Biden Administration Releases Unified Agenda, Outlining Regulatory Priorities

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