In January 2011, President Obama announced Executive Order 13563 that required the 50 executive agencies to review their regulations and take appropriate actions to reduce redundant and burdensome requirements on businesses in an effort to stimulate the economy. Thirty of them responded and released more than 500 pages of plans to accomplish the president's goal. The EPA released a 50-page report that can be downloaded from here as a PDF.

The EPA undertook 31 regulatory reviews. Of those, 15 will require a longer term review for further actions. That left 16 reviews that the agency listed as early action regulations. The 16 regulations listed are:

1.        Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: the agency is considering new post-work requirements designed to ensure cleaning meets clearance standards.
2.        Sanitary Sewer Overflow and peak flow wet weather discharges: clarifying permitting requirements.
3.       Vehicle fuel vapor recovery systems: eliminating redundancy.
4.       Gasoline and diesel regulations: reducing reporting and recordkeeping.
5.       Regulatory certainty for farmers: working with the Department of Agriculture and states.
6.       Modern science and technology methods in the chemical regulation arena: reducing whole-animal testing, reducing costs and burdens, and improving efficiencies.
7.       Electronic online reporting of health and safety data under the Toxic Substances Control Act; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; and Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act: reducing burden and improving efficiencies.
8.       National Priorities List rules: improving transparency.
9.       Quick changes to some TSCA reporting requirements: reducing burden.
10.    Integrated pesticide registration reviews: reducing burden and improving efficiencies.
11.    National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES): coordinating permit requirements and removing outdated requirements.
12.    Vehicle regulations: harmonizing requirements for:
a.       Fuel economy labels
b.       Greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards
c.        Vehicle emission standards
13.    Multiple air pollutants: coordinating emission reduction regulations and using innovative technologies.
14.    New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) reviews and revisions: setting priorities to ensure updates to outdated technologies
15.    Innovative technology: seeking to spur new markets and utilize technological innovations
16.    The costs of regulations: improving cost estimates

Read the PDF for more details about plans for each of the listed actions. The agency said that it expected to take actions on each of these this year.

Links

• EPA 2011 Regulatory Review Listing