Department of Energy April 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice publishes the Department of Energy's Decision and Order in Case No. CAC-017, which grants a waiver to Sanyo Fisher Company (Sanyo) from the existing Department of Energy (DOE) commercial package air conditioner and heat pump test procedure. The waiver is specific to the Sanyo Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) ECO-i multi-split heat pumps and heat recovery systems. As a condition of this waiver, Sanyo must test and rate its ECO-i VRF multi-split products according to the alternate test procedure set forth in this notice. DOE is denying as moot Sanyo's request for a waiver from the residential central air conditioner and heat pump test procedures, because those test procedures, as amended and currently effective, can be used to test Sanyo's ECO-i VRF multi-split residential products.

This notice publishes the Department of Energy's Decision and Order in Case No. CAC-019, which grants a waiver to Daikin AC (Americas), Inc. (Daikin) from the existing Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure applicable to commercial package central air conditioners and heat pumps. The waiver is specific to the Daikin variable speed and variable refrigerant volume (VRV-III) (commercial) multi-split heat pumps and heat recovery systems. As a condition of this waiver, Daikin must test and rate its VRV-III multi-split products according to the alternate test procedure set forth in this notice.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is announcing that it is amending energy conservation standards pertaining to the cooking efficiency of residential gas kitchen ranges and ovens, because it has determined that such standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified and would result in significant conservation of energy, the three primary statutory criteria for adoption of standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). DOE is not adopting energy conservation standards pertaining to the cooking efficiency of residential electric kitchen ranges and ovens and microwave ovens, because it has determined that such standards would not be technologically feasible and economically justified. At this point, DOE has decided to defer its decision regarding adoption of amended energy conservation standards for the energy efficiency of commercial clothes washers and standby mode and off mode power consumption by microwave ovens, pending further rulemaking. Finally, DOE is not adopting amended standards for dishwashers and dehumidifiers in this rulemaking, because recent amendments to EPCA have already set standards for those products.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), intend to jointly prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed PrairieWinds Project (Project) in South Dakota. Western is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to inform the public and interested parties about the proposed Project, conduct a public scoping process, and invite the public to comment on the scope, proposed action,

On March 16, 2009, NRG Texas Power LLC., as operator of a new base load electric powerplant, submitted a coal capability self- certification to the Department of Energy (DOE) pursuant to section 201(d) of the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978 (FUA), as amended, and DOE regulations in 10 CFR 501.60, 61. Section 201(d) of FUA requires DOE to publish a notice of receipt of self-certifications in the Federal Register.

In compliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(a) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described below.