Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Battery Chargers; Extension of Comment Period, 890-891 [2021-28542]

Download as PDF 890 Proposed Rules Federal Register Vol. 87, No. 5 Friday, January 7, 2022 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. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 10 CFR Parts 429 and 430 [EERE–2020–BT–TP–0012] RIN 1904–AE49 Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Battery Chargers; Extension of Comment Period Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of public comment period. AGENCY: On November 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (‘‘DOE’’) published a notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment proposing to amend the test procedures for battery chargers to improve test procedure representativeness. The document provided a comment period deadline for submitting written comments, data, and information by January 24, 2022. DOE received a joint request from interested parties seeking a 30-day extension of the public comment period. DOE has reviewed this request and is granting an extension of the public comment period for 14 days to allow public comments to be submitted until February 7, 2022. DATES: The comment period for the proposal published on November 23, 2021 (86 FR 66878) is extended. DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this proposal that are received no later than February 7, 2022. SUMMARY: 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, identified by docket number EERE–2020–BT–TP–0012, by any of the following methods: 1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. tkelley on DSK125TN23PROD with PROPOSED RULES ADDRESSES: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:35 Jan 06, 2022 Jkt 256001 2. Email to: BatteryChargers2020TP0012@ ee.doe.gov. Include docket number EERE–2020–BT–TP–0012 in the subject line of the message. No telefacsimilies (‘‘faxes’’) will be accepted. 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 accepting only electronic submissions at this time. 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. 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, some documents listed in the index, such as those containing information that is exempt from public disclosure, may not be publicly available. The docket web page can be found at: www.regulations.gov/docket/EERE2020-BT-TP-0012. The docket web page contains instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments, in the docket. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jeremy Dommu, 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: (202) 586– 9870. Email: ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ ee.doe.gov. Mr. Michael Kido, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, GC–33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585–0121. Telephone: (202) 586–8145. Email: michael.kido@hq.doe.gov. PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 For further information on how to submit a comment or review other public comments and the docket contact the Appliance and Equipment Standards Program staff at (202) 287– 1445 or by email: ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ ee.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (‘‘DOE’’) published a notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment proposing to amend the test procedures for battery chargers to improve test procedure representativeness. 86 FR 66878. The proposal would: Establish a new appendix Y1 that would expand coverage of inductive wireless battery chargers and establish associated definitions and test provisions; establish a new test procedure approach that relies on separate metrics for active mode, stand-by, and off-mode (consequently removing the battery charger usage profiles and unit energy consumption calculation); and update the wall adapter selection criteria. DOE also proposed changes to appendix Y to reorganize two subsections, to clarify symbology and references, to correct an incorrect cross reference and section title, to update the list of battery chemistries, and to terminate an existing test procedure waiver because the covered subject models have been discontinued. DOE further proposed to mirror these changes in the newly proposed appendix Y1. DOE is seeking comment from interested parties on the proposals. The document provided an opportunity for submitting written comments, data, and information by January 24, 2022. On December 16, 2021, DOE received a joint request from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, Consumer Technology Association, Information Technology Industry Council, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, Plumbing Manufacturers Institute, and Power Tool Institute requesting a 30-day extension of the period comment period. These joint requesters noted that the comment period occurred during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years holidays and because of vacation schedules, it has been difficult to gather members for meetings to review the proposal and develop meaningful E:\FR\FM\07JAP1.SGM 07JAP1 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 5 / Friday, January 7, 2022 / Proposed Rules comment. The joint request also noted that additional time is needed to fully evaluate the significant and complex changes, including new metrics, being proposed and that the statutory deadline for battery chargers is not in danger of being missed. (Joint Requesters, No. 17 at p. 1).1 DOE has reviewed the request from these interested parties and has decided to extend the comment period to allow additional time for interested parties to submit comments. DOE has determined that an extension of 14 days is sufficient for this stage of the rulemaking. Therefore, DOE is extending the comment period until