Department of Energy August 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 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 Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) Chairs. 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.

On January 15, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a direct final rule in the Federal Register that amended the energy conservation standards for small, large, and very large air- cooled commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment and commercial warm air furnaces. This document corrects multiple editorial errors in that final rule.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a document in the Federal Register on August 5, 2016, concerning a notice of proposed rulemaking and announcement of public meeting regarding energy conservation standards for uninterruptible power supplies. 81 FR 52196. The NOPR provided that the public meeting would be held on September 9, 2016. However, due to a scheduling conflict amongst stakeholders, DOE is changing the date of the public meeting to Friday, September 16, 2016, beginning at 9:30 a.m. All other dates, including the date that the comment period closes, remain unchanged.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to amend its Procedural Rules for DOE Nuclear Activities to clarify that the Department may assess civil penalties against certain contractors and subcontractors for violations of the prohibition against retaliating against an employee who reports violations of law, mismanagement, waste, abuse, or dangerous/unsafe workplace conditions, among other protected activities, concerning nuclear safety (referred to as ``whistleblowers''). Specifically, this proposed rule would clarify that the prohibition against whistleblower retaliation is a DOE Nuclear Safety Requirement to the extent that it concerns nuclear safety. The proposed rule would also explain the circumstances under which DOE would investigate alleged violations of this prohibition. The proposed rule would also delineate which DOE regulations are DOE Nuclear Safety Requirements.

The Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on a proposed collection of information that DOE is developing for submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.