[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28339-28340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11071]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0033; FRL-10023-63-OAR]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Information Collection Activities Associated With EPA's ENERGY 
STAR[supreg] Product Labeling (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), ``EPA's ENERGY STAR 
Product Labeling'' (EPA ICR No. 2078.07, OMB Control No. 2060-0528), to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is 
soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed 
information collection as described below. This is a proposed extension 
of the ICR, which is currently approved through January 31, 2022. An 
Agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to 
respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 26, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2003-0033, online using www.regulation.gov (our preferred method), by 
email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Kwon, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Air and Radiation, Mailcode 6202A, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-8538; fax number: 202-343-2200 
email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of 
the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of

[[Page 28340]]

responses. EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal 
Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program developed in 
collaboration with industry to create a self-sustaining market for 
energy efficient products. The center piece of the program is the 
ENERGY STAR label, a registered certification label that helps 
consumers identify products that save energy, save money, and help 
protect the environment without sacrificing quality or performance. In 
order to protect the integrity of the label and enhance its 
effectiveness in the marketplace, EPA must ensure that products 
carrying the label meet appropriate program requirements.
    Program participants submit signed Partnership Agreements 
indicating that they will adhere to logo-use guidelines and program 
requirements. Retail partners commit to selling, marketing and 
promoting ENERGY STAR certified products. Product brand owner partners, 
who are usually the manufacturer of the products, commit to having 
participating products certified to meet specified energy performance 
criteria based on a standard test method and EPA's third-party 
certification requirements. These requirements for ENERGY STAR product 
certification also include provisions for verifying the performance of 
certified products through verification testing. The program's emphasis 
on testing and third-party product review ensures that consumers can 
trust ENERGY STAR certified products to deliver the energy savings 
promised by the label. In rare circumstances where product brand 
licensee's wish to partner with EPA, the Agency establishes the 
appropriate contacts and relationships for the brand owner and licensee 
through a joint brand owner and licensee template that both parties are 
required to sign.
    As part of the Agency's contribution to the overall success of the 
program, EPA facilitates the sale of certified products by providing 
consumers with easy-to-use information about the products. To perform 
this function, EPA must obtain data on certified products. Prior to EPA 
adopting a third-party certification process, product brand owners were 
required to submit individual product information directly to the 
Agency. Since 2011, product information has been recorded by 
Certification Bodies and shared with EPA using XML-based web services 
that validate and save the information in EPA's database. EPA believes 
the improved process of submission has reduced the burden time for 
Partners and the Agency by taking advantage of the infrastructure in 
place for certifying products. With the automated process of obtaining 
certified product data, certified model data is automatically updated 
daily on the ENERGY STAR website. To ensure that products are certified 
properly, the certification process also includes requirements for 
Certification Bodies to report to EPA products that were reviewed, but 
not eligible for certification. To ensure continued product performance 
after initial certification, EPA requires Certification Bodies to 
conduct post-market verification testing of a sampling of ENERGY STAR 
certified products. Certification Bodies are required to share 
information with EPA on products subjected to this post-market testing 
twice a year and to immediately report any certified products that no 
longer meet the program requirements. This process allows EPA to 
monitor the ongoing performance of products and take necessary steps to 
maintain consumer confidence in the ENERGY STAR label and protect the 
investment of partners.
    In order to monitor progress and support the best allocation of 
resources, EPA also asks manufacturers to submit annual shipment data 
for their ENERGY STAR qualifying products. EPA is flexible as to the 
methods by which manufacturers may submit unit shipment data. For 
example, many manufacturers are given the option of arranging for 
shipment data to be sent to EPA via a third party to ensure 
confidentiality. In using any shipment data received directly from a 
partner, EPA only shares aggregate information from multiple partners 
so as to protect confidentiality.
    Finally, Partners that wish to receive recognition for their 
efforts in ENERGY STAR may submit an application for the Partner of the 
Year Award.
    Form Numbers: 5900-252, 5900-251, 5900-33, 5900-253, 5900-168, 
5900-206, 5900-207, 5900-28, 5900-208, 5900-210, 5900-228, 5900-234, 
5900-229, 5900-235, 5900-47, 5900-349, 5900-350, 5900-351, 5900-348, 
5900-35, 5900-36, 5900-37, 5900-38, 5900-39, 5900-41, 5900-42, 5900-43, 
5900-44, 5900-48, 5900-49, 5900-50, 5900-51, 5900-53, 5900-54, 5900-55, 
5900-56, 5900-57, 5900-58, 5900-230, 5900-224, 5900-227, 5900-166, 
5900-165, 5900-164, 5900-226, 5900-163, 5900-34, 5900-216, 5900-217, 
5900-218, 5900-388, 5900-254, 5900-255, 5900-415, 5900-416, 5900-417, 
5900-438, 5900-439, 5900-440, 5900-501.
    Respondents/affected entities: Respondents for this information 
collection request include Partners in ENERGY STAR.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 2,732.
    Frequency of response: Initially/one-time, on occasion, semi-
annually, and annually.
    Estimated total annual hour burden: 40,391 hours (per year). Burden 
is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Estimated total annual cost: $2,531,810 (per year), includes $0 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the estimates: The burden estimates presented in this 
notice are from the last approval. EPA is currently evaluating and 
updating these estimates as part of the ICR renewal process. EPA will 
discuss its updated estimates, as well as changes from the last 
approval, in the next Federal Register notice to be issued for this 
renewal.

Carolyn Snyder,
Director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division.
[FR Doc. 2021-11071 Filed 5-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P