On December 14, as part of the federal government’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, EPA released its Semiannual Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions and Regulatory Plan. The agency’s latest plan details the 13 top regulatory priorities it expects to finalize or propose in 2018, all of which fall under seven basic categories: improving air quality; improving water quality; cleaning up communities and advancing sustainable development; ensuring the safety of chemicals and preventing pollution; regulatory costs; and rules expected to affect small entities.
Under improving water quality EPA lists three top priorities: Waters of the U.S.; Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category; and the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The agency states it is “evaluating the costs and benefits of the potential revisions” to the LCR and evaluating whether the “benefits justify the costs.”
EPA states that the plan demonstrates its continued progress in implementing President Trump’s Executive Order 13771, which mandates that the agency eliminate two regulations for each new regulation issued.