[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 187 (Tuesday, September 28, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 59657-59658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24288]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 187 / Tuesday, September 28, 2010 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 59657]]



DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 431

[Docket No. EERE-2010-BT-STD-0027]
RIN 1904-AC28


Energy Efficiency Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial 
Equipment: Public Meeting and Availability of the Framework Document 
for Commercial and Industrial Electric Motors

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and availability of the framework 
document.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is initiating the 
rulemaking to amend the energy conservation standards for certain 
commercial and industrial electric motors under section 342(b) of the 
Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). DOE will hold an informal 
public meeting to discuss and receive comments on its planned 
analytical approach and the issues it will address during this 
rulemaking. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any 
subject within the scope of this rulemaking. To inform interested 
parties and to facilitate this process, DOE has prepared a framework 
document that details the analytical approach that DOE will use and 
identifies several issues on which DOE is particularly interested in 
receiving comment. A copy of the framework document is available at: 
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/electric_motors.html. For information on obtaining a copy of the 
framework document, see the supplementary information section.

DATES: DOE will hold a public meeting on Monday, October 18th, 2010, 
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Washington, DC. DOE must receive requests to 
speak at the public meeting before 4 p.m., Monday, October 4th, 2010. 
DOE must receive a signed original and an electronic copy of the 
statement to be given at the public meeting before 4 p.m., Monday, 
October 11th, 2010. DOE will accept written comments, data, and 
information regarding the framework document before and after the 
public meeting, but no later than October 28, 2010.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of 
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 8E089, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121. Please note that foreign nationals planning 
to participate in the public meeting are subject to advance security 
screening procedures. If a foreign national wishes to participate in 
the public meeting, please inform DOE as soon as possible by contacting 
Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945 so that the necessary procedures 
can be completed. Additionally, DOE plans to conduct the public meeting 
via webinar. The registration information and participant instructions 
will be available on the product Web page.
    Interested parties may submit comments, identified by docket number 
EERE-2010-BT-STD-0027 and/or Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 1904-
AC28, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include 
docket number EERE-2010-BT-STD-0027 and/or RIN 1904-AC28 in the subject 
line of the message.
     Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, Framework Document for 
Electric Motors, Docket No. EERE-2010-BT-STD-0027 and/or RIN 1904-AC28, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Please submit 
one signed paper original. Due to the potential delays in DOE's receipt 
and processing of mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service, DOE 
encourages respondents to submit comments electronically to ensure 
timely receipt.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Suite 600, 950 L'Enfant 
Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20024. Please submit one signed paper 
original.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents, a 
copy of the transcript of the public meeting, or comments received, go 
to the U.S. Department of Energy, Resource Room of the Building 
Technologies Program, Sixth Floor, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, 
DC 20024, (202) 586-2945, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. Please call Ms. Brenda Edwards first 
at the above telephone number for additional information regarding 
visiting the Resource Room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James Raba, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, 
DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-8654, e-mail: [email protected].
    Ms. Ami Grace-Tardy, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General 
Counsel, GC-71, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121, (202) 586-5709, e-mail: [email protected].
    For information on how to submit or review public comments and on 
how to participate in the public meeting, contact Ms. Brenda Edwards, 
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy, Building Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-2945, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Part A of the Energy Policy and Conservation 
Act of (EPCA) established the ``Energy Conservation Program for 
Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles,'' a program covering most 
major household appliances. (42 U.S.C. 6291-6309)
    Over time, amendments to EPCA have given DOE expanded authority to 
regulate the energy efficiency of certain commercial and industrial 
equipment, including the electric motors that are the focus of this 
notice. Amendments to EPCA in the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT 
1992) (Pub. L. 102-486) prescribed energy conservation standards for 
certain electric motors. (42 U.S.C. 6313(b)(1))
    In addition, section 313 of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) (Pub. L. 110-140) amends EPCA by updating the 
standards established by EPACT 1992. The amendments redefine the term 
``electric motor'' and add energy conservation

[[Page 59658]]

standards for the following categories of electric motors: U-Frame, 
Design C, close-coupled pump, footless, vertical solid shaft normal 
thrust, 8-pole (900 rpm), and polyphase motors with a voltage of not 
more than 600 volts (other than 230 or 460 volts). (42 U.S.C. 6311(13))
    EPCA also directs DOE to publish a final rule determining whether 
to amend existing electric motors standards within 24 months of the 
effective date of the previous final electric motors rule. (42 U.S.C. 
6313(b)(4)(B)) The most recent electric motors standards set out in 
EISA 2007 and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) on 
March 23, 2009, go into effect on December 19, 2010, under section 
313(b)(2) of EISA 2007. Therefore, DOE must publish a final rule 
determining whether to amend the electric motors standards by December 
19, 2012. (42 U.S.C. 6313(b)(4)(B)) Any amended standards established 
pursuant to this rulemaking would apply to products manufactured five 
years or more after the effective date of the previous electric motors 
standard. (42 U.S.C. 6313(b)(4)(B)(i)) Any amended standards that 
result from this rulemaking process, therefore, would have a compliance 
date of December 19, 2015. (42 U.S.C. 6313(b)(4)(B)) DOE is, therefore, 
beginning a rulemaking process to consider further amending these 
standards with a framework document for electric motors describing the 
procedural and analytical approaches DOE anticipates using in its 
evaluation.
    The focus of the public meeting noted above will be to discuss the 
analyses presented and issues identified in the framework document. At 
the public meeting, DOE will make a number of presentations, invite 
discussion on the rulemaking process as it applies to electric motors, 
and solicit comments, data, and information from participants and other 
interested parties. DOE encourages those who wish to participate in the 
public meeting to obtain the framework document and to be prepared to 
discuss its contents. A copy of the draft framework document is 
available at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/electric_motors.html.
    Public meeting participants need not limit their comments to the 
issues identified in the framework document. DOE is also interested in 
comments on other relevant issues that participants believe would 
affect energy conservation standards for this equipment, applicable 
test procedures, or the preliminary determination on the scope of 
coverage. DOE invites all interested parties, whether or not they 
participate in the public meeting, to submit comments and information 
on matters addressed in the framework document and on other matters 
relevant to DOE's consideration of amended standards for electric 
motors in writing by October 28, 2010.
    The public meeting will be conducted in an informal, facilitated, 
conference style. There shall be no discussion of proprietary 
information, costs or prices, market shares, or other commercial 
matters regulated by U.S. antitrust laws. A court reporter will record 
the proceedings of the public meeting, after which a transcript will be 
available on the DOE Web site at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/electric_motors.html and for 
purchase from the court reporter.
    After the public meeting and the close of the comment period on the 
framework document, DOE will begin conducting the analyses discussed in 
the framework document and reviewing the public comments received.
    DOE considers public participation to be a very important part of 
the process for setting energy conservation standards. DOE actively 
encourages the participation and interaction of the public during the 
comment period in each stage of the rulemaking process. Beginning with 
the framework document, and during each subsequent public meeting and 
comment period, interactions with and between members of the public 
provide a balanced discussion of the issues to assist DOE in the 
standards rulemaking process. Accordingly, anyone who wishes to 
participate in the public meeting, receive meeting materials, or be 
added to the DOE mailing list to receive future notices and information 
about this rulemaking should contact Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-
2945, or via e-mail at [email protected].

    Issued in Washington, DC, on September 16, 2010.
Cathy Zoi,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2010-24288 Filed 9-27-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P