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Revision Goals
EPA last revised the General Conformity Regulations in 1993. Since that time, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other agencies have submitted comments and suggestions to EPA regarding the General Conformity Regulations. EPA has reviewed these suggestions and will be revising the General Conformity Regulations as appropriate. EPA will also be revising the rule in accordance with the Plain Language Directive.
One major change in the General Conformity Regulations will be the language and style used to communicate the new regulations. Unlike the current General Conformity Rule, the revised regulations must meet the guidelines established by the 1997 Plain Language Directive.
EPA will be revising the rules to reflect innovative approaches. EPA will explore an emission budget approach, early emission reduction credits, inter-precursor offsets for ozone areas, and mitigation timing. In addition, EPA intends to address transitioning to new standards and revisions requested by other federal agencies. EPA intends to add overall clarification to the existing rules and seek ways to streamline the existing rule.
The schedule for revising the general conformity regulations is found on the Timeline page.