[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19296]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8508]
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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. 75, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 14, 2010 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 19296]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
10 CFR Part 430
[Docket Number: EE-2009-BT-STD-0020; EE-2009-BT-STD-0022]
RIN 1904-AB89; 1904-AC06
Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures and Energy
Conservation Standards for Residential Furnaces and Boilers
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: This document announces an extension of the time periods for
submitting comments on the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking
(SNOPR) to amend the test procedures for furnaces and boilers, and the
energy conservation standards notice of public meeting (NOPM) and
availability of a rulemaking analysis plan (RAP) for furnaces. Both
comment periods are extended to April 27, 2010.
DATES: The comment period for the proposed rules published on March 15,
2010 (75 FR 12144) and April 5, 2010 (75 FR 17075) is extended to April
27, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Any comments submitted must identify the ``SNOPR on Test
Procedures for Residential Furnaces and Boilers'' or ``NOPM for Energy
Conservation Standards for Residential Furnaces'' and provide the
appropriate docket number EE-2009-BT-STD-0020 (SNOPR) or EE-2009-BT-
STD-0022 (NOPM) and/or RIN number 1904-AB89 (SNOPR) or 1904-AC06
(NOPM). Comments may be submitted using any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected] (SNOPR) or [email protected] (NOPM). Include docket number EE-
2009-BT-STD-0020 or EE-2009-BT-STD-0022 and/or RIN 1904-AB89 or 1904-
AC06, as appropriate, in the subject line of the message. Submit
electronic comments in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or ASCII file
format and avoid the use of special characters or any form of
encryption.
Postal Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of
Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202)
586-2945. Please submit one signed original paper copy.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., 6th
Floor, Washington, DC 20024. Please submit one signed original paper
copy.
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., 6th
Floor, 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
regarding visiting the Resource Room.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Mohammed Khan, U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building
Technologies Program, 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, GC-71, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121. Telephone: (202) 586-9507. E-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 15, 2010, the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) published a Federal Register notice announcing the
availability of its RAP for energy conservation standards for
residential furnaces, as well as a public meeting to discuss and
receive comment on the RAP. 75 FR 12144. The NOPM provides for the
submission of comments by April 14, 2010, and comments were also
accepted at a public meeting held on March 31, 2010. On April 5, 2010,
DOE published a SNOPR setting forth an integrated efficiency descriptor
that incorporates standby mode and off mode energy consumption into the
statutorily identified efficiency descriptor, Annual Fuel Utilization
Efficiency (AFUE). 75 FR 17075. The SNOPR provides for the submission
of comments by April 20, 2010. At the public meeting to discuss the
RAP, several commenters asked for an extension of the comment period to
consider these new amendments to the AFUE metric because DOE had
previously stated in the NOPR that DOE was not proposing to integrate
standby and off mode electrical energy use into AFUE, the energy
descriptor specified in EPCA (42 U.S.C. 6291(22)). Commenters pointed
out that the magnitude of the standby and off mode electrical
consumption was small as compared to the fossil fuel energy consumption
currently characterized by the AFUE metric. The commenters requested
additional time to review the relevant statutory provisions within EPCA
and to consider the impacts that integration of standby and off mode
electric energy use into the AFUE metric may have on existing products,
testing, energy efficiencies, and reporting. DOE has determined that an
extension of the public comment period is appropriate based on the
foregoing reasons and is hereby extending the comment period. DOE will
consider any comments received by April 27, 2010, and deems any
comments received between publications of the SNOPR and notice
announcing availability of the RAP, respectively, and April 27, 2010 to
be timely submitted.
Issued in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2010.
Cathy Zoi,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2010-8508 Filed 4-13-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P