[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 151 (Friday, August 5, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 51812-51813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18674]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 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.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 151 / Friday, August 5, 2016 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 51812]]



DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Parts 429 and 431

[Docket Number EERE-2014-BT-STD-0042]
RIN 1904-AD34


Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for 
Commercial Water Heating Equipment; Reopening of Comment Period

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

ACTION: Reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: On May 31, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published 
in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) that 
proposed amended energy conservation standards for commercial water 
heaters. DOE published this NOPR so stakeholders can review and provide 
input on these proposed revisions. The comment period for the NOPR 
pertaining to the subject commercial water heating equipment was 
scheduled to end August 1, 2016. After receiving a number of requests 
for additional time to comment, DOE has decided to reopen the public 
comment period until August 30, 2016 for the purposes of submitting 
comments on the NOPR or any other aspect of the energy conservation 
standards rulemaking for commercial water heating equipment.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published on May 31, 
2016 (81 FR 34440) is reopened. DOE will accept comments, data, and 
information regarding the notice of proposed rulemaking received no 
later than August 30, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Instructions: Any comments submitted must identify the NOPR 
on Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial Water Heating 
Equipment, and provide docket number EERE-2014-BT-STD-0042 and/or 
regulatory information number (RIN) 1904-AD34. Comments may be 
submitted using any of the following methods:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    2. Email: [email protected]. Include the docket 
number and/or RIN in the subject line of the message. Submit electronic 
comments in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or ASCII file format, and 
avoid the use of special characters or any form of encryption.
    3. Postal Mail: Ms. Ashley Armstrong, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-5B, 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.
    4. Hand Delivery/Courier: Appliance and Equipment Standards Staff, 
U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 950 L'Enfant 
Plaza SW., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586-6656. 
If possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case it is not 
necessary to include printed copies.
    No telefacsimilies (faxes) will be accepted. For detailed 
instructions on submitting comments and additional information on the 
rulemaking process, see the ``Public Participation'' section of the May 
31, 2016 NOPR. 81 FR 34440, 34532-33.
    Docket: The docket is available for review at www.regulations.gov, 
including Federal Register notices, public meeting attendee lists and 
transcripts, comments, and other supporting documents/materials. 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.
    A link to the docket Web page can be found at: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EERE-2014-BT-STD-0042. This Web page 
contains a link to the docket for this document on the 
www.regulations.gov site. The www.regulations.gov Web page contains 
simple instructions on how to access all documents, including public 
comments, in the docket. See section VII, ``Public Participation,'' of 
the May 31, 2016 NOPR for further information on how to submit comments 
through www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
Ms. Ashley Armstrong, 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) 586-6590. Email: [email protected].
Mr. Eric Stas, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General 
Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121. Telephone: (202) 586-9507. Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 31, 2016, DOE published in the 
Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) that proposed 
amended energy conservation standards for commercial water heaters. 81 
FR 34440. The NOPR provided opportunity for submitting written 
comments, data, and information regarding the proposed amendments for 
the subject equipment by August 1, 2016. However, DOE received a 
request from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute 
(AHRI), dated July 22, 2016, to provide an additional 90 days in which 
to submit comments pertaining to the rulemaking for commercial water 
heaters. AHRI's request can be found at: http://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EERE-2014-BT-STD-0042-0023. AHRI and its members stated that 
they need more time to sufficiently review and digest the information 
in order to provide substantive comments. A reopening of the comment 
period would allow additional time for AHRI and its members and other 
interested parties to examine the data, information, and analysis 
presented in the Commercial Water Heaters Technical Support Document, 
to gather any additional data and information to address the proposed 
standards, and to submit comments to DOE. DOE also received requests 
from Raypak on July 25, 2016 and Spire on July 28, 2016 asking for 
additional time to carefully review the information provided by DOE and 
to provide substantive comments. Raypak's request can be found at: 
http://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EERE-2014-BT-STD-0042-0025. 
Spire's request can be found at: http://www.regulations.gov/
document?D=EERE-2014-BT-STD-0042-

[[Page 51813]]

0026. After carefully considering the requests for additional time, DOE 
has determined that a reopening of the public comment period is 
appropriate, based upon the foregoing reasons. DOE believes that 
reopening the comment period until August 30, 2016 will provide the 
public with sufficient time to submit comments responding to DOE's 
proposed energy conservation standards. Accordingly, DOE is reopening 
the comment period to midnight of August 30, 2016 and will deem any 
comments received by that date to be timely submitted. DOE further 
notes that any submissions of comments or other information submitted 
between the original comment end date and the reopening of the comment 
period will be deemed timely filed.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 28, 2016.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2016-18674 Filed 8-4-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P