Office of Regulatory Policy and Management

The Office of Regulatory Policy and Management (ORPM) ensures that EPA's regulatory and policy decisions and products are invested with high-quality, relevant, and timely information. ORPM also manages the regulatory development process - the process the Agency's offices and Regions follow when writing rules. We have responsibilities for:

Regulatory Agendas and Plans
Statute and regulatory information
Program Analysis
Federal Register information
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)/ Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA)
Regulatory development conferences

Regulatory Agendas and Plans

Once in the Spring and again in the Fall, EPA publishes a Seminannual Regulatory Agenda. We also publish an Annual Regulatory Plan along with EPA’s Fall Agenda. Regulatory Plans describe the most important regulatory and deregulatory actions - the core of our regulatory priorities. EPA's Regulatory Agendas describe a broader universe of regulatory activities that we reasonably expect to issue in proposed or final form during the upcoming fiscal year. ORPM coordinates the development and publishing of EPA's Agendas and Plans.

View EPA's Regulatory Agendas and Plans.

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Statute and Regulatory Information

Visit our Laws, Regulations, Guidance & Dockets Web site for extensive information about regulatory requirements. Included in the site are several methods for searching for specific EPA regulations as well as information on www.Regulations.gov (the federal-wide site where you can view and comment on regulatory actions). ORPM maintains the site to provide you with a starting point when searching for EPA's regulatory information.

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Program Analysis

ORPM works in tandem with programs throughout the Agency to improve how we protect human health and the environment. We provide managers with the information and tools they need to analyze their programs on a regular basis and keep them fresh and innovative. ORPM collaborates with the Evaluation Support Division, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and the Office of Program Evaluation in the Office of the Inspector General.

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Federal Register Information

The Federal Register (FR) is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. ORPM assists EPA offices and Regions by preparing their regulations for publication in the FR. The Government Printing Office (GPO) publishes the FR for all federal agencies.

EPA's Office of Environmental Information (OEI) provides searchable daily listings of environmental-related FR documents issued from EPA or other federal agencies. You may also subscribe for daily email alerts about EPA's Federal Register publications.

FR Environmental Documents
- Subscribe for daily email alerts

GPO's FR database

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RFA/ SBREFA

We have an ongoing commitment to minimize the impacts of our regulations on small entities to the extent feasible while still meeting our statutory requirements. The RFA, as amended by SBREFA, provides small entities with an expanded opportunity to participate in the development of rules that may significantly affect them. ORPM's director serves as EPA's Small Business Advocacy Chair (SBAC), who is responsible for guidance and oversight; the SBAC also serves as the permanent chair of all Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panels.

EPA's RFA/ SBREFA Web Site

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Regulatory Matters Conferences & Collaboration Tools

ORPM occassionally hosts conferences for federal departments and agencies so regulatory development colleagues can share best practices and tools. These conferences are part of our "Regulatory Matters" series of educational resources.