[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 160 (Monday, August 19, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42830-42831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17760]


 ========================================================================
 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. 84, No. 160 / Monday, August 19, 2019 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 42830]]



DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Parts 430 and 431

[EERE-2017-BT-STD-0062]
RIN 1904-AD38


Energy Conservation Program: Procedures, Interpretations, and 
Policies for Consideration of New or Revised Energy Conservation 
Standards for Consumer Products

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

ACTION: Notice of re-opening of the public comment period.

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

SUMMARY: On February 13, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') 
published a notice of proposed rulemaking (``NOPR'') to update and 
modernize the Process Rule (``Process Rule NOPR''). On July 26, 2019, 
DOE published a notice of data availability (``NODA'') regarding 
national energy savings estimates from past DOE energy conservation 
standards rulemakings that were used in support of the NOPR and 
requested comments on these data. Prior to the end of the comment 
period for the NODA, DOE received a request from stakeholders on August 
6, 2019, seeking additional time to analyze the NODA's data and to 
supplement their comments accordingly. In light of this request, DOE is 
re-opening the comment period for an additional 21 days and announcing 
that decision in this document.

DATES: The comment period for the NODA published on July 26, 2019 (84 
FR 36037), which closed on August 9, 2019, is hereby reopened and 
extended. Written comments and information will be accepted on or 
before August 30, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments using 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments. Alternatively, interested 
persons may submit comments, identified by docket number EERE-2017-BT-
STD-0062, by any of the following methods:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    2. Email: [email protected]. Include EERE-2017-BT-STD-0062 in 
the subject line of the message.
    3. Postal Mail: Ms. Sofie Miller, U.S. Department of Energy, Office 
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, 
Room 6A-013, Washington, DC 20585. 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: Ms. Sofie Miller, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585. Telephone: (202) 586-
5000. 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.
    Docket: The docket for this activity, which includes Federal 
Register notices, comments, and other supporting documents/materials, 
is available for review at http://www.regulations.gov. All documents in 
the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. However, 
some documents listed in the index, such as those containing 
information that is exempt from public disclosure, may not be publicly 
available.
    The docket web page can be found at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EERE-2017-BT-STD-0062. The docket web page contains 
instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments, 
in the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    Ms. Sofie Miller, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Energy, Office 
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, 
Washington, DC 20585. Telephone: (202) 586-5000. Email: 
[email protected].
    Ms. Francine Pinto, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the 
General Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-7432. Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 13, 2019, DOE published a NOPR 
in the Federal Register that proposed to update and modernize the 
Process Rule (``Process Rule NOPR''). 84 FR 3910. On July 26, 2019, DOE 
published a notice of data availability (``NODA'') regarding national 
energy savings estimates from past DOE energy conservation standards 
rulemakings that were used in support of the NOPR and requested 
comments on these data. 84 FR 36037. The NODA, which presented these 
data uniformly in terms of site energy, sought public input regarding 
these data. DOE developed these data after re-examining its use of 
source and full-fuel-cycle energy savings data in consideration of a 
threshold for significant conservation of energy in order to provide a 
consistent accounting across rulemakings. Because EPCA uses a household 
energy consumption metric as a threshold for setting standards for new 
covered products (42 U.S.C. 6295(l)(1)), DOE believes that site energy 
would be the most appropriate metric for evaluating energy savings 
across rulemakings. As a result, DOE provided national site energy 
savings data from its past rulemakings for public comment to help 
inform DOE's decision regarding whether (and how) to define a threshold 
for significant energy savings. DOE previously noted, and stresses 
again, that the rules reported and the data analyzed in the information 
provided with the NODA are identical to those provided with DOE's 
original proposal and discussed at the public meeting. DOE's restating 
of the results from each examined rulemaking on a site energy basis is 
solely for the purpose of making an ``apples-to-apples'' comparison of 
the results of each rulemaking using the statutorily-required measure 
for setting energy conservation standards. The NODA provided for the 
submission of comments by August 9, 2019.
    On August 6, 2019, DOE received requests from several parties to 
extend the comment period on the proposal. More specifically, 
stakeholders requested additional time to analyze the data and to 
prepare comments.
    Given the importance to DOE of receiving public input on this 
matter, DOE is re-opening the comment period and will consider all 
comments received on or before August 30, 2019.


[[Page 42831]]


    Signed in Washington, DC, on August 12, 2019.
Alexander N. Fitzsimmons,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2019-17760 Filed 8-16-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P