### Action Initiation List

– December 2013 Page 1 of 5 

## December 201 3 Ac tion Initiation List (as of 3 / 0 7 /201 4 )

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)

### Action Initiation List

– December 2013 Page 2 of 5 Action Title Stage Contact Abstract Projected
Publication
Date
Sulfur Dioxide N ational Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Review NPRM Michael Stewart

919

- 541

- 7524 Stewart.Michael@epa.gov Under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977, EPA is required to review and if appropriate revise the air quality criteria for the primary (health

- based) and secondary (welfare

- based) national ambient air quality standard s (NAAQS) every 5 years. On June 22, 2010, EPA published a final rule to revise the primary NAAQS for Sulfur Dioxide to provide increased protection for public health. EPA has now initiated the next review. This new review includes the preparation of
an I ntegrated Review Plan, an Integrated Science Assessment, and, if warranted, a Risk/Exposure Assessment, and also a Policy Assessment Document by EPA, with opportunities for review by EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and the public. These
docum ents inform the Administrator's proposed decision as to
whether to retain or revise the standard. This decision will be published in the Federal Register with opportunity provided for public
comment. The Administrator's final decisions will take into
consi deration these documents and public comment on the proposed
decision. 12 months

or more

Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Change of Listing
Status for Certain
Substitutes under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program NPRM Rebecca Von Dem Hagen
202

- 343

- 9445 VonDemHagen.Rebecca@epa.gov This action proposes to change the status of a number of substitutes that were previously listed as acceptable under SNAP based on information showing that other substitutes are available for the same uses and pose lower risk overall to human health and/or the
environment. The end uses under consideration include end uses in the aerosols, refrigeration and air conditioning, and foam blowing

sectors. 12 months
or less

Regulation Changes to Allow
for Electronic Submittal of State Implementation Plans (SIPs) NPRM,
Direct
Final Mia South

919

- 541

- 5550 South.Mia@epa.gov This direct final with parallel proposal would amend certain sections of the Clean Air Act that pertain to State Implementation Plan submissions to allow for electronic reporting. The rule would be in keeping with the Agency’s commitment to institute elect ronic submission in place of existing paper based reporting to meet the Agency’s regulatory reporting requirements. The rule would also enable the Agency to meet the Agency Priority for E

- Reporting. Furthermore, it supports the Digital Government Strategy issued by
the White House in 2012 that calls for the EPA to continue to evolve its reporting systems to take advantage of new technology and improve transparency of our stakeholders. This rule is a step forward in the Agency’s larger E

- Enterprise for the E nvironment Initiative. 12 months
or less

### Action Initiation List

– December 2013 Page 3 of 5 Action Title Stage Contact Abstract Projected
Publication
Date

Lead

- based Paint Program;
Amendment to Jurisdictions
and Renovator Refresher Training Requirements NPRM Marc Edmonds
202

- 566

- 0758 Edmonds.Marc@epa.gov EPA is considering proposing several minor amendments to the EPA
lead

- based paint program that would improve efficiencies and save resources for those involved. For example, EPA is considering amending the renovation, repair and painti ng rule by removing the requirement for hands

- on refresher training for renovators so that they can take the refresher course online and without the need to travel to a training facility for the hands

- on portion. EPA is also considering amending the lead

- b ased paint abatement program by removing the requirement for firms, training providers and individuals to apply for and be certified or accredited in each jurisdiction where they work (i.e., state, tribe or territory where EPA runs the abatement program). After years of implementing the abatement program, the Agency believes that jurisdictions are no longer needed. Eliminating jurisdictions would increase efficiencies for all involved, lower burden and costs for applicants and save EPA time processing appli cations. 12 months
or less

Expanding the Scope Of 40
Cfr Part 22 to Include Proceedings for t he Adjudic ation Of Civil
Penalties Under the Act T o Prevent Pollution F rom Ships NPRM Meetu Kaul
202

- 564

- 5472 Kaul.Meetu@epa.gov EPA is authorized to institute administrative penalty proceedings against alleged violators under a variety of environmental statutes, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, among othe rs. Such cases are generally heard by the Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) within EPA’s Office of Administrative Law Judges. The federal regulations that govern the proceedings before the ALJs are codified
at 40 C.F.R. Part 22 and are entitled “the Consoli dated Rules of Practice Governing the Administrative Assessment of Civil Penalties and the Revocation/Termination or Suspension of Permits” (Rules of Practice). These Rules of Practice were promulgated to establish uniform procedural rules for administrati ve enforcement proceedings required to be held on the record after opportunity for a hearing in accordance with section 554 of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 551 et seq. The purpose of this action is to expand the scope
of the Rules of Practice to include adjudicatory proceedings for the assessment of civil penalties under the authority of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. 12 months
or less

### Action Initiation List

– December 2013 Page 4 of 5 Action Title Stage Contact Abstract Projected
Publication
Date

State of North Dakota Section 1422 Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program Revision; Class VI Primacy Approval Direct Final Lisa McWhirter
202

- 564

- 2317 McWhirter.Lisa@epa.gov The State of North Dakota has applied to the EPA under Sections 1422 of the Safe Drinking Water Act ( SDWA), 42 U.S.C. Sections
300h

- 1, for primary enforcement responsibility for Class VI injection wells. This direct final rule is based on a legal and techn ical review of North Dakota’s application as directed at 40 CFR Part 145. As a result of this review, EPA is issuing this direct final rule stating that North Dakota’s application meets all applicable requirements for approval under SDWA Section 1422 and t he State is capable of administering a Class VI UIC program in a manner consistent with the terms and purposes of the SDWA and all applicable regulations. These regulations are being promulgated under the authority of Sections 1422 and 1450 of the SDWA, 42 U.S.C. 300h

- 1 and 300j

- 9. We are publishing this rule without a prior proposed rule

, because we view this as a noncontroversial action and anticipate no adverse comment. However, we are publishing a separate, parallel proposal
that will take effect if adv erse comments are received on this direct
final rule. 12 months
or less

### Action Initiation List

– December 2013 Page 5 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 201 4 AIL will post sometime around May 20 th).



# What Does Each Column in the AIL Mean?

Title: Self

- explanatory.



## Stage: The stage of an action describes where we a re in the ru le 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 announces a proposed rule or proposed modification to an existing rule. In the AILs, the following acronyms are

use d:

• 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 so me idea of how quickly we expect to complete an
action.