Department of Energy September 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Central Maine Power Company (CMP) has applied for a Presidential permit to construct, operate, maintain, and connect an electric transmission line across the United States border with Canada.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) approves Reliability Standards BAL-005-1 (Balancing Authority Control) and FAC- 001-3 (Facility Interconnection Requirements), submitted by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, as well as the retirement of Reliability Standards BAL-005-0.2b (Automatic Generation Control), FAC- 001-2 (Facility Interconnection Requirements), and BAL-006-2 (Inadvertent Interchange).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes to approve Emergency Preparedness and Operations (EOP) Reliability Standards EOP-004-4 (Event Reporting), EOP-005-3 (System Restoration from Blackstart Resources), EOP-006-3 (System Restoration Coordination), and EOP-008-2 (Loss of Control Center Functionality).

The Deputy Secretary has approved and placed into effect on an interim basis Rate Order No. SWPA-72 which extends the existing rate schedules for the Integrated System:

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is initiating a data collection process through this RFI to consider whether to amend DOE's test procedure for distribution transformers. To inform interested parties and to facilitate this process, DOE has gathered data, identifying several issues associated with the currently applicable test procedure on which DOE is interested in receiving comment. The issues outlined in this document mainly concern the degree to which the per-unit load (``PUL'') testing measurement accurately represents in- service distribution transformer performance, and provides test results that reflect energy efficiency, energy use, and estimated operating costs during a representative average use cycle of an in-service transformer; sampling; representations; alternative energy determination methods (``AEDMs''); and any additional topics that may inform DOE's decisions in a future test procedure rulemaking, including methods to reduce regulatory burden while ensuring the procedure's accuracy. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this document (including topics not raised in this RFI).

This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

This notice announces receipt of and publishes a petition for waiver from JCI seeking an exemption from specified portions of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure for determining the efficiency of central air conditioners (CAC) and heat pumps (HP). According to JCI, testing its CAC and HP basic models that use variable-speed, oil-injected scroll compressors (VSS systems) with only a 20-hour break-in period produces results unrepresentative of their true energy consumption characteristics, and would provide materially inaccurate comparative data. JCI requests that in lieu of the 20-hour break-in limit, it be permitted to test its VSS systems with a 72-hour break-in period. This notice also grants JCI an interim waiver from the DOE CAC and HP test procedure for its specified basic models, subject to use of the alternative test procedure as set forth in this notice. DOE solicits comments, data, and information concerning JCI's petition and its suggested alternate test procedure.