On March 24, 2017, EPA Administrator E. Scott Pruitt circulated a memorandum to the Acting Deputy Administrator, General Counsel, Assistant Administrators, Inspector General, Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Staff, Associate Administrators, Regional Administrators, and the Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. 

This memo announces the appointment of Samantha Dravis , Senior Counsel and Associate Administrator for Policy, to lead EPA’s efforts as the Regulatory Reform Officer.  It also announces the appointment of Ryan Jackson, Chief of Staff to serve as the chairman of the Task Force.  Other members of the Task Force will include Byron Brown, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Brittany Bolen, Deputy Associate Administrator of the Office of Policy.

The staff is charged with evaluating existing regulations and making recommendations to Pruitt regarding those that can be repealed, replaced, or modified to make them less burdensome.  The TF will need to seek input from entities significantly affected by EPA’s regulations, including state, local and tribal governments, small business consumers,  non-governmental organizations and trade associations.

By May 15, 2017 recommendations are due from the Offices of Air and Radiations, Land and Emergency Management, Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Water, Environmental Information, Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations and Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.  Each office is tasked with outreach to stakeholders and to hold a public meeting on this topic.  Regional and headquarter officers should also send recommendations to the Task Force by May 15.