Perceptions, and Experiences of a Participant in the Process Were Documented to Show the Informal Workings of the Agency That Outsiders Rarely See
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1^^^^^^^^^^"-'""ͣ-ͣ'* " ͣ ^^'='^'^1^^^m^^^^^^^^^fp^^Sf^-'^W^7W': ͣ ABSTRACT MICHELE A. DUBOW. Development of General Provisions for New National Air Toxics Standards under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. (Under the direction of DR. MORRIS A. SHIFFMAN) While Congress writes laws that determine national priorities for handling environmental problems, federal agencies write environmental regulations that bridge the gap between Congressional intent and actual implementation of statutes. In developing and codifying regulations, federal bureaucrats make policy decisions and negotiate to resolve conflicts within and outside their agencies. These conflicts usually remain hidden from the public and are not documented. Nevertheless, the content of regulations may be influenced by human and political factors as much as by competent scientific and technical research and policy judgements. Therefore, regulation writers must remain flexible to respond to events as they arise, especially ones that result in deviations from institutionalized systems for regulatory development. The process of developing a single regulation was traced to give insight into the regulatory development process at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Observations, perceptions, and experiences of a participant in the process were documented to show the informal workings of the Agency that outsiders rarely see. Two lessons drawn from this exercise are that the regulatory development process does not follow a "cookbook" formula and having a strategy to advance a regulation can help to ensure its successful development. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables......................................... vii List of Figures....................................... vlli List of Appendices..................................... x List of Acronyms and Abbreviations..................... xl Acknowledgements....................................... xiii Preface................................................ xv CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION • - 1.0 Passage of the New Clean Air Act........ i 1.1 How Air Toxics were Handled under the Clean Air Act Before 1990............... 2 1.2 Past Regulations Fail to Adequately Address Toxic Air Emissions............. 5 1.3 The Significance of the Air Toxics Problem................................. 8 1.4 How Air Toxics are to be Handled Under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.... 10 1.5 The Development of a New Regulation..... 15 1.6 Purpose of This Paper................... 19 CHAPTER II: REASONS FOR AND CONTENT OF NEW GENERAL PROVISIONS 2.0 Functions of New General Provisions..... 26 2.1 Content of New General Provisions....... 30 -1- CHAPTER III: THE REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE GENERAL PROVISIONS: PREPARATION OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT AND START ACTION REQUEST 3 . 0 Introduction............................ 35 3.1 Preparation of Background Information Document................................ 36 3.2 Approach to Developing New General Provisions.............................. 39 3.2.1 Adapt Existing General Provisions.................... 39 3.2.2 Coordinate with Other Activities Under Section 112.. 41 3.2.3 Coordinate with Other Activities Under the Clean Air Act Amendments............... 44 3.3 Preparation of Start Action Request..... 48 3.3.1 Purpose of the Start Action Request....................... 48 3.3.2 Selecting a Process and a Work Group to Move the General Provisions Through EPA........ 50 3.3.3 The Streamlined Review Process 53 3.3.4 Reasons for Choosing the Streamlined Review Process for the General Provisions........ 57 CHAPTER IV: THE REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE GENERAL PROVISIONS: DEVELOPMENT OF NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING 4.0 Overview of the Regulatory Development Phase................................... 59 -11- CHAPTER IV: THE REGULATORY DEVELOPBOSNT PROCESS FOR THE GENERAL PROVISIONS: DEVELOPMENT OF NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING 4.1 The Federal Register Publication System 66 4.2 The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Rulemaking Docket....................... 68 4.2.1 Contents of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking........... 68 4.2.2 The Preamble Portion of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 68 4.2.3 Rulemaking Dockets............ 69 4.2.4 The Regulation Portion of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. 71 4.3 Burden Analyses for Federal Regulations 71 4.3.1 Information Collection Request 71 4.3.2 Regulatory Impact Analysis.... 73 4.3.3 Regulatory Flexibility Analysis...................... 76 4.4 Burden Analyses for the General Provisions.............................. 77 4.5 Public Participation in the Rulemaking Process................................. 