The US EPA intends to review 31 current regulations to determine if the regulations are duplicative, outdated or overly burdensome. These regulations apply to a wide range of environmental media. The US EPA has indicated that many of the environmental rules identified for change will involve technological advances made over the past 40 years. The US EPA will seek to advance the following initiatives: electronic reporting, improved transparency, innovative compliance approaches and systems approaches and integrated problem solving. The US EPA has broken down the reviews into early and long term actions. The early term actions include:
- lead renovation, repair and painting programs: considering new post work requirements designed to ensure cleaning meets clearance standards;
- sanitary sewer overflow and peak flow wet weather discharges: clarifying permitting requirements;
- vehicle fuel vapor recovery systems: eliminating redundancy; and
- gasoline and diesel regulations: reducing reporting and record keeping.
The long term actions include:
- electronic manifest for waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: reducing burden;
- electronic hazardous waste site identification form; reducing burden;
- consumer confidence reports for primary drinking water regulations: providing for open exchange of information;
- reporting requirements under section 303(d) of the clean Water Act: reducing burden;
- water quality trading: improving approaches;
- water quality standard regulations: simplifying and clarifying requirements;
- state implementation plan process: reducing burden;
- Clean Air Act Title V permit programs: simplifying and clarifying requirements;
- national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper: simplifying and clarifying requirements;
- adjusting threshold planning quantities for solids in solution: reducing burden and relying on scientific objectivity; and
- contaminants under the Safe Drinking Water Act: coordinating regulatory requirements.
It will be interesting to see if the US EPA meets its objectives of reducing duplicative, outdated or overly burdensome environmental regulations.
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Comments for US EPA to Review Existing Environmental Rules