Department of Energy March 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(a) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described below.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing amendments to its test procedures for fluorescent and incandescent lamps, which lamp manufacturers are required to use to certify compliance with energy conservation standards mandated under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). Specifically, these amendments update the citations and references to the most recent version of the industry standards currently referenced in DOE's test procedures, as well as make a small number of technical modifications. DOE notes that this notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) is being issued concurrently with an energy conservation standards advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANOPR) on general service fluorescent lamps (GSFL) and incandescent reflector lamps (IRL). The energy conservation standards ANOPR starts the process for evaluating the existing standards for certain GSFL and IRL to determine whether higher standard levels would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would result in significant conservation of energy. The ANOPR also discusses whether the scope of standards should be expanded to cover additional GSFL. In addition, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) extended energy conservation standards coverage to general service incandescent lamps (GSIL). Accordingly, this notice also proposes other amendments to DOE's test procedures for fluorescent and incandescent lamps in order to provide appropriate methods to test these additional lamps. DOE intends to use these amendments to the fluorescent lamp test procedure (with modifications possible based upon agency review of public comments), if it adopts standards for the additional lamps.

This notice announces a teleconference of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463; 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these teleconferences be announced in the Federal Register.

ConocoPhillips Company (CoP) has applied for authority to transmit electric energy from the United States to Mexico pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act (FPA).

On October 5, 2007, the Department of Energy (Department or DOE) published in the Federal Register a National Electric Transmission Congestion Report and Order (Report and Order) in the above dockets in which it designated the Mid-Atlantic Area and the Southwest Area National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (National Corridors) (72 FR 56992). Numerous parties in each of the above named dockets filed timely applications for rehearing of DOE's Report and Order. Some parties also requested that the National Corridor designations be stayed. On December 3, 2007, in order to afford additional time for consideration of all of the matters raised in the timely-filed rehearing applications, the Department granted rehearing of DOE's Report and Order in both of the dockets for the limited purpose of further consideration (72 FR 69202, December 7, 2007). As discussed in greater detail in this Order Denying Rehearing (Order), the Department has completed its consideration of the issues raised in the rehearing applications, as well as in the requests for stay, and has concluded that they are without merit. Therefore, the rehearing applications and requests for stay in both dockets are denied.