78 4.6 The Notice of Final Rulemaking.......... 81 4.7 Public Participation in the Development of the General Provisions Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Before Proposal..... 82 4.7.1 Introduction.................. 82 4.7.2 Meetings with Industry and States........................ 85 4.7.3 Review by the National Air Pollution Control Techniques Advisory Committee............ 86 •ill- CHAPTER IV: THE REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE GENERAL PROVISIONS: DEVELOPMENT OF NOTICE OP PROPOSED RULEHAKING 4.8 Improvements Made to the General Provisions After Streamlined Review..... 89 4.9 Developing the Content of the New General Provisions...................... 93 4.9.1 Introduction.................. 93 4.9.2 Use of Policy Discretion to Create New General Provisions: General Approach.............. 93 4.9.3 Topics Excluded from General Provisions.................... 95 4.9.4 Topics Included in General Provisions: Controversy . Arises Within ESD Over Implementation of §112 (g)..... 96 4.9.5 Topics Included in General Provisions: Implementation of Other Statutory Provisions and Definitions................... 103 4.9.6 Topics Included in General Provisions: Provisions Developed after Consultation with Industry................. 106 4.9.7 Controversy Arises Within OAQPS Over Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements........ 107 4.9.8 Topics Included in General Provisions: A Provision Developed through Consultation with State Air Pollution Control Officials and EPA's Enforcement Staff............. no 4.9.9 Topics Included in General Provisions: Provisions Developed Through Consultation with EPA's Technical Staff.,.. 113 -IV- CHAPTER V: THE REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE GENERAL PROVISIONS: REVIEW OF NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING BY OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET 5 . 0 Introduction............................ 117 5.1 Anticipation of 0MB's Reaction to General Provisions...................... 118 5.2 Response to 0MB's Reaction to General Provisions.............................. 119 5.2.1 0MB Suspends Review of General Provisions............ 120 5.2.2 ESD Responds to OMB's Action.. 121 5.2.3 0MB Ties Release of General Provisions NPRM to Process for Delisting of Source Categories 124 5.2.4 ESD Responds to OMB's Second Action........................ 125 5 . 3 Postscript.............................. 134 CHAPTER VI: ANALYSIS OF THE REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE GENERAL PROVISIONS 6.0 Strategies Chosen to Facilitate Development of the General Provisions... 135 6.1 Initial Strategies for Process and Schedule................................ 136 6.1.1 Overview...................... 136 6.1.2 Evaluation of Initial Strategies.................... 140 6.2 Strategies for Getting OMB Approval..... 142 6.2.1 Evaluation of Proactive Strategies.................... 143 6.2.2 Responsive Strategies......... 145 6.2.3 Evaluation of Responsive Strategies.................... 149 -V- ^^-"^-a^i^-^^ _.^^ -s^i^gB^?;? -T^ ^ CHAPTER VII: LESSONS AND CONCLUSIONS 7.0 Introduction............................ 154 7.1 Regulatory Development Takes Place in a Political Context....................... 154 7.2 One Role of the Federal Bureaucrat is to Exercise Policy Discretion in Implementing Statutes................... 156 7.3 Regulations are Interdependent.......... 156 7.4 Having a Strategy Can Benefit Regulatory Development............................. 162 7.5 Intra-agency Relations are not Always Harmonious.............................. 164 7.6 The Regulatory Development Process Does not Follow a Cookbook Formula........... 166 Endnotes and References................................ 168 Appendices............................................. 181 -VI- LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Subject Areas Covered by Titles in Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990................................ 2 2 Hazardous Air Pollutants and Stationary Sources Regulated by Emission Standards Established Under Former Section 112 of the Clean Air Act........... 7 3. Content of Section 112 of the Clean Air Act ͣ as Amended in 1990................................ 13 4 Outline of Proposed General Provisions for 40 CFR Part 63.................................... 33 -vii- LIST OF FIGURES Figures 1 Flowchart of Activities Required Under Section 112 of Title III of Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.............................................. 15 2 Niimber of Maximiim Achievable Control Technology Standards Projected to be Under Development Each Year Between 1990 and 2000........................ 17 3 • Organizational Chart of the Environmental Protection Agency................................. 21 4 Organizational Chart of the Office of Air and Radiation......................................... 22 5 Organizational Chart of the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards........................... 23 6 Functions of the Divisions Within the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards................ 24 7 Examples of Technical and Legal