Department of Energy March 13, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of the availability of the draft Wave Energy Prize competition Rules and Terms and Conditions and requests public comment on the Rules and Terms and Conditions. The prize is designed to achieve game-changing performance enhancements to wave energy conversion (WEC) devices, establishing a pathway to sweeping cost reductions on a commercial scale. The prize consists of three phasesdesign, build, and test and evaluation. Prize purses to the winner(s): Grand Prize ($1,500,000), 2nd Place Finisher ($500,000), and 3rd Place Finisher ($250,000).

The Commission is amending the CFR regulations which specify the roles available to the public at the Commission's open meetings. This rule utilizes language from the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) open meeting regulation, and the Rural Telephone Bank's open meeting regulation, to clarify that the term ``observe'' does not include disruptive behavior. The rule also uses language from the FCC's open meeting regulation to clarify that communications made or presented by unscheduled presenters will not be considered by the Commission. Finally, the rule uses language similar to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's open meeting regulation, to clarify that members of the public may use electronic audio and visual equipment to record open meetings in a non-disruptive manner. The rule imposes no new obligations on the public.