[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 168 (Thursday, August 31, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 60152-60153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18850]
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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. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 60152]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
10 CFR Part 430
[EERE-2019-BT-STD-0036]
RIN 1904-AE82
Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for
Consumer Boilers
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notification of public meeting and webinar.
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SUMMARY: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended (EPCA),
prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products
and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including consumer
boilers. DOE previously proposed amended energy conservation standards
for consumer boilers in a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR)
published in the Federal Register on August 14, 2023, which also
announced a public meeting via webinar to receive input on these
proposed standards and associated analyses and results. On August 15,
2023, DOE received a letter from the Air-Conditioning, Heating &
Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) asking the Department to extend the NOPR
comment period by 30 days and also to hold an in-person public meeting
regarding the NOPR. In this document, DOE grants AHRI's request for an
in-person meeting and announces that the public meeting will now be
held in person, in addition to being broadcast as a webinar. DOE is
denying AHRI's request for a comment period extension for the reasons
explained in this document.
DATES: Meeting: DOE will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, September
12, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Arlington, VA. This meeting will
also be broadcast as a webinar.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at 1000 Wilson Boulevard,
Suite 1400, Arlington, VA 22209. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
(Public Participation) section for further details, including
procedures for attending the in-person meeting, webinar registration
information, participant instructions, and information about the
capabilities available to webinar participants.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Julia Hegarty, 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:
(240) 597-6737. Email: [email protected].
Mr. Eric Stas, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General
Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121.
Telephone: (202) 586-5827. Email: [email protected].
For further information on how to participate in the public
meeting, contact the Appliance and Equipment Standards Program staff at
(202) 287-1445 or by email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 14, 2023, DOE published a NOPR in
the Federal Register titled ``Energy Conservation Standards for
Consumer Boilers,'' which seeks to determine whether more-stringent
standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified
and would result in significant energy savings. 88 FR 55128. That
document, which proposes amended energy conservation standards for
consumer boilers, provides a 60-day public comment period ending on
October 13, 2023. The NOPR also scheduled a public meeting webinar to
discuss the consumer boilers NOPR and to receive input on these
proposed standards and associated analyses and results from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
On August 15, 2023, DOE received a letter \1\ from AHRI asking the
Department to extend the Consumer Boilers energy conservation standards
NOPR comment period by 30 days and also to hold an in-person public
meeting regarding the NOPR. AHRI stated that their members need
additional time to consider and collect data on this topic.
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\1\ See Docket No. EERE-2019-BT-STD-0036, which is available at
www.regulations.gov.
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After carefully considering AHRI's requests, the Department has
decided to grant the request for an in-person public meeting at the
date and time previously scheduled in the August 14, 2023 Consumer
Boilers NOPR. Consequently, DOE will be hosting an in-person public
meeting in addition to the webinar. Please note that attendance will be
limited for the in-person public meeting do to room size capacity
limits.
DOE has decided to deny AHRI's request for a comment period
extension. The Department continues to believe that the comment period
length is appropriate and provides a meaningful opportunity for
interested parties to comment on the NOPR. It is noted that DOE also
posted a pre-publication copy of the NOPR on the DOE website and
notified stakeholder organizations of its availability via email on
July 28, 2023, which provided many stakeholders with another 17 days of
review in addition to the 60-day comment period.
Public Participation
Participation in the Public Meeting and Webinar
The time, date and location of the public meeting are listed in the
DATES and ADDRESSES sections of this document. If you plan to attend
the public meeting, you must notify the Appliance and Equipment
Standards Program staff no later than September 8, 2023, either by
phone at (202) 287-1445 or by email:
[email protected]. Please note advance
registration is required and capacity in the meeting room will be
limited.
Please note that foreign nationals participating in the public
meeting are subject to advance security screening procedures which
require advance notice prior to attendance at the public meeting. If a
foreign national wishes to participate in the public meeting, please
inform DOE as soon as possible by contacting Ms. Regina Washington at
(202) 586-1214 or by email: [email protected] so that the
necessary procedures can be completed.
