Department of Energy July 3, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On June 6, 2008, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice of public meeting and availability of the Framework Document to the Federal Register (73 FR 32243) to announce to the public that DOE was beginning its rulemaking activities for residential central air conditioners and heat pumps. The notice of availability of the Framework document announced the closing date for receiving public comments would be July 7, 2008. Meeting attendees collectively requested that the comment period be extended to allow additional time to understand the document and prepare written comments. The Department agrees to this extension of the comment period and will extend the close of the comment period to 4:30 p.m. (EDT) July 31, 2008. The Department does not foresee that this extension will affect the publication due dates for any subsequent documentation associated with this rule or any associated public meetings. The Framework document is written to inform stakeholders and to facilitate explanation of DOE's rulemaking process. It details the analytical approach and identifies several issues on which DOE is particularly interested in receiving comment. The Department of Energy is initiating the rulemaking and data collection process to consider establishing amended energy conservation standards for residential central air conditioners and heat pumps. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on this rulemaking. A copy of the Framework Document is available at: https://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_ standards/residential/central_ac_hp.html.

Section 132 of Public Law 109-103 (2005) authorized and directed the Secretary of the Army to implement alternatives BS-3 and NF-7, as described in the White River Minimum Flows Reallocation Study Report, Arkansas and Missouri, dated July 2004. The law states that the Administrator, Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern), shall determine any impacts on electric energy and capacity generated at Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 2221 caused by the storage reallocation at Bull Shoals Lake. Further, the licensee of Project No. 2221 shall be fully compensated by the Corps of Engineers for those impacts on the basis of the present value of the estimated future lifetime replacement costs of the electrical energy and capacity at the time of implementation of the White River Minimum Flows project. The law also states that losses to the Federal hydropower purpose of the Bull Shoals and Norfork Projects shall be offset by a reduction in the costs allocated to the Federal hydropower purpose. Further, such reduction shall be determined by the Administrator of Southwestern on the basis of the present value of the estimated future lifetime replacement cost of the electrical energy and capacity at the time of implementation of the White River Minimum Flows project. Southwestern's draft determination was published by Federal Register Notice (73 FR 6717) dated February 5, 2008. Written comments were invited through March 6, 2008. All public comments received were considered, and Southwestern's draft determination was revised as necessary to incorporate the public comments. Since there were significant changes to Southwestern's draft determination, due in part to public comments received supporting higher energy values, Southwestern is publishing a proposed determination for public review and comment prior to its final determination. Assuming a January 1, 2011, date of implementation for the White River Minimum Flows project, Southwestern's proposed determination results in a present value for the estimated future lifetime replacement costs of the electrical energy and capacity at FERC Project No. 2221 of $33,935,100. Southwestern's proposed determination results in a present value for the estimated future lifetime replacement costs of the electrical energy and capacity for Federal hydropower of $86,712,100.