EPA has released its final report on how EPA, under Administrator Scott Pruitt's leadership, is implementing President Trump's Executive Order 13783 to curb regulatory burdens in order to promote energy production and economic growth while protecting human health and the environment.
Notably, the report provides a look at how EPA is working to reform regulatory burdens that unnecessarily encumber energy production, constrain economic growth and prevent job creation while protecting human health and the environment.
The report discusses nine EPA actions on energy-related regulations covered by EO 13783. It further includes the following four initiatives EPA plans on undertaking to implement this order:
1.New Source Review reform (NSR) -- EPA is establishing an NSR Reform Task Force to review and simplify the NSR application and permit process.
2.National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) reform -- EPA plans to use the newly formed Ozone Cooperative Compliance Task Force to review administrative options to meaningfully improve air quality as it relates to ozone. EPA will also work to streamline the approval of state air pollution plans and eliminate EPA's backlog of state pollution plans.
3.Robust evaluations of the employment effects of EPA regulations -- Regulations impose high costs on American workers, particularly in the energy sector. Five environmental statutes state EPA can conduct continuing evaluations of potential shifts in employment that may result from the implementation of these statutes. The agency historically has not conducted these assessments. EPA intends to conduct these evaluations consistent with the statutes.
4.Re-establishing the Smart Sectors Program -- EPA recently relaunched the Smart Sectors program to re-examine how it engages with American businesses to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens while protecting human health and the environment.
To view the report online, visit www.epa.gov.