[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 206 (Friday, October 23, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 67464-67465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23321]


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 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. 85, No. 206 / Friday, October 23, 2020 / 
Proposed Rules  

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Parts 429 and 431

[EERE-2019-BT-CE-0015]
RIN 1904-AE34


Enforcement for Consumer Products and Commercial and Industrial 
Equipment

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

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

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is extending the 
public comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking (``NOPR'') 
by which DOE proposes to revise its existing enforcement regulations 
for certain consumer products and commercial and industrial equipment 
covered under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, as 
amended. DOE published the NOPR in the Federal Register on August 31, 
2020, establishing a public comment period that ends on October 30, 
2020. In this document, DOE is extending the comment period to December 
30, 2020 and announcing a public hearing on December 8, 2020.

DATES: 
    Comments: The comment period for the NOPR published on August 31, 
2020 (85 FR 53691), is extended. DOE will accept comments, data, and 
information regarding the NOPR received no later than December 30, 
2020.
    Meeting: DOE will hold a webinar on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 from 
12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST. 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-2019-BT-
CE-0015, 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-2019-BT-CE-0015 in the subject line of the message.
    3. Postal Mail: Office of the Assistant General Counsel for 
Enforcement, U.S. Department of Energy, Mailstop GC-32, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 
287-5997. 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: Hand Delivery/Courier: Office of the 
Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Mailstop GC-32, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. 
Telephone: (202) 287-5997. 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-2019-BT-CE-0015. The docket web page contains 
instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments 
in the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Smitha Vemuri, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of the General Counsel, GC-32, 1000 Independence Avenue 
SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-3421. 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 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of 
Energy (DOE) published a document in the Federal Register soliciting 
public comment on a NOPR, which proposes revisions to existing 
enforcement regulations for certain consumer products and commercial 
and industrial equipment covered under the Energy Policy and 
Conservation Act of 1975, as amended. 85 FR 53691. Comments were 
originally due by October 30, 2020. On September 24, 2020, DOE received 
a joint request from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration 
Institute, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, National 
Electric Manufacturers Association, and AMCA International requesting a 
public hearing (see https://beta.regulations.gov/comment/EERE-2019-BT-CE-0015-0002). DOE has reviewed the request and considered the benefit 
to all stakeholders in providing an opportunity to engage in a public 
hearing with DOE. DOE also considered the benefit of providing 
additional time to review the NOPR and gather information/data that DOE 
is seeking. Accordingly, DOE extends the comment period until December 
30, 2020. In addition, DOE will be holding a webinar on December 8, 
2020.

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://

[[Page 67465]]

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-2019-BT-CE-0015.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on October 15, 
2020, by Joseph J. DeSanctis, Deputy General Counsel for Litigation, 
Regulation, and Enforcement, 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 October 16, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020-23321 Filed 10-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P