Regulatory Agendas and Regulatory Plans
Twice a year, a number of federal agencies combine efforts to publish a comprehensive report describing regulations currently under development or recently completed. These reports are bundled together and published as the Unified Agenda. Each agency's contribution is called a Semiannual Regulatory Agenda. Once a year, each agency releases a Regulatory Plan along with its Regulatory Agenda. Access EPA's Semiannual Regulatory Agendas and Regulatory Plans from this page.
Learn more about Semiannual Regulatory Agendas and Regulatory Plans
Access EPA's Regulatory Agendas and Plan
You may access EPA's most recent Regulatory Plan and Semiannual Regulatory Agenda or earlier publications of EPA's Semiannual Agenda by searching RegInfo.gov - You will be directed to a non-EPA web page. Select between "Search most current publication only" or "Search selected publication." When prompted, select "Environmental Protection Agency" and continue. A series of additional search criteria will appear; you may select any of those or simply choose "Search." This site allows you to browse any Semiannual Agenda from fall 1995–present. (Read more about RegInfo.)
Background
Many federal agencies publish Regulatory Plans and Regulatory Agendas in accordance with Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735). EPA's Regulatory Plan describes the most important regulations that we reasonably expect to issue in proposed or final form during the upcoming fiscal year. These are the regulatory actions that embody the core of our regulatory priorities. EPA's Semiannual Regulatory Agenda describes a broader universe of regulatory activities under development or review; the Plan is a subset of the Agenda. Typically included in the Agenda are regulations signed by EPA's Administrator. However, there is no legal significance to the omission of an item from the Agenda, and we generally do not include minor amendments or actions such as changes of address, delegations of authority to states under the Clean Air Act, and pesticide tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. (A full explanation of actions that are excluded is in each Agenda preamble.)
The Semiannual Regulatory Agenda is published twice a year. The fall version includes the Regulatory Plan and is typically released sometime between October through December. The spring version generally is published sometime in April through June. Many other federal agencies produce Agendas and Plans, just like we do. The General Services Administration's Regulatory Information Service Center (RISC) compiles all of them into a Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions.
You can access EPA's Agenda and Plan in three ways:
- Access an electronic version at RegInfo.gov - This is probably the easiest place for you to search for a rule by specific criteria. Choose "Environmental Protection Agency" from the drop-down menu provided to return rules in the most current Agenda. Under the "Unified Agenda" tab at the top of the RegInfo web page, you may also choose historical Agendas/Plans or click on "Search" to access an advanced search option. RegInfo is a federal government-wide website managed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and RISC. The RegInfo dashboard provides government-wide information about Unified Agendas, OMB's review of federal regulations, and more.
- Access an electronic version at Regulations.gov/faq - Select "Unified Agenda" from the General FAQs and follow instructions to view regulatory agenda information.
- Download book versions of EPA's Semiannual Regulatory Agenda from 2010 and earlier at the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP). You will get best results by searching under the full term "Semiannual Regulatory Agenda."
One final way to access EPA's Agendas and Plans is through the Federal Register (FR). But please keep in mind that federal agencies are publishing less of their Agendas and Plans in the FR. Starting with Fall 2007, only statutorily required information—and not the full agenda—has been printed in the FR. RegInfo.gov is the primary on-line replacements for the full FR publication.