News Releases from Headquarters›Office of the Administrator (AO)

EPA Releases Annual Regulatory Plan

WASHINGTON  – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with the rest of the federal government, released its Semiannual Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions and Regulatory Plan. The Semiannual Regulatory Agenda provides updates to the public about regulatory activity to support EPA’s core mission to protect human health and the environment. The latest Regulatory Plan describes the 13 most significant regulatory priorities the Agency expects to propose or finalize in the upcoming year.

“EPA’s plan balances its statutory requirements to issue regulations and its commitment to providing regulatory certainty through improvements to existing regulations that were flawed, outdated, ineffective, or unnecessarily burdensome,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

Notably, EPA’s Regulatory Agenda and Plan demonstrates the Agency’s progress in implementing President Trump’s executive orders on regulatory reform. For Fiscal Year 2017 – consistent with Executive Order 13771 – EPA finalized two deregulatory actions for each final regulatory action, and did not impose any new net costs on the U.S. economy.

As required by Executive Order 12866, the Semiannual Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions and Regulatory Plan was released as part of the government-wide Unified Agenda. The agenda outlines 26 actions appearing for the first time and 54 deregulatory actions. It reflects EPA’s efforts to lower regulatory burdens on the American people though commonsense regulatory reform.

EPA’s plan describes regulatory and deregulatory actions that are under development or review and rules expected to be proposed or finalized with the next year. This commonsense, balanced approach carefully protects both public health and the environment while curbing unnecessary regulatory burdens that stifle economic growth for communities across the country.

EPA’s latest Regulatory Plan describes the 13 most significant regulations the Agency expects to propose or finalize in the upcoming year. EPA’s Fall 2017 Regulatory Agenda includes 101 active actions (e.g., actions with a projected stage within the next 12 months). 

Among the actions in the latest Regulatory Agenda and Plan:

• 26 actions are appearing for the first time
• 54 actions are deregulatory

To access EPA’s Fall 2017 Semiannual Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions and Regulatory Plan, please see: https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulatory-agendas-and-regulatory-plans.

In addition to the release of the Fall 2017 Semiannual Agenda, EPA is announcing the launch of a new online website that will provide the public with information about EPA rules that are being repealed or modified. This website will include all EPA actions that meet the criteria of a deregulatory action as described in Executive Order 13771 and have been classified as a deregulatory action by EPA following a robust public participation process this summer. This website will be accessible in the coming weeks through EPA’s regulatory reform webpage: https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulatory-reform.

These actions directly support Administrator Pruitt’s goal of refocusing EPA on its core mission of protecting the nation’s air, water and land while reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens on the American people.