February 7, 2022. Signing Authority This document of the Department of Energy was signed on December 28, 2021, by Kelly 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 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 December 30, 2021. Treena V. Garrett, Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy. [FR Doc. 2021–28542 Filed 1–6–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 1120 [CPSC Docket No. CPSC–2021–0038] tkelley on DSK125TN23PROD with PROPOSED RULES Substantial Product Hazard List: Window Covering Cords Consumer Product Safety Commission. AGENCY: 1 The parenthetical reference provides a reference to the comment extension request in DOE’s rulemaking docket. (Docket No. EERE–2020–BT– TP–0012, which is maintained at www.regulations.gov/comment/EERE-2020-BT-TP0012-0017). The references are arranged as follows: (Commenter name, comment docket ID number, page of that document). VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:35 Jan 06, 2022 Jkt 256001 ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. To address the risk of strangulation to young children associated with certain window covering cords, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is proposing a rule to deem that one or more of the following readily observable characteristics of window coverings present a substantial product hazard (SPH) under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA): The presence of hazardous operating cords on stock window coverings, the presence of hazardous inner cords on stock and custom window coverings, or the absence of a manufacturer label on stock and custom window coverings. The proposed rule would amend the Substantial Product Hazard List, which lists products that the Commission has determined present an SPH if the products have or lack specified characteristics that are readily observable, the hazards have been addressed by a voluntary standard, the voluntary standard has been effective in reducing the risk of injury associated with the product, and the products substantially comply with the voluntary standard. DATES: Written comments must be received by March 23, 2022. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC–2021– 0038, by any of the following methods: Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. CPSC typically does not accept comments submitted by electronic mail (email), except through https:// www.regulations.gov. CPSC encourages you to submit electronic comments by using the Federal eRulemaking Portal, as described above. Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier Written Submissions: Submit comments by mail/hand delivery/courier to: Division of the Secretariat, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone: (301) 504–7479. Alternatively, as a temporary option during the COVID–19 pandemic, you can email such submissions to: cpsc-os@ cpsc.gov. Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and docket number for this notice. CPSC may post all comments without change, including any personal identifiers, contact information, or other personal information provided, to: https:// www.regulations.gov. Do not submit electronically: Confidential business SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 891 information, trade secret information, or other sensitive or protected information that you do not want to be available to the public. If you wish to submit such information, please submit it according to the instructions for mail/hand delivery/courier written submissions. Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to: https:// www.regulations.gov, and insert the docket number, CPSC–2021–0038, into the ‘‘Search’’ box, and follow the prompts. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rana Balci-Sinha, Director, Division of Human Factors, Directorate for Engineering Sciences, Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction, Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Product Testing and Evaluation Center, 5 Research Place, Rockville, MD 20850; telephone: 301–987–2584; rbalcisinha@ cpsc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction A. Overview of the Proposed Rule The purpose of the proposed rule is to address the risk of strangulation to children 8 years old and younger associated with hazardous cords on window coverings.1 The Commission issues this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) under section 15(j) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(j), to amend the substantial product hazard list in 16 CFR part 1120 (part 1120). The NPR proposes to deem the presence of hazardous window covering cords on stock and custom window coverings, which have been adequately addressed by the voluntary standard for window coverings, ANSI/WCMA A100.1–2018, American National Standard for Safety of Corded Window Covering Products (ANSI/WCMA–2018), as an SPH, as defined in section 15(a)(2) of the CPSA. This NPR is based on information and analysis contained in CPSC staff’s September 29, 2021, Staff Briefing Package: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Corded Window Coverings (Staff’s NPR Briefing Package), available at: https:// www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/NPRs-AddWindow-Covering-Cords-to-SubstantialProduct-Hazard-List-Establish-SafetyStandard-for-Operating-Cords-onCustom-Window-Coverings-updated-1029-2021.pdf?VersionId=HIM05bK 3WDLRZrlNGogQLknhFvhtx3PD. 1 On December 14, 2021, the Commission voted 4–0 to issue this notice of proposed rulemaking. Commissioner Feldman issued a statement in connection with his vote. E:\FR\FM\07JAP1.SGM 07JAP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 5 (Friday, January 7, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 890-891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28542]


