Regulatory review plans: A look at EPA, DOI and DOE

EPA says it will work to “harmonize” a series of vehicle regulations focused on fuel economy labels (more here), as well as fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards.

In September, EPA, in conjunction with the Department of Transportation, will release fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model-year 2017 to 2025 light-duty vehicles. And the department will impose first-time fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for commercial trucks, vans and buses in July.

Here’s a summary of one of the major changes, via the White House:

“EPA will propose to eliminate the redundant obligation for many states to require air pollution vapor recovery systems at local gas stations because modern vehicles already have effective air pollution control technologies. The anticipated savings over the next decade is about $670 million.”

Here’s EPA’s plan.

The Interior Department is reviewing a series of regulations, including rules governing how onshore oil and gas royalties are calculated (see this story for more), a series of “obsolete” land regulations and rules on when and where commercial filming can take place on public lands. DOI’s plan also points to a series of beefed-up safety and environmental standards for offshore drilling that were put in place in the aftermath of last year’s oil spill.

More from the White House:

“The Department of the Interior is reviewing outdated regulations under the Endangered Species Act to streamline the process, to reduce requirements for written descriptions, and to clarify and expedite procedures for approval of conservation agreements.”

Here’s DOI’s plan.

The Energy Department will take a closer look at energy efficiency standards for residential water heaters, pool heaters, commercial refrigeration equipment and electric motors, as well as rules for sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, among other things.

Here’s DOE’s plan.

And here are the other plans, including the Council on Environmental Quality’s plan.