[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 4, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 20291-20292]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8073]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 430

[Docket Number EERE-2010-BT-TP-0021]
RIN 1904-AC08


Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Residential 
Clothes Washers; Correction

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

ACTION: Final rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is correcting a final rule 
establishing revised test procedures for residential clothes washers, 
published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2012, and applicable as 
of April 6, 2012. DOE erroneously omitted regulatory language to remove 
the obsolete parenthetical note from the water factor calculation 
section of the currently applicable test procedure.

DATES: Effective: April 6, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen L. Witkowski, U.S. Department

[[Page 20292]]

of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-7463. Email: 
[email protected].
    Elizabeth Kohl, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General 
Counsel, GC-71, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121. Telephone: (202) 586-7796. Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE published new and amended test 
procedures for residential clothes washers on March 7, 2012 (hereafter, 
the ``March 2012 final rule''). 77 FR 13888. The current test procedure 
is codified at appendix J1 in 10 CFR part 430 subpart B (hereafter, 
``appendix J1''). The March 2012 final rule amended certain provisions 
in appendix J1 and also established new clothes washer test procedures, 
codified in a new appendix J2. Residential clothes washer manufacturers 
must continue to use appendix J1 to determine compliance of their 
products with energy conservation standards until the compliance date 
of any amended standards.
    In the preamble to the March 2012 final rule, DOE described its 
intention to remove an obsolete parenthetical note in section 4.2 of 
appendix J1, which states that the water factor calculations need not 
be performed to determine compliance with the energy conservation 
standards for clothes washers. The Energy Independence and Security Act 
of 2007 (EISA 2007) amended the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 
U.S.C. 6291, et seq.) by establishing a water factor standard for top-
loading and front-loading standard-size residential clothes washers 
manufactured on or after January 1, 2011 (42 U.S.C. 6295(g)(9)(A)(ii)); 
accordingly, this parenthetical note is now obsolete. The calculations 
in section 4.2 must be performed to determine compliance with energy 
conservation standards for these clothes washers. In the March 2012 
final rule, DOE erroneously omitted regulatory language to remove the 
obsolete parenthetical note from the water factor calculation section 
of appendix J1. This final rule corrects section 4.2 of appendix J1 to 
remove this obsolete note.
    In FR Doc. 2012-4819 appearing on page 13888 in the Federal 
Register of Wednesday, March 7, 2012, the following corrections are 
made:

Appendix J1 [Corrected]

0
1. On page 13937, correct amendatory instruction 7.m. to read as 
follows:
0
m. Revising section 4.2 introductory text;
0
2. On page 13938, third column, before 4.2.3, add the following text:
0
4.2 Water consumption of clothes washers.
* * * * *

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 29, 2012.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2012-8073 Filed 4-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P