Department of Energy 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance a proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed collection will gather opinions of experts in industry and other organizations regarding the impact on the development and diffusion of energy-efficient technologies and techniques in the construction of residential buildings of DOE/EERE Building Technologies Office (BTO) investments. Expert opinions are necessary to characterize expected patterns of technology development and diffusion in the absence of DOE investments, and so (by comparing these expectations with actual observations) estimate the difference DOE investments have made. This information is needed by DOE for budget justification and strategic planning. Respondents will include representatives of production builder companies (including companies that received DOE R&D funding and companies that received no direct funding from DOE).

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (``EPCA''), as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including walk-in coolers and freezers. EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') to periodically determine whether more-stringent, amended standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a significant amount of energy. DOE proposes prescribing energy conservation standards for certain categories of walk-in cooler and freezer refrigeration systems and plans to hold a public meeting to receive comment on these proposed standards along with their accompanying analyses.

Rassini Energy Project, LLC (Applicant or REP) has applied for authority to transmit electric energy from the United States to Mexico pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.

This notice announces receipt of and publishes a petition for waiver from Dyson, Inc. (Dyson) seeking an exemption from specified portions of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure for determining the energy consumption of battery chargers. The waiver request pertains to the battery chargers in Dyson's robotic vacuum cleaner model RB01, marketed as the Dyson 360-Eye (Robot). In its petition, Dyson contends that in order to provide the user with the advanced setting and management features of the Robot, the relevant functionalities and circuitry have to be powered at all times, and consequently, there is no user-controllable switch to disable those non-battery charging functions as the current DOE test procedure contemplates. Consequently, Dyson seeks to use an alternate test procedure to turn off the Non-Battery Charging Functionalities during the charge and maintenance mode test by isolating a terminal of the battery pack using isolating tape. This notice also announces that DOE has granted Dyson an interim waiver from the DOE battery charger test procedure for its specified robotic vacuum cleaner basic model, subject to use of the alternative test procedure as set forth in this notice. DOE solicits comments, data, and information concerning Dyson's petition and its suggested alternate test procedure.

The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) proposes to extend the existing Washoe Project, Stampede Division, non-firm power formula rate through September 30, 2022. The existing Rate Schedule SNF-7 expires September 30, 2017.

The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of receipt of an application, filed on August 3, 2016 (Application), by Freeport LNG Expansion, L.P. (Freeport Expansion), FLNG Liquefaction, LLC (FLIQ1), FLNG Liquefaction 2, LLC (FLIQ2) and FLNG Liquefaction 3, LLC (FLIQ3) (collectively FLEX) to amend a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export authorization permitting exports to any country that has, or in the future develops, the capacity to import LNG and with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement (FTA) requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas and with which trade is not prohibited by U.S. law or policy (non-FTA countries). Specifically, FLEX requests DOE to amend the LNG export authorization issued in DOE/FE Order Nos. 3357, 3357-A, 3357-B and 3357-C (collectively Order No. 3357) in order to allow FLEX to engage in additional long-term, multi-contract exports of domestically produced LNG in a volume up to the equivalent of 125 billion cubic feet per year (Bcf/yr) of natural gas (0.34 Bcf/day) for a period of 20 years. This additional volume of LNG is incremental to the equivalent of 146 Bcf/yr of natural gas (0.4 Bcf/day), which is the volume of LNG that FLEX is currently authorized to export pursuant to Order No. 3357, and to the equivalent of 511 Bcf/yr of natural gas (1.4 Bcf/day), which is the volume of LNG that FLEX is currently authorized to export pursuant to DOE/FE Order Nos. 3282, 3282-A, 3282- B, and 3282-C. FLEX requests that all other terms and conditions of Order No. 3357 apply to the additional 125 Bcf/yr of LNG export authority proposed in the Application. Through the Amendment, FLEX seeks to align the authorized export volumes of LNG to non-FTA countries from the Freeport Liquefaction Project \1\ (the Liquefaction Project) with the optimized increased production capacity design of the facilities approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in FERC Docket No. CP15-518-000 of 782 Bcf/yr (2.14 Bcf/day). The Application was filed under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). Additional details can be found in FLEX's Application, posted on the DOE/FE Web site at: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/08/f33/ 16-108-LNGapp.pdf Protests, motions to intervene, notices of intervention, and written comments are invited.

The Commission previously issued a Notice in the Federal Register (81 FR 38169, 6/13/2016) requesting public comments on FERC Forms 6, 580, 1, 1-F, and 3-Q. The Commission received no comments regarding FERC Forms 6 and 580. This 30-day notice only solicits comments on FERC Forms 6 and 580. FERC received comments regarding FERC Forms 1, 1-F, and 3-Q and will address those comments in a subsequent notice also in Docket No. IC16-11-000. In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting these information collections (FERC Form 6 [Annual Report of Oil Pipeline Companies] and FERC Form 580 [Interrogatory on Fuel and Energy Purchase Practices]) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of the information collection requirements. Any interested person may file comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those comments to the Commission as explained below.