[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 112 (Monday, June 11, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31224-31226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14584]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


National Energy Policy; Announcement of Public Meetings

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The recently-released National Energy Policy (NEP) recommended 
a review of current funding and historic performance of the Department 
of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs. 
To facilitate this review, Department of Energy senior officials will 
receive public comments on the programs in seven regional meetings 
during the month of June. Comments should address: (1) The objectives 
of the current energy efficiency and renewable energy research, 
development, demonstration and deployment programs, (2) suggested 
potential objectives for future programs, (3) implementation of current 
and future programs, and (4) whether these Federal programs are 
achieving intended objectives.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted and must be submitted to the 
Department of Energy no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT, June 29, 2001. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Ms. Bonny Overton, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, EE 3.1, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, or e-mail to 
[email protected]. To accommodate as many individuals as 
possible, each speaker will be limited to five minutes. In the event 
that time does not permit all individuals who would like to comment, 
several other options are available to receive public input. Forms will 
be available at each location to provide hand-written comments. Written 
comments will be accepted and must be submitted to the Department of 
Energy no later than 5 p.m. EDT, June 29, 2001. Written comments should 
be no more than four single spaced pages, using 12 pitch font and 1 
inch margins. All written comments will be included in the proceedings 
of the seven public meetings. The Department of Energy also invites 
their federal partners to submit written comments. Copies of the 
National Energy Plan can be found on the web at www.energy.gov. For 
further information about EERE programs, please visit www.EREN.doe.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Jeffery, 202-586-9373.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following public meetings will be held 
from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. From 9 a.m.-10 a.m., the Department will receive 
comments from public officials only.

June 12--Atlanta, Georgia--Location: Main Auditorium (Lower Level), 
Richard B. Russell Federal Building and Courthouse, 75 Spring Street 
SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
June 12--Chicago, Illinois--Location: James Benton Parson Memorial 
Court Room Dirksen Federal Building, Room 2525, 219 South Dearborn 
Street, Chicago, Illinois 60604
June 19--Boston, Massachusetts--Location: John A. Volpe National 
Transportation Systems Center, 55 Broadway, Kendall Square, 
Cambridge, MA 02142-1093
June 19--Seattle, Washington--Location: Bell Harbor International 
Conference Center International Promenade room, Pier 66, 2211 
Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121-1604
June 21--Denver, Colorado--Location: Adam's Mark Hotel Denver, 1550 
Court Place Denver, Colorado 80202
June 21--Philadelphia, Pennsylvania--Location: Myerson Auditorium, 
210 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
June 26--Washington, D.C.--Location: Washington Hilton and Towers, 
1919 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, DC

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy--List of programs

Building Equipment and Materials

    The mission of the Buildings Equipment and Materials Program is to 
advance affordable energy efficiency improvements in building equipment 
and materials through a targeted program of industry cost-shared 
research and regulatory options.

Commercial Buildings Integration

    The mission of the Commercial Buildings Integration Program is to 
develop new whole-building technologies and building design and 
operation strategies that will reduce overall energy needs and improve 
the quality of building energy services, including voluntary consensus 
building energy codes and mandatory codes for Federal buildings.

Community Energy Program

    The Community Energy Program provides technical assistance, 
demonstrations, training, and education to communities to accelerate 
the use of innovative and cost-effective energy technologies, 
strategies, and methods. The program helps communities, towns, and 
cities save energy, create jobs, promote economic growth, and protect 
the environment through improved energy efficiency and less energy 
intensive building design and operation.

Energy Star Program

    Using the ENERGY STAR symbol as the primary tool, identify and 
promote high efficiency consumer products and buildings; in partnership 
with EPA, manufacturers, retailers, utilities, and builders.

Residential Buildings Integration

    In partnership with homebuilders, industry, States, and 
communities, the Residential Buildings Integration Program improves the 
energy efficiency in new and existing homes through R&D, 
demonstrations, and regulatory strategies.

State Energy Program

    The State Energy Program (SEP) mission is to support States' 
effective, flexible capacity to promote the use of energy efficiency 
and renewable energy strategies for meeting energy needs in both the 
near and long-term future.

Weatherization Assistance Program

    The Weatherization Assistance Program works to maximize the number 
of low-income households receiving cost-effective, energy efficient 
improvements while ensuring the health and safety of people served.

DUET

    The Departmental Energy Management Program is administered by the 
Federal Energy Management Program's (FEMP) Departmental Utility and 
Energy Team (DUET). DUET targets FEMP services at DOE facilities to 
improve energy and water efficiency, promote renewable energy use, and 
manage utility costs in DOE's facilities and operations.

FEMP

    The Office of Federal Energy Management Programs (FEMP) reduces the 
cost and environmental impact of the Federal government by advancing 
energy efficiency and water conservation, promoting the use of 
renewable energy, and assisting federal facilities in managing utility 
costs and operations, including those of the Department of Energy.

[[Page 31225]]

Enabling Technologies

    The Industries of the Future (Crosscutting) Initiative works with 
IOF industry partners and suppliers to conduct cost-shared R&D on 
technologies that have potential applications across the nine vision 
industries as well as provide the immediate tools and technical 
assistance industry needs to expedite the implementation of energy-
efficient, clean manufacturing technologies.

