[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 114 (Friday, June 13, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 33877-33878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-13848]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 431

[Docket No. EERE-2010-BT-STD-0037]
RIN 1904-AC39


Energy Efficiency Program: Energy Conservation Standards for 
Automatic Commercial Ice Makers

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will hold a public meeting 
to discuss the energy model used in the engineering analysis supporting 
its energy conservation standard rulemaking for automatic commercial 
ice makers. During the meeting, DOE will provide detailed description 
of the Energy Model and demonstrate its use.

DATES: Meeting: DOE will hold a public meeting on June 19, 2014, from 
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Washington, DC. Additionally, DOE plans to 
conduct the public meeting via webinar. You may attend the public 
meeting via webinar.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of 
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room GH-019, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121.
    Webinar: Registration information, participant instructions, and 
information about the capabilities available to webinar participants 
will be published on DOE's Web site at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/rulemaking.aspx/ruleid/29. Participants 
are responsible for ensuring their systems are compatible with the 
webinar software.
    Docket: The docket is available for review at http://www.regulations.gov, and will include Federal Register notices, 
framework document, notice of proposed rulemaking, public meeting 
attendee lists and transcripts, comments, and other supporting 
documents/materials throughout the rulemaking process. The 
regulations.gov Web page contains simple instructions on how to access 
all documents, including public comments, in the docket. The docket can 
be accessed by searching for docket number EERE-2010-BT-STD-0037 on the 
regulations.gov Web site. All documents in the docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. However, not all documents listed in the 
index may be publicly available, such as information that is exempt 
from public disclosure.
    For information on how to review the docket or participate in the 
public meeting, contact Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945 or by 
email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Cymbalsky, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Office, EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC 20585-0121. Telephone (202) 287-1692. Email: [email protected].
    Ms. Sarah Butler, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General 
Counsel, GC-71, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121. Telephone: (202) 586-1777. Email: [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 Office, EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue 
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone (202) 586-2945. Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title III, Part B \a\ of the Energy Policy 
and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA or the Act), Public Law 94-163, (42 
U.S.C. 6291-6309, as codified) sets forth a variety of provisions 
designed to improve energy efficiency and established the Energy 
Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles, a 
program covering major household appliances (collectively referred to 
as ``covered products'').\b\ Part C of title III (42 U.S.C. 6311-6317) 
establishes an energy conservation program for certain industrial and 
commercial equipment. EPCA authorizes DOE to establish technologically 
feasible, economically justified energy conservation standards for 
covered products or equipment that would be likely to result in 
significant national energy savings. (42 U.S.C. 6295(o)(2)(B)(i)(I)-
(VII))
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    \a\ For editorial reasons, upon codification in the U.S. Code, 
Part B was re-designated Part A.
    \b\ All references to EPCA in this document refer to the statute 
as amended through the American Energy Manufacturing Technical 
Corrections Act (AEMTCA), Public Law 112-210 (Dec. 18, 2012).
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    Section 136(d) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005), 
Public Law 109-58, amended EPCA to prescribe energy conservation 
standards for some automatic commercial ice-makers. (42 U.S.C. 
6313(d)(1)) The EPACT 2005 amendments (42 U.S.C. 6313(d)(2)) also 
authorize DOE to issue standards for types of automatic commercial ice 
makers that are not covered by 42 U.S.C. 6313(d)(1). In addition, not 
later than January 1, 2015, with respect to the standards at 42 U.S.C. 
6313(d)(1), and not later than 5 years after the effective date of any 
standards issued by DOE under 42 U.S.C. 6313(d)(2), DOE is to issue a 
final rule to determine whether amending the applicable standards is 
technologically feasible and economically justified. (42 U.S.C. 
6313(d)(3)(A)) To this end, DOE initiated an energy conservation

[[Page 33878]]

standard rulemaking for automatic commercial ice makers by publishing a 
notice of proposed meeting and availability of the framework document 
on November 19, 2010. 75 FR 70852. DOE published a notice of proposed 
rulemaking proposing energy conservation standards for automatic 
commercial ice makers on March 17, 2014 (here after referred to as the 
March 2014 NOPR). 79 FR 14846.
    In response to the publication of the March 2014 NOPR, stakeholders 
continue to submit questions regarding the energy model that DOE used 
to assess the energy efficiency and performance of automatic commercial 
ice makers as part of the engineering analysis. (See, for example, Air-
Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, No. 93 at p. 5) In 
order to facilitate an additional review of the model, gather 
additional feedback and data on the energy model, and to allow for a 
more thorough explanation of DOE's use of the model in the engineering 
analysis, DOE is holding this public meeting. During the meeting, DOE 
expects to explain the details of the model, go through example 
simulations, describe how the model was used and calibrated as part of 
the engineering analysis conducted for the March 2014 model, and answer 
questions about the model from interested parties. At the public 
meeting, DOE will make presentations and invite discussion on the 
energy model. All of the feedback and data gathered during the public 
meeting will be used in consideration of any reanalysis conducted as 
part of the rulemaking.
    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 for purchase from the court reporter and placed on the DOE 
Web site at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/rulemaking.aspx/ruleid/29.
    Any person wishing to bring a laptop computer into the Forrestal 
Building will be required to obtain a property pass. Visitors should 
avoid bringing laptops, or allow an extra 45 minutes. 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 of this 
fact as soon as possible by contacting Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-
2945 so that the necessary procedures can be completed.
    DOE considers public participation to be a very important part of 
the process for determining whether to amend energy conservation 
standards and, if so, in setting those amended standards. DOE actively 
encourages the participation and interaction of the public during the 
rulemaking process. Interactions with and among 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 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 email at 
[email protected].

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 9, 2014.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2014-13848 Filed 6-12-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P