Federal Register, Volume 74 Issue 105 (Wednesday, June 3, 2009)

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 3, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 26596-26597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-12958]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 431

[Docket No. EERE-2008-BT-STD-0013]
RIN 1904-AB83


Energy Conservation Program for Certain Industrial Equipment: 
Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial Heating, Air-Conditioning, 
and Water-Heating Equipment

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

ACTION: Notice of data availability and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is announcing the 
availability of an environmental assessment (EA) to accompany its 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) considering potential energy 
conservation standards for certain commercial and industrial equipment, 
including commercial heating, air-conditioning, and water-heating 
equipment, published in the Federal Register on March 20, 2009. 
Specifically, this EA includes a concise examination of the impacts of 
emission reductions likely to result from the proposed standards for 
commercial packaged boilers and water-cooled and evaporatively-cooled 
commercial package air conditioners and heat pumps with a cooling 
capacity at or above 240,000 Btu/h and less than 760,000 Btu/h. The EA 
has been incorporated as Chapter 8 in the NOPR technical support 
document (TSD). In addition, Chapter 9 of the NOPR TSD provides the 
results of DOE's monetization analysis of these potential emission 
reductions. These materials are available online (see ADDRESSES). DOE 
specifically requests that interested members of the public, Tribes, 
and States comment on the EA.

DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding the 
subject matter of this NODA submitted no later than June 18, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Any comments submitted must identify the NODA for Energy 
Conservation Standards for ASHRAE Products, and provide the docket 
number EERE-2008-BT-STD-0013 and/or Regulatory Information Number

[[Page 26597]]

(RIN) 1904-AB83. Comments may be submitted using any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include the 
docket number EERE-2008-BT-STD-0013 and/or RIN number 1904-AB83 in the 
subject line of the message.
     Postal Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Please submit one 
signed paper original.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., 
Suite 600, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. Please 
submit one signed paper original.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, visit the U.S. Department of Energy, Resource Room 
of the Building Technologies Program, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Suite 
600, Washington, DC 20024, (202) 586-2945, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Please call Ms. Brenda 
Edwards at the above telephone number for additional information about 
visiting the Resource Room.
    The results of DOE's monetization analysis of potential emission 
reductions materials are available online at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/ashrae_products_nopr.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Mohammed Khan, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-7892. E-mail: 
[email protected].
    Mr. Eric Stas, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General 
Counsel, Mailstop GC-72, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-9507. E-mail: 
[email protected].
    For information on how to submit public comments, contact Ms. 
Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency 
and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: 
(202) 586-2945. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 
1975 (EPCA) (42 U.S.C. 6291 et seq.), as amended, directs DOE to 
establish energy conservation standards for certain commercial and 
industrial equipment, including commercial heating, air-conditioning, 
and water-heating equipment. Of particular relevance here, the statute 
also requires that each time the corresponding industry standard--the 
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning 
Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE)/Illuminating Engineering Society of North 
America (IESNA) Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except 
Low-Rise Residential Buildings--is amended, DOE must assess whether 
there is a need to update the uniform national energy conservation 
standards for the same equipment covered under EPCA. ASHRAE officially 
released an amended version of this industry standard (ASHRAE Standard 
90.1-2007) on January 10, 2008, thereby triggering DOE's related 
obligations under EPCA.
    DOE published a NOPR proposing amended energy conservation 
standards for commercial packaged boilers and water-cooled and 
evaporatively-cooled commercial package air conditioners and heat pumps 
with a cooling capacity at or above 240,000 Btu/h and less than 760,000 
Btu/h at the efficiency levels specified by ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007. 
74 FR 12000 (March 20, 2009). DOE outlined its review of ASHRAE 
Standard 90.1-2007 and a determination of scope for the rulemaking in 
the March 2009 NOPR. In addition, the NOPR discussed the analytical 
framework used to evaluate ASHRAE equipment, the analytical models and 
tools that DOE is using to evaluate amended energy conservation 
standards for this equipment, and the results of the various rulemaking 
analyses performed by DOE. Finally, in the NOPR, DOE outlined its 
preliminary conclusions and the proposed standards for these two 
equipment types.
    As noted above, this NODA announces the availability for public 
comment of an environmental assessment of the proposed energy 
conservation standards in the March 20, 2009, NOPR. The EA assesses the 
impacts of the proposed rule pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the regulations of the 
Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and DOE's 
regulations for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(10 CFR part 1021). This EA includes a concise examination of the 
impacts of emission reductions likely to result from the proposed 
standards for commercial packaged boilers and water-cooled and 
evaporatively-cooled commercial package air conditioners and heat pumps 
with a cooling capacity at or above 240,000 Btu/h and less than 760,000 
Btu/h. The EA has been incorporated as Chapter 8 in the NOPR TSD. In 
addition, Chapter 9 of the NOPR TSD provides the results of DOE's 
monetization analysis of these potential emission reductions. These 
materials are available online at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/ashrae_products_nopr.html. 
DOE specifically requests that interested members of the public, 
Tribes, and States comment on the EA.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 29, 2009.
Steven G. Chalk,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy.
[FR Doc. E9-12958 Filed 6-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P