Fall 2014 Regulatory Agenda for EPA

Twice each year, federal agencies issue a Regulatory Agenda that covers all of their recent and currently active regulatory activities.  EPA’s Fall Regulatory Agenda includes just three drinking water rules — all in early development and listed as “Proposed Rule Stage”.  These include:

• National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper: Regulatory Revisions – In developing the short-term LCR revisions, EPA identified several regulatory changes that are longer-term in nature as they require additional data collection, research, analysis, and stakeholder involvement to support decisions. This action addresses the remaining regulatory revisions to be completed.  Target date for proposed rule:  September 2015.
• National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Finished Water Storage Facility Inspection Requirements Addendum to the Revised Total Coliform Rule – EPA is planning to propose an addendum to the Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR) to strengthen public health protection by including finished water storage facility inspection (SFI) requirements. EPA is planning to propose and request comment on requirements for public water systems to periodically inspect the interior and exterior of their finished water storage facilities at least and to correct any sanitary defects found. Any potential requirements would apply to all public water systems that have one or more finished water storage facilities.  Target date for proposed rule:  June 2015.
• ASDWA update:  EPA held an informational webinar on their plans for addressing risks in finished water storage in October 2014 and asked for input by the end of the year.  They will evaluate this new information and what was submitted with comments on the proposed RTCR before making a decision on how to proceed.  They may make a decision on a path forward in 2015 but a proposed rule is not expected by June and EPA could decide that guidance, and not rulemaking, is the best approach.
• Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 4) for Public Water Systems – The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended in 1996, requires that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establish criteria for a program to monitor not more than 30 unregulated contaminants every five years.  This action meets the SDWA requirement by establishing the terms for the next cycle of monitoring, and identifying the new unregulated contaminants to be monitored during the UCMR 4 period of 2017-2021.  Target date for proposed rule:  June 2015 and final rule – December 2016.

You can review additional details of these actions and planned actions in other program areas by accessing the complete Fall Agenda on line.