DOE requires visitors to have laptops and other devices, such as
tablets, checked upon entry into the building. Any person wishing to
bring these devices into the Forrestal Building will
[[Page 60153]]
be required to obtain a property pass. Visitors should avoid bringing
these devices, or allow an extra 45 minutes to check in. Please report
to the visitor's desk to have devices checked before proceeding through
security.
Due to the REAL ID Act implemented by the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS), there have been recent changes regarding ID
requirements for individuals wishing to enter Federal buildings from
specific States and U.S. territories. DHS maintains an updated website
identifying the State and territory driver's licenses that currently
are acceptable for entry into DOE facilities at www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief. A driver's license from a State or territory
identified as not compliant by DHS will not be accepted for building
entry and one of the alternate forms of ID listed below will be
required. Acceptable alternate forms of Photo-ID include U.S. Passport
or Passport Card; an Enhanced Driver's License or Enhanced ID-Card
issued by States and territories as identified on the DHS website
(Enhanced licenses issued by these States and territories are clearly
marked Enhanced or Enhanced Driver's License); a military ID or other
Federal government-issued Photo-ID card.
In addition, you can attend the public meeting via webinar. Webinar
registration information, participant instructions, and information
about the capabilities available to webinar participants will be
published on DOE's website: www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/public-meetings-and-comment-deadlines. Participants are responsible for
ensuring their systems are compatible with the webinar software.
Procedure for Submitting Prepared General Statements for Distribution
Any person who has plans to present a prepared general statement
may request that copies of his or her statement be made available at
the public meeting. Such persons may submit requests, along with an
advance electronic copy of their statement in PDF (preferred),
Microsoft Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or text (ASCII) file format, to
the appropriate address shown in the ADDRESSES section at the beginning
of this document. The request and advance copy of statements must be
received at least one week before the public meeting and are to be
emailed. Please include a telephone number to enable DOE staff to make
follow-up contact, if needed.
Conduct of the Public Meeting
DOE will designate a DOE official to preside at the public meeting
and may also use a professional facilitator to aid discussion. The
meeting will not be a judicial or evidentiary-type public hearing, but
DOE will conduct it in accordance with section 336 of EPCA (42 U.S.C.
6306). A court reporter will be present to record the proceedings and
prepare a transcript. DOE reserves the right to schedule the order of
presentations and to establish the procedures governing the conduct of
the webinar/public meeting. There shall not be discussion of
proprietary information, costs or prices, market share, or other
commercial matters regulated by U.S. anti-trust laws. After the webinar
and until the end of the comment period, interested parties may submit
further comments on the proceedings and any aspect of the proposed
rulemaking.
The webinar will be conducted in an informal, conference style. DOE
will present a general overview of the topics addressed in this
proposed rulemaking, allow time for prepared general statements by
participants, and encourage all interested parties to share their views
on issues affecting this proposed rulemaking. Each participant will be
allowed to make a general statement (within time limits determined by
DOE), before the discussion of specific topics. DOE will permit, as
time permits, other participants to comment briefly on any general
statements.
At the end of all prepared statements on a topic, DOE will permit
participants to clarify their statements briefly. Participants should
be prepared to answer questions by DOE and by other participants
concerning these issues. DOE representatives may also ask questions of
participants concerning other matters relevant to this proposed
rulemaking. The official conducting the webinar will accept additional
comments or questions from those attending, as time permits. The
presiding official will announce any further procedural rules or
modification of the above procedures that may be needed for the proper
conduct of the public meeting.
A transcript of the public meeting will be included in the docket,
which can be viewed as described in the Docket section at the beginning
of the August 14, 2023 NOPR. In addition, any person may buy a copy of
the transcript from the transcribing reporter.
Approval of the Office of the Secretary
The Secretary of Energy has approved publication of this
notification of public meeting and webinar.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on August 28,
2023, by Francisco Alejandro Moreno, Acting 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 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 August 28, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-18850 Filed 8-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P