Department of Energy May 2019 – 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 currently approved information collection FERC-556 (Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility) and submitting the information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Any interested person may file comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those comments to the Commission as explained below. On March 14, 2019, the Commission published a Notice in the Federal Register in Docket No. IC19-16-000 requesting public comments. The Commission received no public comments, as stated in the related submittal to OMB.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of updated guidance for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 program. The guidance describes the hydroelectric incentive payment requirements and explains the type of information that owners or authorized operators of qualified hydroelectric facilities must provide DOE when applying for hydroelectric incentive payments. This incentive is available for electric energy generated and sold for a specified 10-year period as authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In Congressional appropriations for Federal fiscal year 2019, DOE received funds to support this hydroelectric incentive program. At this time, DOE is only accepting applications from owners and authorized operators of qualified hydroelectric facilities for hydroelectricity generated and sold in calendar year 2018.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted an information collection request to the OMB for extension under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection requests a three-year extension of its Better Buildings Challenge; Better Buildings Alliance; Better Buildings, Better Plants Voluntary Pledge Program, OMB Control Number 1910-5141. The proposed collection will be used to report the progress of participants in the DOE Better Buildings programs, including the Better Buildings Challenge, Better Buildings, Better Plants program, and the Better Buildings Alliance. These voluntary programs are intended to drive greater energy efficiency in the commercial and industrial marketplace to create savings and jobs. This will be accomplished by highlighting the ways participants overcome market barriers and persistent obstacles with replicable, marketplace solutions. These programs will showcase real solutions and partner with industry leaders to better understand policy and technical opportunities.

On April 17, 2019, the Department of Energy (DOE) received a petition from Atlas Copco North America, Inc. (Atlas Copco) asking DOE to allow compressor manufacturers to determine the applicable full-load package isentropic efficiency, part-load package isentropic efficiency, package specific power, maximum full-flow operating pressure, full-load operating pressure, full-load actual volume flow rate, and pressure ratio at full-load operating pressure using either the DOE test procedure or the consensus industry test method, International Organization for Standardization 1217:2009 (ISO 1217). Through this notice, DOE seeks comment on the petition, as well as any data or information that could be used in DOE's determination on whether to proceed with the petition.

The Under Secretary of Energy approves, on an interim basis, the extension of the existing Falcon and Amistad Projects' (Projects) firm power formula rate through June 7, 2024 and will submit them to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for confirmation and approval on a final basis. The existing firm power formula rate is set to expire June 7, 2019. This rate extension makes no change to the existing formula rate.