At the end of August, EPA quietly submitted its proposed regulatory determinations from the third Contaminant Candidate List (CCL3) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. EPA has not provided any specific updates on which, if any, of the CCL3 contaminants has received a positive determination and be subject to a formal regulatory development process. Past EPA briefings on potential CCL3 regulatory determinations appear to indicate that nitrosamines, chlorate and strontium are the top contenders for a positive determination(s). Several negative regulatory determinations are also possible.
OMB is scheduled to complete its review in 60 days, but based on recent history a review period of at least 90 days or longer is a strong possibility. Depending on the speed of the OMB review and the scope of edits or additional analyses requested from EPA based on the review, the final regulatory determinations could be forthcoming by the end of the year, but most likely will be published in early 2014. Any regulation stemming from a positive determination would then take several years to develop and promulgate.