On June 11, the Biden administration
released its first Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory
Actions, an outline of agency priorities released every fall and
spring. The unified agendas set nonbinding goals for regulatory actions,
providing insight into the administration’s priorities for the upcoming year.
The goals outlined in the Unified Agenda may never come to fruition.
The Unified Agenda released on June 11
establishes a number of timelines to roll back Trump environmental rules, set
new regulations on climate, clean water and energy efficiency, and prepare the
regulatory side of the federal government to implement President Biden’s
proposed American Rescue, Jobs, and Families Plan that has not passed through
Congress.
Related
specifically to water, notable proposed changes include:
- The EPA will move forward with required deadlines of March
2023 for proposing and September 2024 for finalizing drinking water
standards related to PFOA and PFOS. The agency is also considering how to
move forward with a regulation to ensure polluters pay for cleanup of PFOA
and PFOS; however, no dates are listed.
- The EPA plans to finalize a rule in December 2021 related
to monitoring 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking
water.
- The EPA continues to work on a new definition of “water of
the United States” and a standard for lead in drinking water, but no dates
are listed regarding potential new rules.
- The Biden administration did indicate it will continue to
prioritize clean drinking water for tribal communities in a number of
planned rules.
For additional notable proposed changes related to energy and the environment, see the full article click here.
Authors
Jason Buckner Shareholder | William J. McGrath Shareholder | Jon Hrobsky Policy Director Luke D. Johnson Policy Director | Kate Gonzales Policy Advisor