Financial Assistance

    The OIT Financial Assistance Program helps independent inventors, 
small businesses, and industry who may lack the funds and/or know-how 
to move promising energy-saving and energy production technologies from 
the research bench to the marketplace.

Industrial Technology Assistance

    The Industries of the Future (Crosscutting) Initiative works with 
IOF industry partners and suppliers to conduct cost-shared R&D on 
technologies that have potential applications across the nine vision 
industries as well as provide the immediate tools and technical 
assistance industry needs to expedite the implementation of energy-
efficient, clean manufacturing technologies.

Vision Industries

    The Industries of the Future (IOF) program develops and delivers 
advanced technologies and best practices to improve the energy 
efficiency and environmental performance of America's most energy-and 
waste-intensive industries. To provide the best value and optimum use 
of public investments, the IOF program focuses on nine major U.S. 
industries that account for roughly 75 percent of industrial energy use 
and over 75 percent of manufacturing wastes (aluminum, agriculture, 
chemicals, forest products, glass, metal casting, mining, steel, and 
petroleum).

BioPower

    In partnership with industry, the Biopower Program will assist the 
development and utilization of biopower technologies that are clean and 
reliable, and competitive with conventional power systems

Distributed Energy Resources

    The Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Program leads a national 
effort to develop and integrate the ``next generation'' of clean, 
efficient, reliable, and affordable distributed energy technologies; 
document the energy, economic, and environmental benefits of the 
expanded use of distributed energy resources and widely disseminate the 
findings; and implement deployment strategies, including national and 
international standards, that address infrastructure, energy delivery, 
institutional, and regulatory needs.

Geothermal Energy

    The Geothermal Technology Development Program works in partnership 
with U.S. industry to establish geothermal energy as an economically 
competitive contributor to the U.S. energy supply, capable of meeting a 
large portion of the Nation's heat and power needs.

High Temperature Superconductivity

    The High Temperature Superconductivity (HTS) R&D program 
investigates the properties of crystalline materials that become free 
of electrical resistance at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. The 
lack of electrical resistance makes possible electrical power systems, 
super-efficient generators, transformers, and transmission cables, that 
reduce energy losses by half and allow equipment to be half the size of 
present electrical systems.

Hydrogen

    The mission of the Hydrogen Program is to support the research, 
development and validation of hydrogen technologies in production, 
storage and utilization. These technologies will facilitate the use of 
renewable energy resources, improve electrical reliability using 
distributed fuel cell power systems, and reduce the Nation's dependence 
on imported fossil fuels in the electric power generation and 
transportation sectors.

Hydropower

    The Hydropower Program improves the technical, economic, and 
environmental performance of the Nation's abundant, in-place hydropower 
resources through collaborative research and development with industry 
and other Federal agencies.

International Programs

    Provide diplomatic support to catalyze markets, provide technical 
assistance, and support U.S. Native American Tribal community on a 
``government to government'' basis.

Solar Technologies

    The Office of Solar Energy Technologies sponsors research and 
development (R&D) that improves the performance and reliability while 
reducing the cost of solar technologies that can harness the sun's 
energy.

Wind Energy

    The Program focuses on completing the research, testing, and field 
verification needed by U.S. industry to fully develop advanced wind 
energy technologies, and on coordinating with partners and stakeholders 
to overcome barriers to wind energy use.

Advanced Combustion Engine R&D

    The Advanced Combustion Engine R& D program develops technologies 
that will significantly improve the fuel efficiency of conventional 
piston engines while cost-effectively meeting projected emissions 
regulations.

Biofuels

    The Biofuels Program funds research, development, and demonstration 
of technology to enable and support the expansion of an indigenous, 
integrated biomass-based industry that will reduce reliance on imported 
fuels; promote rural economic development; and provide for productive 
utilization of agricultural residues and municipal solid wastes.

Electric Vehicles R&D

    The Electric Vehicles R& D program develops and validates advanced 
electric vehicle battery technologies that will enable full-range 
electric vehicles and facilitate their commercial viability.

Fuel Cell R&D

    The Fuel Cell R& D Program develops highly-efficient, low and zero 
emission, cost-competitive vehicle fuel cell power system technologies 
that operate on conventional and alternative fuels.

Fuels Utilization R&D

    The Fuels Utilization R&D Program, along with partners in the 
energy and transportation industries, pursues R&D that will provide 
transportation vehicles with fuel options that are cost competitive, 
achieve high fuel economy, and deliver low emissions.

Heavy Vehicle Systems R&D

    The Heavy Vehicle Systems R&D Program sets performance targets for 
components and subsystems in the context of the heavy vehicle as an 
integrated system, and validates achievements of vehicle-level OTT 
objectives.

Hybrid Systems R&D

    The Hybrid Systems R&D program develops advanced propulsion and 
ancillary system components and tests and validates them in a vehicle 
context.

[[Page 31226]]

Materials Technologies

    The Materials Technologies Program supports the development of the 
cost-effective materials and materials manufacturing processes 
necessary to successfully commercialize the next generation of fuel-
efficient, low-emission transportation vehicles.

Transportation Technology Assistance

    The Transportation Technology Assistance Program accelerates the 
adoption and use of alternative-fuel and advanced-technology vehicles 
to help meet national energy and environmental goals.

    Issued in Washington, DC on June 5, 2001.
John Sullivan,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Planning, Budget and 
Management, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 01-14584 Filed 6-8-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P