[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2359-2361]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-00679]
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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.
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2022 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 2359]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
10 CFR Part 460
[EERE-2009-BT-BC-0021]
RIN 1904-AC11
Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for
Manufactured Housing
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notification and reopening of public comment.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Energy Conservation
Standards for Manufactured Housing (DOE/EIS-0550). DOE prepared this
Draft EIS in support of a rulemaking announced in the supplemental
notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR) proposing amended energy
conservation standards for manufactured housing on August 26, 2021
(August 2021 MH SNOPR). DOE invites interested parties to comment on
how analysis presented in the Draft EIS should inform the final energy
conservation standards for manufactured housing.
DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding how
the Draft EIS should inform DOE's final energy conservation standards
for manufactured housing received no later than February 28, 2022. See
section III, ``Public Participation,'' for details.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments using
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments. Alternatively, interested persons
may submit comments by email to: [email protected]. Any
comments submitted must provide docket number EERE-2009-BT-BC-0021 and/
or regulatory information number (RIN) number 1904-AC11. Submit
electronic comments in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or ASCII file
format, and avoid the use of special characters or any form of
encryption.
Comments submitted in response to this notice are separate from
comments provided as part of the public review of the Draft EIS. See
the EIS website (https://ecs-mh.evs.anl.gov/) for information on that
public comment process.
Although DOE has routinely accepted public comment submissions
through a variety of mechanisms, including postal mail and hand
delivery/courier, the Department has found it necessary to make
temporary modifications to the comment submission process in light of
the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. DOE is currently suspending receipt of
public comments via postal mail and hand delivery/courier for this
rulemaking. If a commenter finds that this change poses an undue
hardship, please contact Appliance Standards Program staff at (202)
586-1445 to discuss the need for alternative arrangements. Once the
Covid-19 pandemic health emergency is resolved, DOE anticipates
resuming all of its regular options for public comment submission,
including postal mail and hand delivery/courier.
No telefacsimilies (faxes) will be accepted. For detailed
instructions on submitting comments and additional information on the
rulemaking process, see section III of this document.
Docket: The docket for this activity, which includes Federal
Register notices, 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, not all
documents listed in the index may be publicly available, such as
information that is exempt from public disclosure.
The docket web page can be found at www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EERE-2009-BT-BC-0021. The docket web page contains
instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments,
in the docket. See section III for information on how to submit
comments through www.regulations.gov.
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; 202-287-1692; [email protected].
Mr. Matthew Ring, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General
Counsel (GC-33), 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585;
202-586-2555; [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Request for Comment on the Rulemaking Proceeding
III. Public Participation
IV. Approval of the Office of the Secretary
I. Background
DOE has proposed amended energy conservation standards for
manufactured housing and is maintaining both a rulemaking proceeding
and an associated NEPA proceeding. In the rulemaking proceeding, DOE
published a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR)
proposing amended energy conservation standards for manufactured
housing on August 26, 2021 (August 2021 MH SNOPR). 86 FR 47744. In the
August 2021 MH SNOPR, DOE's primary proposal was the ``tiered''
approach, based on the 2021 IECC, wherein a subset of the energy
conservation standards would be less stringent for certain manufactured
homes in light of the cost-effectiveness considerations required by
statute. Under the tiered proposal, two sets of standards would be
established in proposed 10 CFR part 460, subpart B (i.e., Tier 1 and
Tier 2).
On October 26, 2021, DOE published a NODA regarding updated inputs
and results of corresponding analyses and invited interested parties to
comment on these analyses. 86 FR 59042 (October 2021 NODA). In
addition, DOE reopened the public comment period on the SNOPR through
November 26, 2021. DOE explained that it would consider the updated
inputs and corresponding analyses, as well as comments on the inputs
and analyses, as part of the rulemaking. In addition, DOE stated it may
further revise the analysis presented in this rulemaking based on any
new or updated information or data it obtains and encouraged
stakeholders to provide any additional data or information that may
inform the analysis.
[[Page 2360]]
In the NEPA proceeding, on July 7, 2021, DOE published a notice of
intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement for energy
conservation standards for manufactured housing, to invite public
comments on the EIS scope, and to conduct public scoping meetings. 86
FR 35773 (July 7, 2021). DOE conducted online meetings July 21 and July
22, 2021, and invited oral comments on the scope of the EIS, with
written comments invited through August 6, 2021. DOE has announced the
availability of, and is seeking comment on, the Draft EIS. More
information is available on the EIS website (https://ecs-mh.evs.anl.gov/).
