EPA Seeks Public Comment on Regulation Review Plan

admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:53:22 +0000

The EPA is inviting the public to comment on its plan for regulatory review introduced in President Obama’s Executive Order 13563 titled, “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.” The E.O. calls on federal agencies to consider “how best to promote retrospective analysis of rules that may be outmoded, ineffective, insufficient, or excessively burdensome.” The E.O. instructs federal agencies to develop “a preliminary plan, consistent with law and its resources and regulatory priorities, under which the agency will periodically review its existing significant regulations to determine whether such regulations should be modified, streamlined, expanded or repealed to make the agency’s regulatory program more effective and or less burdensome in achieving its regulatory objectives.”

The EPA has released its preliminary plan titled, “Improving Regulations: A Preliminary Plan for Periodic Retrospective Review of Existing Regulations.” Among other things, the EPA, through its plan, seeks to:

Replace outdated paper reporting with electronic reporting
Improve transparency by expand public disclosure of pollution, compliance, and other regulatory information, and provide communities with information about their environmental quality in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

Provide a more efficient approach to regulating by reducing overlap and contradictions between various jurisdictional requirements

The plan can be accessed through the following links: White House web page on regulation reform, (click on the “Environmental Protection Agency” link), or click Document #EPA-HQ-OA-2011-0156-0119 . Through 06/27/2011, you can submit your ideas about EPA’s plan by filling out and submitting the comment form for Docket #EPA-HQ-OA-2011-0156.

EPA, DOT Introduces Next Generation of Fuel Economy Labels

admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:46:54 +0000

The EPA and DOT unveil new fuel efficiency label requirements. The new label requirements reflect the large increase in efficiency standards created under the Obama administration. The new labels provide more comprehensive information regarding fuel efficiency information; including estimated annual fuel costs, savings, as well as information on a vehicle’s environmental impact. These new labels represent the most dramatic overhaul to fuel efficiency labels in the last 30 years since the program began.

The new labels provide:

New ways to compare energy use and cost between new-technology cars that use electricity and conventional cars that are gasoline-powered

Estimates on how much consumers will save or spend on fuel over the next five years compared to the average new vehicle

Ratings of how a model compares to all others for smog emissions and emissions of pollution that contribute to climate change

An estimate of how much fuel or electricity it takes to drive 100 miles

Information on the driving range and charging time of an electric vehicle

A QR Code that will allow users of “smartphones” to access online information about how various models compare on fuel economy and other environmental and energy factors. This tool will also allow consumers to enter information about their typical commutes and driving behavior in order to get a more precise estimate of fuel costs and savings.

More information on the new label can be found at www.epa.gov/otaq/carlabel/index.htm and www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy .

Great Lakes Legal Foundation

EPA Seeks Public Comment on Regulation Review Plan

EPA, DOT Introduces Next Generation of Fuel Economy Labels