To VI HSE Committee,
The email below from Greg Clark at Keller and Heckman brings to VI’s attention EPA’s request for comments on evaluation of existing regulations. Comments are due by May 17, 2017. Our attached comments to the Department of Commerce are a good starting point and may not need significant edits. Please review the VI’s March 31 submissions and determine what other information may be beneficial to EPA. I will include this as an agenda item for the May 15, 2017 conference call and hope to have a final draft by that date. Your comments and questions are appreciated. Here is a link to today’s Washington Post that discusses the range of comments submitted to the Department of Commerce on this subject.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/epa-emerges-as-major-target-after-trump-solicits-policy-advice-from-industry/2017/04/16/87a8a55a-205d-11e7-ad74-3a742a6e93a7_story.html
Regards,
Rich
Rich,
In the attached Federal Register notice, EPA requested comments on the Administration’s efforts to reduce or streamline regulatory requirements. EPA established a Regulatory Review Task Force under Executive Order 13777 and is accepting comments until May 17, 2017 on regulations that could be eliminated or changed. This request is similar to the Department of Commerce effort on which the VI submitted comments last month.
EPA seeks specific suggestions on changes or repeals to existing regulations: “EPA requests that commenters be as specific as possible, include any supporting data or other information such as cost information, provide a Federal Register (FR) or Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) citation when referencing a specific regulation, and provide specific suggestions regarding repeal, replacement or modification.” EPA states that the agency will not respond to individual comments, but there may be an opportunity to follow up with the Task Force. EPA’s dedicated website for regulatory reform identifies upcoming public meetings on regulatory reform but does not list any Office of Air and Radiation meetings (https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulatory-reform#Public).
OMB issued a memorandum earlier this week directing agencies to develop Agency Reform Plan on administrative reorganization by September. See https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/memoranda/2017/M-17-22.pdf. It does not appear that the agencies will seek public input on the OMB memorandum, but it provides further background on the intensive effort currently underway.
Regards,
Greg
Additional Resources
EPA Request for Comment on Evaluation of Existing Regulations
VI Comments Packet on US DOC 3-7-17 RFI Domestic Manufacturing_Impact VCM-PVC submitted 03-31-2017