II. Request for Comment on the Rulemaking Proceeding
DOE is re-opening comment on the rulemaking proceeding to consider
how the Draft EIS should inform the final energy conservation standards
for manufactured housing The Draft EIS analyzes price-based
alternatives based around a $63,000 threshold for manufacturer retail
list price and different wall insulation requirements. It also analyzes
alternatives based on size of the manufactured housing (single sections
and multiple sections with differences in wall insultation
requirements), untiered alternatives with only differences in wall
insultation requirements, and a no action alternative (i.e., no DOE
standard). Stakeholders are encouraged to provide comment on the
alternatives, assumptions, and analyses presented in the Draft EIS
through the EIS process as described on the EIS website (https://ecs-mh.evs.anl.gov/).
Through this document, DOE invites comments in the docket for this
rulemaking specifically on how the analyses and results presented in
the Draft EIS should inform DOE's final rule for energy conservation
standards for manufactured housing.
III. Public Participation
DOE is interested in receiving comments on how aspects of the data
and analysis presented in the Draft EIS and supporting documentation
should inform DOE's final energy conservation standards for
manufactured housing.
Submission of Comments
DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this
document, but no later than the date provided in the DATES section at
the beginning of this document. Interested parties may submit comments,
data, and other information using any of the methods described in the
ADDRESSES section at the beginning of this document.
Submitting comments via www.regulations.gov. The
www.regulations.gov web page will require you to provide your name and
contact information. Your contact information will be viewable to DOE
Building Technologies staff only. Your contact information will not be
publicly viewable except for your first and last names, organization
name (if any), and submitter representative name (if any). If your
comment is not processed properly because of technical difficulties,
DOE will use this information to contact you. If DOE cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, DOE may not be able to consider your comment.
However, your contact information will be publicly viewable if you
include it in the comment itself or in any documents attached to your
comment. Any information that you do not want to be publicly viewable
should not be included in your comment, nor in any document attached to
your comment. Otherwise, persons viewing comments will see only first
and last names, organization names, correspondence containing comments,
and any documents submitted with the comments.
Do not submit to www.regulations.gov information for which
disclosure is restricted by statute, such as trade secrets and
commercial or financial information (hereinafter referred to as
Confidential Business Information (``CBI'')). Comments submitted
through www.regulations.gov cannot be claimed as CBI. Comments received
through the website will waive any CBI claims for the information
submitted. For information on submitting CBI, see the Confidential
Business Information section.
DOE processes submissions made through www.regulations.gov before
posting. Normally, comments will be posted within a few days of being
submitted. However, if large volumes of comments are being processed
simultaneously, your comment may not be viewable for up to several
weeks. Please keep the comment tracking number that www.regulations.gov
provides after you have successfully uploaded your comment.
Submitting comments via email. Comments and documents submitted via
email also will be posted to www.regulations.gov. If you do not want
your personal contact information to be publicly viewable, do not
include it in your comment or any accompanying documents. Instead,
provide your contact information in a cover letter. Include your first
and last names, email address, telephone number, and optional mailing
address. The cover letter will not be publicly viewable as long as it
does not include any comments.
Include contact information each time you submit comments, data,
documents, and other information to DOE. No telefacsimiles (``faxes'')
will be accepted.
Comments, data, and other information submitted to DOE
electronically should be provided in PDF (preferred), Microsoft Word or
Excel, or text (ASCII) file format. Provide documents that are not
secured, that are written in English, and that are free of any defects
or viruses. Documents should not contain special characters or any form
of encryption and, if possible, they should carry the electronic
signature of the author.
Campaign form letters. Please submit campaign form letters by the
originating organization in batches of between 50 to 500 form letters
per PDF or as one form letter with a list of supporters' names compiled
into one or more PDFs. This reduces comment processing and posting
time.
Confidential Business Information. Pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11, any
person submitting information that he or she believes to be
confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via
email two well-marked copies: One copy of the document marked
``confidential'' including all the information believed to be
confidential, and one copy of the document marked ``non-confidential''
with the information believed to be confidential deleted. DOE will make
its own determination about the confidential status of the information
and treat it according to its determination.
It is DOE's policy that all comments may be included in the public
docket, without change and as received, including any personal
information provided in the comments (except information deemed to be
exempt from public disclosure).
IV. Approval of the Office of the Secretary
The Secretary of Energy has approved publication of this notice and
re-opening of comment period.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on January 10,
2022, by Kelly J. Speakes-Backman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, pursuant to delegated
authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with the original
signature and date is
[[Page 2361]]
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 January 11, 2022.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2022-00679 Filed 1-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P