months 

or less 

Action Initiation List – January 2015 Page 4 of 5
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 2014 AIL will post sometime around May 20th).

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. 

Action Initiation List – January 2015 Page 5 of 5