[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 233 (Monday, December 5, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 87493-87494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-29080]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 430

[Docket No. EERE-2014-BT-STD-0031]
RIN 1904-AD20


Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for 
Residential Furnaces

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

ACTION: Reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: On September 23, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 
published a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR) and 
announcement of public meeting pertaining to proposed energy 
conservation standards for residential furnaces in the Federal 
Register. The notice provided an opportunity for submitting written 
comments, data, and information by November 22, 2016. This document 
announces a reopening of the public comment period for submitting 
comments and data on the SNOPR or any other aspect of the rulemaking 
for residential furnaces. The comment period is reopened until January 
6, 2017.

DATES: The comment period for the supplemental notice of proposed 
rulemaking published on September 23, 2016 (81 FR 65719) is reopened. 
DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this 
rulemaking received no later than January 6, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Instructions: Any comments submitted must identify the SNOPR 
on Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Furnaces, and provide 
docket number EERE-2014-BT-STD-0031 and/or regulatory information 
number (RIN) 1904-AD20. 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: Appliance and Equipment Standards Program, 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 
Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 950 
L'Enfant Plaza SW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 
586-6636. If possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case 
it is not necessary to include printed copies.
    Docket: The docket, which includes Federal Register notices, public 
meeting attendee lists and transcripts, comments, and other supporting 
documents/materials, is available for review at www.regulations.gov. 
All documents in the docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov 
index. However, some documents listed in the index may not be publicly 
available, such as those containing information that is exempt from 
public disclosure.
    The docket Web page can be found at: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2014-BT-STD-0031. The docket Web page contains 
simple instructions on how to access all documents, including public 
comments, in the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    Mr. John Cymbalsky, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, EE-2J, 
1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: 
(202) 287-1692. Email: [email protected].
    Ms. Johanna Jochum, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the 
General Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 287-6307. Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 2, 2016, DOE issued a pre-
publication supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (September 2016 
SNOPR) pertaining to proposed energy conservation standards for 
residential furnaces on the Appliance and Equipment Standards Web page 
http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/issuance-2016-09-02-energy-conservation-program-energy-conservation. DOE also posted on the same 
Web page its analytical tools and supplementary documentation for 
residential furnaces. In that pre-publication notice, DOE provided for 
a 30-day comment period. Following the issuance of the pre-publication 
notice, Spire Inc., the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration 
Institute (AHRI), and the American Gas Association and American Public 
Gas Association (AGA/APGA, jointly) submitted requests that DOE extend 
the 30-day comment period by 60 additional days. (Spire, No. 219 at p. 
1; AGA/APGA, No. 220 at pp. 1-3; AHRI, No. 221 at p. 1) These 
commenters requested additional time to review DOE's analytical tools 
and supplementary materials supporting the September 2016 SNOPR. To 
accommodate those requests, DOE extended the comment period by 30 days 
when it published in the Federal Register the September 23, 2016 SNOPR, 
providing for a comment period of 60 days ending November 22, 2016. 81 
FR 65719. During the SNOPR public meeting on October 17, 2016, DOE 
noted that between the date of issuance of the pre-publication notice 
(along with analytical tools and documentation) and the end of the 
comment period on November 22, 2016, interested parties would have had 
81 days to review the notice, analytical tools and supplementary 
documentation. (DOE, No. 243 at p. 213)
    Following publication in the Federal Register of the September 2016 
SNOPR on September 23, 2016, commenters again requested that DOE extend 
the

[[Page 87494]]

comment period to provide for a 90 day total comment period. (AGA/APGA, 
No. 232 at p. 1; Spire, No. 234 at p. 14; APGA, No. 235 at p. 2; 
Lennox, No. 245 at pp. 1-2; Heating, Air-conditioning, and 
Refrigeration Distributors International and Air-Conditioning 
Contractors of America, No. 251 at p. 1; APGA, SNOPR Public Meeting 
Transcript, No. 243 at p. 31) Some commenters subsequently submitted 
requests for an even longer extension, equivalent to a total 120 day 
comment period. (Spire, No. 241 at pp. 1-2; AGA/APGA, No. 242 at pp. 1-
2; AHRI, No. 244 at p. 1; Carrier, No. 250 at p. 1) Spire submitted an 
additional comment that a 90-day comment period would be acceptable, 
and AGA requested that DOE issue a written response to the comment 
period extension requests. (Spire, No. 247 at p.1; AGA, No. 249 at p.1) 
In general, commenters suggested that the quantity of supplemental 
information supporting the rulemaking analysis warranted additional 
time for review. The National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) suggested 
that DOE's extension from the 30-day comment period in the pre-
publication notice to the 60-day period at publication represented a 
delay, and recommended that DOE not extend the comment period any 
further. (NRDC, SNOPR Public Meeting Transcript, No. 243 at p. 50)
    In view of the requests for an additional comment period extension 
for the September 2016 SNOPR, DOE has determined that a reopening of 
the public comment period and a 45-day extension to January 6, 2017 for 
the September 2016 SNOPR is appropriate. The comment period is reopened 
until January 6, 2017. DOE further notes that any submissions of 
comments or other information submitted between the original comment 
end date and January 6, 2017 will be deemed timely filed.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2016.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2016-29080 Filed 12-2-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P