[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 177 (Friday, September 11, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 56185-56186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19927]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 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.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 177 / Friday, September 11, 2020 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 56185]]



DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 430

[EERE-2020-BT-STD-0001]
RIN 1904-AE86


Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for 
Clothes Washers and Clothes Dryers

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

ACTION: Extension of public comment period; notification of public 
hearing.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is extending the 
public comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking (``NOPR'') 
which DOE proposes to establish separate product classes for top-
loading residential clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers that 
offer cycle times for a normal cycle of less than 30 minutes, and for 
front-loading residential clothes washers that offer cycle times for a 
normal cycle of less than 45 minutes. DOE published the NOPR in the 
Federal Register on August 13, 2020, establishing a public comment 
period that ends on September 14, 2020. In this document, DOE is 
extending the comment period to October 13, 2020 and announcing a 
public hearing on September 30, 2020.

DATES: Comments: The comment period for the NOPR published on August 
13, 2020 (85 FR 49297), is extended. DOE will accept comments, data, 
and information regarding the NOPR received no later than October 13, 
2020.
    Meeting: DOE will hold a webinar on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 
from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. See ``Public Participation,'' for webinar 
registration information, participant instructions, and information 
about the capabilities available to webinar participants. If no 
participants register for the webinar, then it will be cancelled.

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-2020-BT-
STD-0001, 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 the 
docket number EERE-2020-BT-STD-0001 in the subject line of the message.
    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. Telephone: 
(202) 287-1445. 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) 
287-1445. If possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case 
it is not necessary to include printed copies.
    5. 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-2020-BT-STD-0001. The docket web page contains 
instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments 
in the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bryan Berringer, 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) 586-0371. Email: 
[email protected].
    Ms. Elizabeth Kohl, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the 
General Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-7796. Email: 
[email protected].
    For further information on how to submit a comment or review other 
public comments and the docket contact the Appliance and Equipment 
Standards Program staff at (202) 287-1445 or by email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    On August 13, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a 
document in the Federal Register soliciting public comment on a NOPR 
regarding energy conservation standards for clothes washers and clothes 
dryers which DOE proposes to establish separate product classes for 
top-loading residential clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers 
that offer cycle times for a normal cycle of less than 30 minutes, and 
for front-loading residential clothes washers that offer cycle times 
for a normal cycle of less than 45 minutes. 85 FR 49297. Comments were 
originally due by September 14, 2020, though an incorrect reference to 
October 13, 2020 was also included in Section V. of the NOPR. On August 
27, 2020, DOE received a joint comment from Sierra Club, Appliance 
Standards Awareness Project, Consumer Federation of America, and 
Earthjustice asking for clarification of the comment period deadline; 
requesting an extension of the comment period to November 12, 2020; and 
requesting a public hearing (see https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EERE-2020-BT-STD-0001-0003). On September 1, 2020, DOE also 
received a request from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers 
to extend the comment period by 30 days (see https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EERE-2020-BT-STD-0001-0005). DOE has 
reviewed these requests and considered the benefit to stakeholders in 
providing additional time to review the NOPR, and gather information/
data that DOE is seeking. Accordingly, DOE extends the comment period 
until October 13, 2020. In addition, DOE will be holding a webinar on 
September 30, 2020.

[[Page 56186]]

Public Participation

    DOE invites public participation in this process through 
participation in the webinar and submission of written comments and 
information. After the webinar and the closing of the comment period, 
DOE will consider all timely-submitted comments and additional 
information obtained from interested parties, as well as information 
obtained through further analyses.

Participation in the Webinar

    The time and date of the webinar are listed in the DATES section at 
the beginning of this document. If no participants register for the 
webinar, then it will be cancelled.
    Webinar registration information, participant instructions, and 
information about the capabilities available to webinar participants 
will be published on DOE's website: https://cms.doe.gov/eere/buildings/public-meetings-and-comment-deadlines. Participants are responsible for 
ensuring their systems are compatible with the webinar software.
    DOE encourages those who wish to participate in the webinar to 
obtain the NOPR from DOE's website and to be prepared to discuss its 
contents. Once again, a copy of the NOPR is available at: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EERE-2020-BT-STD-0001.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on September 
3, 2020, by Alexander N. Fitzsimmons, Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, pursuant to 
delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with 
the original signature and date is maintained by DOE. For 
administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of 
the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE Federal 
Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit the 
document in electronic format for publication, as an official document 
of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no way 
alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the 
Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on September 3, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020-19927 Filed 9-10-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P