[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8062-8063]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03155]


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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0033; FRL 9941-75-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; EPA's ENERGY STAR[supreg] Product Labeling 
(Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``EPA's ENERGY STAR Product 
Labeling'' (EPA ICR No. 2078.06, OMB Control No. 2060-0528) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 
This is a proposed revision of the ICR, which is currently approved 
through February 29, 2016. Public comments were previously requested 
via the Federal Register (80 FR 65752) on October 27, 2015, during a 
60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for 
public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, 
including its estimated burden and cost to the public. An Agency may 
not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before March 18, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OAR-2003-0033, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: 
EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB via email 
to [email protected]. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer 
for EPA.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kirsten Hesla, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Air and Radiation, Mailcode 6202J,

[[Page 8063]]

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-2984; fax number: 202-
343-2200; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program developed in 
collaboration with industry to create a self-sustaining market for 
energy efficient products. The center piece of the program is the 
ENERGY STAR label, a registered certification label that helps 
consumers identify products that save energy, save money, and help 
protect the environment without sacrificing quality or performance. In 
order to protect the integrity of the label and enhance its 
effectiveness in the marketplace, EPA must ensure that products 
carrying the label meet appropriate program requirements.
    Program participants submit signed Partnership Agreements 
indicating that they will adhere to logo-use guidelines and program 
requirements. Retail partners commit to selling, marketing and 
promoting ENERGY STAR certified products. Product brand owner partners, 
who are usually the manufacturer of the products, commit to having 
participating products certified to meet specified energy performance 
criteria based on a standard test method and EPA's third party 
certification requirements. These requirements for ENERGY STAR product 
certification also include provisions for verifying the performance of 
certified products through verification testing.
    Now, product information is recorded by Certification Bodies and 
shared with EPA using XML-based web services that validate and save the 
information in EPA's database. With this new process of obtaining 
certified product data, certified model data is automatically updated 
daily on the ENERGY STAR Web site. To ensure continued product 
performance after initial certification, EPA requires Certification 
Bodies to conduct post-market verification testing of a sampling of 
ENERGY STAR certified products. Certification Bodies are required to 
share information with EPA on products subjected to this post-market 
testing twice a year and to immediately report any certified products 
that no longer meet the program requirements. This process allows EPA 
to monitor the ongoing performance of products and take necessary steps 
to maintain consumer confidence in the ENERGY STAR label and protect 
the investment of partners.
    Form Numbers: 5900-252, 5900-251, 5900-33, 5900-253, 5900-168, 
5900-206, 5900-207, 5900-28, 5900-208, 5900-210, 5900-228, 5900-234, 
5900-229, 5900-235, 5900-47, 5900-349, 5900-350, 5900-351, 5900-348, 
5900-35, 5900-36, 5900-37, 5900-38, 5900-39, 5900-41, 5900-42, 5900-43, 
5900-44, 5900-48, 5900-49, 5900-50, 5900-51, 5900-53, 5900-54, 5900-55, 
5900-56, 5900-57, 5900-58, 5900-230, 5900-224, 5900-227, 5900-166, 
5900-165, 5900-164, 5900-226, 5900-163, 5900-34, 5900-216, 5900-217, 
5900-218, 5900-388.
    Respondents/affected entities: Respondents for this information 
collection request include Partners in ENERGY STAR.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 2,080.
    Frequency of response: Initially/one-time and annually.
    Total estimated burden: 41,209 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $3,118,166 (per year), includes $17,285 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 24,129 hours in 
the total estimated burden compared with the ICR currently approved by 
OMB. Although participation in the ENERGY STAR program has steadily 
increased, the automated process of sharing information between 
Certification Bodies and the Agency has reduced the overall burden for 
Partners.

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2016-03155 Filed 2-16-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P