Department of Energy May 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the requirements and burden \1\ of the information collections described below.

This notice announces a meeting of the Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee (NEAC). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 94-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its decision to continue management of the Uranium Leasing Program (ULP) for 31 lease tracts for the next 10 years, consistent with DOE's preferred alternative identified in the Final Uranium Leasing Program Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final ULP PEIS) (DOE/EIS- 0472). DOE prepared the Final ULP PEIS to evaluate the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts, including the site-specific impacts, of the range of reasonable alternatives for the management of the ULP. Under the ULP, DOE administers 31 tracts of land covering an aggregate of approximately 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) in Mesa, Montrose, and San Miguel Counties in western Colorado for exploration, mine development and operations, and reclamation of uranium mines. There are currently 29 tracts that have been leased; the two other tracts have not been leased. Analyses in the Final ULP PEIS were based on site-specific information available on the 31 lease tracts (including current lessee information and status, size of each lease tract, previous mining operations that occurred, location of existing permitted mines and associated structures, and other environmental information) and additional information on uranium mining from other references and cooperating agency input. As plans for exploration, mine development and operation, or reclamation are submitted by the lessees to DOE for approval, further National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses will be prepared for each plan and will be tiered from the analyses contained in the Final ULP PEIS. ``The 31 leases currently in existence'' under the ULP are stayed by an Order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado (Colorado Environmental Coalition v. DOE, 819 F. Supp. 2d 1193, 1224 (D. Colo. 2011)). The Court also enjoined DOE from issuing any new leases and from approving any activities on lands governed by the ULP. The Court also ordered that after DOE conducts an environmental analysis that complies with NEPA, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), all other governing statutes and regulations, and the Court's Order, DOE could then request a dissolution of the injunction. The Court later amended its injunction to allow DOE, other Federal, state, or local governmental agencies, and/or the ULP lessees to conduct only those activities on ULP lands that are absolutely necessary. DOE will implement this ROD only after the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has dissolved the injunction that it issued on October 18, 2011. DOE has complied with Executive Order (E.O.) 13175, Section 7 of the ESA, and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) by completing its consultations with tribal governments, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and with tribes, government agencies, and local historical groups.

This document announces an open teleconference/webinar of the Commercial and Industrial Pumps Working Group (Pumps Working Group). The purpose of the Pumps Working Group is to discuss and, if possible, reach consensus on a proposed rule for the energy efficiency of commercial and industrial pumps, as authorized by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, as amended.

In a notice of proposed determination (NOPD) published on July 5, 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) tentatively determined that portable air conditioners (ACs) qualify as a covered product under Part B of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended. To assist in a final determination and to consider approaches for a future DOE test procedure for these products, should DOE determine that portable ACs are covered products, DOE conducted investigative testing to evaluate industry test procedures that could be used to measure cooling capacity and energy use for portable ACs. In today's notice, DOE discusses various industry test procedures and presents results from its investigative testing that evaluated existing methodologies and alternate approaches adapted from these methodologies for portable ACs. DOE requests comment and additional information regarding the testing and results presented in this NODA. DOE also encourages interested parties to provide comment on any alternate approaches for testing portable ACs and information that may improve the analysis.

In this final rule, DOE amends portions of its regulations governing petitions for waiver and interim waiver from DOE test procedures to restore, with minor amendments, text inadvertently omitted in the March 7, 2011 certification, compliance, and enforcement final rule. Additionally, the rule adopts a process by which other manufacturers of a product employing a specific technology or characteristic, for which DOE has granted a waiver to another manufacturer for a product employing that particular technology, would be required to petition for a waiver. The rule also sets forth a process for manufacturers to request rescission or modification of a waiver if they determine that the waiver is no longer needed, or for other appropriate reasons; adopts other minor modifications to the waiver provisions for both consumer products and industrial equipment; and clarifies certain aspects related to the submission and processing of a waiver petition.

This notice pertains to Form EIA-877, ``Winter Heating Fuels Telephone Survey,'' which is part of EIA's Petroleum Marketing Program. EIA is proposing to expand the number of states that participate in the State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP) using Form EIA-877. No changes are proposed for the remaining survey forms within this collection. The following forms comprise the Petroleum Marketing collection:

This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.