[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 23, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 35886-35888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15383]


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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 430

[Docket No. EERE-2015-BT-STD-0006]
RIN 1904-AD51


Energy Efficiency Program for Consumer Products: Energy 
Conservation Standards for Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts

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 this 
rulemaking and data collection process to consider amending energy 
conservation standards for fluorescent lamp ballasts. To inform 
interested parties and to facilitate this process, DOE has prepared a 
Framework Document that details the analytical approach and scope of 
coverage for the rulemaking, and identifies several issues on which DOE 
is particularly interested in receiving comments. DOE will hold a 
public meeting to discuss and receive comments on its planned 
analytical approach and issues it will address in this rulemaking 
proceeding. DOE welcomes written comments and relevant data from the 
public on any subject within the scope of this rulemaking. A copy of 
the Framework Document is available at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/rulemaking.aspx?ruleid=110.

DATES: Comments: DOE will accept written comments, data, and 
information regarding the Framework Document before and after the 
public meeting, but no later than August 7, 2015.
    Meeting: DOE will hold a public meeting on Friday, July 17, 2015, 
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, and 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/

[[Page 35887]]

rulemaking.aspx?ruleid=110. Participants are responsible for ensuring 
their systems are compatible with the webinar software.
    DOE must receive requests to speak at the public meeting before 
4:00 p.m., July 6, 2015. DOE must receive an electronic copy of the 
statement with the name and, if appropriate, the organization of the 
presenter to be given at the public meeting before 4:00 p.m., July 10, 
2015.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of 
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 8E-089, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121. Please note that foreign nationals 
participating in the public meeting are subject to advance security 
screening procedures which require advance notice prior to attendance 
at the public meeting. If a foreign national wishes to participate in 
the public meeting, please inform DOE as soon as possible by contacting 
Ms. Regina Washington at (202) 586-1214 or by email: 
[email protected] so that the necessary procedures can be 
completed. Please note that 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. As noted above, persons may also attend the public 
meeting via webinar.
    Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments 
electronically. However, comments may be submitted by any of the 
following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Include 
docket number EERE-2015-BT-STD-0006 and/or regulatory identification 
number (RIN) 1904-AD51 in the subject line of the message. All comments 
should clearly identify the name, address, and, if appropriate, 
organization of the commenter. Submit electronic comments in 
WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or ASCII file format, and avoid the 
use of special characters or any form of encryption.
     Postal Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-5B, Framework 
Document for Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts, Docket No. EERE-2015-BT-STD-
0006 and/or RIN 1904-AD51, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585-0121. If possible, please submit all items on a compact disc 
(CD), in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies. 
[Please note that comments sent by mail are often delayed and may be 
damaged by mail screening processes.]
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Sixth Floor, 950 L'Enfant 
Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. If 
possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case it is not 
necessary to include printed copies.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number and/or RIN for this rulemaking. No telefacsimilies 
(faxes) will be accepted.
    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-2015-BT-STD-0006 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 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lucy deButts, 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) 287-1604. Email: 
[email protected].
    Ms. Sarah Butler, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General 
Counsel, GC-33, 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))
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \a\ For editorial reasons, upon codification in the U.S. Code, 
Part B was redesignated 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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Additional amendments to EPCA have given DOE the authority to 
regulate the energy efficiency of several products, including certain 
fluorescent lamp ballasts--the products that are the subject of this 
document. Amendments to EPCA in the National Appliance Energy 
Conservation Amendments of 1988 (NAECA 1988), Public Law 100-357, 
established energy conservation standards for fluorescent lamp 
ballasts. (42 U.S.C. 6295(g)(5)) These same amendments also required 
that DOE: (1) Conduct two rulemaking cycles to determine whether these 
standards should be amended; and (2) for each rulemaking cycle, 
determine whether the standards in effect for fluorescent lamp ballasts 
should be amended so that they would be applicable to additional 
fluorescent lamp ballasts. (42 U.S.C. 6295(g)(7)(A)-(B)) DOE completed 
these two rulemaking cycles in 2000 and 2011. 65 FR 56740 (Sept. 19, 
2000) and 76 FR 70548 (Nov. 14, 2011).
    EPCA mandates that within six years of the publication of the 
previous final rule, DOE is required to publish either a notice of 
determination that standards do not need to be amended or a notice of 
proposed rulemaking including new proposed standards. (42 U.S.C. 
6295(m)) This notice and the associated public meeting represent the 
first step in the process to consider whether to amend energy 
conservation standards for fluorescent ballasts in that six year review 
process.
    DOE has prepared the Framework Document to explain the relevant 
issues, analyses, and processes it anticipates

[[Page 35888]]

using when considering new or amended energy conservation standards for 
fluorescent lamp ballasts. The focus of the public meeting noted above 
will be to discuss the information presented and issues identified in 
the Framework Document. At the public meeting, DOE will make 
presentations and invite discussion on the rulemaking process as it 
applies to fluorescent lamp ballasts. DOE will also solicit comments, 
data, and information from participants and other interested parties.
    DOE is planning to conduct in-depth technical analyses in the 
following areas: (1) Engineering; (2) energy use; (3) product price; 
(4) life-cycle cost and payback period; (5) national impacts; (6) 
manufacturer impacts; (7) emission impacts; (8) utility impacts; (9) 
employment impacts; and (10) regulatory impacts. DOE will also conduct 
several other analyses that support those previously listed, including 
the market and technology assessment, the screening analysis (which 
contributes to the engineering analysis), and the shipments analysis 
(which contributes to the national impact analysis).
    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 Framework Document is available at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/rulemaking.aspx?ruleid=110.
    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 these products, 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 in writing by August 7, 
2015, comments and information on matters addressed in the Framework 
Document and on other matters relevant to DOE's consideration of 
coverage of and standards for fluorescent lamp ballasts.
    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=110.
    After the public meeting and the close of the comment period on the 
Framework Document, DOE will collect data, conduct the analyses as 
discussed in the Framework Document and at the public meeting, and 
review the public comments it receives.
    DOE considers public participation to be a very important part of 
the process for determining whether to establish or amend energy 
conservation standards and, if so, in setting those new or amended 
standards. DOE actively encourages the participation and interaction of 
the public during the comment period at each stage of the rulemaking 
process. Beginning with the Framework Document, and during each 
subsequent public meeting and comment period, 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, 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 email at [email protected].

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 17, 2015.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2015-15383 Filed 6-22-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P