[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 33 (Thursday, February 20, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 9951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02852]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents
having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed
to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published
under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents.
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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 33 / Thursday, February 20, 2025 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 9951]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
10 CFR Part 430
[EERE-2017-BT-STD-0019]
RIN 1904-AF65
Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for
Consumer Gas-Fired Instantaneous Water Heaters
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Final rule; delay of effective date.
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SUMMARY: This document delays the effective date of a recently
published final rule amending the energy conservation standards for
gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. DOE also seeks comment on any
further delay of the effective date, including the impacts of such
delay, as well as comment on the legal, factual, or policy issues
raised by the rule.
DATES: The effective date of the rule amending 10 CFR part 430
published at 89 FR 105188 on December 26, 2024, is delayed until March
21, 2025. Written comments and information will be accepted on or
before March 13, 2025.
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: ApplianceStandards [email protected].
Mr. Uchechukwu ``Emeka'' Eze, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of
the General Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC
20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-4798. Email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued
the ``Regulatory Freeze Pending Review'' memorandum, published in the
Federal Register on January 28, 2025 (90 FR 8249). This presidential
action ordered all executive departments and agencies to consider
postponing for 60 days the effective date of certain rules published in
the Federal Register for the purpose of reviewing any questions of
fact, law, and policy that the rules may raise. Additionally, executive
departments and agencies were to consider opening a comment period to
allow interested parties to provide comments about issues of fact, law,
and policy raised by the rules postponed under the memorandum.
In implementation of one of the measures directed by that
memorandum, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) hereby
temporarily postpones the effective date of its final rule amending the
energy conservation standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters
published in the Federal Register on December 26, 2024 (89 FR 105188).
The December 26, 2024, rule amended the energy conservation standards
for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters to: (1) increase the minimum
efficiency level for certain product classes (products with effective
storage volumes less than 2 gallons and input ratings greater than
50,000 Btu/h); and (2) change the rating metric (without increasing
stringency levels) for other product classes.
Consistent with the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025,
DOE is temporarily postponing the effective date of the final rule to
March 21, 2025, and opening a comment period to consider the impacts of
any subsequent delays, as well as comment on the legal, factual, or
policy issues raised by the subject rule. The temporary delay in
effective date is necessary to give DOE officials the opportunity for
further review and consideration of new regulations, consistent with
the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025.
To the extent that 5 U.S.C. 553 applies to this action, it is
exempt from notice and comment because it constitutes a rule of
procedure under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A) for which no notice or hearing is
required by statute. The delay of the effective date to March 21, 2025,
does not affect the compliance date for this rule, which remains
December 26, 2029. DOE is, however, seeking comment on any further
delay of the effective date, including the impacts of such delay, as
well as comment on the legal, factual, or policy issues raised by the
rule.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on February
13, 2025, by Jocelyn Richards, Acting General Counsel, Office of the
General Counsel, 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 February 14, 2025.
Jennifer Hartzell,
Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2025-02852 Filed 2-19-25; 8:45 am]
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