Biden releases regulatory ‘wish list’

President Biden has released his regulatory “wish list” for a second term, E&E News reports.

What’s going on: Last Friday, the White House released the Unified Agenda for Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, which “outlines agency action plans for regulations on everything from natural gas power plants to home appliances.”

• Of particular importance to manufacturers are regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and the Department of the Treasury.

Energy regulations: DOE intends to promulgate regulations regarding energy efficiency of several home appliances.

• The agency “plans to finalize regulations for commercial ice machines in September, commercial refrigerators and freezers in November, walk-in refrigerators and freezers in November, residential boilers in December, and other appliance categories.”
• In January, thanks in large part to NAM’s efforts, DOE finalized less stringent energy efficiency rules for gas stoves.

EPA regulations: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — a major source of the avalanche of federal regulations over the past year — is being closely watched for several pending rules.

• These include the long-awaited regulation on greenhouse gas emissions from existing gas power plants, which is expected to enter into force in December.
• In April, the EPA released its final rule on emissions from existing coal-fired and new gas-fired power plants. While the NAM’s actions to legislators were key to removing existing gas-fired power plants from the rule, the rule is unachievable without a reform mandate, the NAM said at the time.
• The EPA said it will propose a rule by September to set effluent standards for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from chemical and plastics plants. In April, the EPA established the nation’s first drinking water rule limiting PFAS levels to “near zero,” which the NAM said could “negatively impact manufacturers.”

Treasury rules: The Treasury is on track to finalize a proposal for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that would provide incentives for clean energy projects next year “and potentially for decades into the future.”

• The program included a proposal to add credits under Sections 45Y and 48E of the IRA “for electricity projects that eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.”
• Treasury is reviewing public comments on guidance for the first clean hydrogen IRA tax credit, 45V, which the NAM has urged to revise. There is no “set date” for finalizing the rule.