========================================================================
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.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 5 / Friday, January 7, 2022 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 890]]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Parts 429 and 430

[EERE-2020-BT-TP-0012]
RIN 1904-AE49


Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Battery 
Chargers; Extension of Comment Period

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of public comment 
period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On November 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') 
published a notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment 
proposing to amend the test procedures for battery chargers to improve 
test procedure representativeness. The document provided a comment 
period deadline for submitting written comments, data, and information 
by January 24, 2022. DOE received a joint request from interested 
parties seeking a 30-day extension of the public comment period. DOE 
has reviewed this request and is granting an extension of the public 
comment period for 14 days to allow public comments to be submitted 
until February 7, 2022.

DATES: The comment period for the proposal published on November 23, 
2021 (86 FR 66878) is extended. DOE will accept comments, data, and 
information regarding this proposal that are received no later than 
February 7, 2022.

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, identified by docket number EERE-2020-BT-TP-0012, 
by any of the following methods:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    2. Email to: [email protected]. Include docket 
number EERE-2020-BT-TP-0012 in the subject line of the message.
    No telefacsimilies (``faxes'') will be accepted.
    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 accepting only 
electronic submissions at this time. 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.
    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, some 
documents listed in the index, such as those containing information 
that is exempt from public disclosure, may not be publicly available.
    The docket web page can be found at: www.regulations.gov/docket/EERE-2020-BT-TP-0012. The docket web page contains instructions on how 
to access all documents, including public comments, in the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    Mr. Jeremy Dommu, 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: 
(202) 586-9870. Email: [email protected].
    Mr. Michael Kido, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General 
Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. 
Telephone: (202) 586-8145. Email: [email protected].
    For further information on how to submit a comment or review other 
public comments and the docket contact the Appliance and Equipment 
Standards Program staff at (202) 287-1445 or by email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of 
Energy (``DOE'') published a notice of proposed rulemaking and request 
for comment proposing to amend the test procedures for battery chargers 
to improve test procedure representativeness. 86 FR 66878. The proposal 
would: Establish a new appendix Y1 that would expand coverage of 
inductive wireless battery chargers and establish associated 
definitions and test provisions; establish a new test procedure 
approach that relies on separate metrics for active mode, stand-by, and 
off-mode (consequently removing the battery charger usage profiles and 
unit energy consumption calculation); and update the wall adapter 
selection criteria. DOE also proposed changes to appendix Y to 
reorganize two subsections, to clarify symbology and references, to 
correct an incorrect cross reference and section title, to update the 
list of battery chemistries, and to terminate an existing test 
procedure waiver because the covered subject models have been 
discontinued. DOE further proposed to mirror these changes in the newly 
proposed appendix Y1. DOE is seeking comment from interested parties on 
the proposals. The document provided an opportunity for submitting 
written comments, data, and information by January 24, 2022.
    On December 16, 2021, DOE received a joint request from the 
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, Consumer Technology 
Association, Information Technology Industry Council, National 
Electrical Manufacturers Association, Outdoor Power Equipment 
Institute, Plumbing Manufacturers Institute, and Power Tool Institute 
requesting a 30-day extension of the period comment period. These joint 
requesters noted that the comment period occurred during the 
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years holidays and because of vacation 
schedules, it has been difficult to gather members for meetings to 
review the proposal and develop meaningful

[[Page 891]]

comment. The joint request also noted that additional time is needed to 
fully evaluate the significant and complex changes, including new 
metrics, being proposed and that the statutory deadline for battery 
chargers is not in danger of being missed. (Joint Requesters, No. 17 at 
p. 1).\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The parenthetical reference provides a reference to the 
comment extension request in DOE's rulemaking docket. (Docket No. 
EERE-2020-BT-TP-0012, which is maintained at www.regulations.gov/comment/EERE-2020-BT-TP-0012-0017). The references are arranged as 
follows: (Commenter name, comment docket ID number, page of that 
document).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOE has reviewed the request from these interested parties and has 
decided to extend the comment period to allow additional time for 
interested parties to submit comments. DOE has determined that an 
extension of 14 days is sufficient for this stage of the rulemaking. 
Therefore, DOE is extending the comment period until February 7, 2022.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on December 
28, 2021, by Kelly 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 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 December 30, 2021.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2021-28542 Filed 1-6-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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