Department of Energy May 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EIA submitted an information collection request for a three- year extension, with no changes, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 to the Coal Markets Reporting System, OMB Control Number 1905-0167. The Coal Markets Reporting System (CMRS) consists of 5 surveys including, Form EIA-3 Quarterly Survey of Non-Electric Sector Coal Data, Form EIA-7A Annual Survey of Coal Production and Preparation, Form EIA-8A Annual Survey of Coal Stocks and Coal Exports, Form EIA-6 Emergency Coal Supply Survey (Standby), and Form EIA-20 Emergency Weekly Coal Monitoring Survey for Coal Burning Power Producers (Standby). The CMRS collects data on coal production, preparation, distribution, foreign trade, consumption, prices, quality, and stocks.

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 proposedinformation collection FERC-725N (Mandatory Reliability TPL Standards: TPL-007-4, (Transmission System Planned Performance for Geomagnetic Disturbance Events)) 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.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of the Draft Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Evaluation for Vitrified Low Activity Waste Disposed Onsite at the Hanford Site, Washington (Draft WIR Evaluation). The Draft WIR Evaluation demonstrates that the vitrified low activity waste (VLAW), from which long-lived insoluble radionuclides and cesium has been or will be removed before vitrification at the Low Activity Waste Vitrification Facility and subsequent disposal onsite at the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF), is waste that is incidental to reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, is not high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and may be managed (disposed of onsite) as mixed low-level radioactive waste (MLLW). DOE prepared the Draft WIR Evaluation pursuant to DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, and the criteria in DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual. DOE is consulting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) before finalizing this evaluation. DOE is also making the Draft WIR Evaluation available for comments from States, Tribal Nations, stakeholders and the public. After consultation with NRC, carefully considering comments received, and performing any necessary revisions of analyses and technical documents, DOE will prepare a final WIR evaluation. Based on the final WIR Evaluation, DOE may determine, in a future WIR Determination, whether the VLAW is incidental to reprocessing, is non-HLW, and may be managed (disposed of onsite at the IDF) as MLLW.

The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, intends to extend an information collection request with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for three years with ministerial changes. The current OMB control number 1910-5136 for WAPA's Applicant Profile Data (APD) form expires November 30, 2020. WAPA intends to extend the APD form under the OMB control number to November 30, 2023. WAPA is seeking comments on this proposed information collection extension.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is initiating an effort to determine whether to amend the current energy conservation standards for electric motors. DOE must review these standards at least once every six years and either propose new standards for electric motors or a notice of determination that the existing standards do not need amending. DOE is soliciting information from the public to help determine whether amending the current electric motor standards would produce significant energy savings while being technologically feasible and cost effective. Accordingly, DOE seeks information regarding any technological or market changes since the most recent standards update that would justify a new rulemaking to increase the stringency of the current standards consistent with these factors. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this document (including those topics not specifically raised), as well as the submission of data and other relevant information.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is initiating an effort to determine whether to amend the current energy conservation standards for External Power Supplies (``EPS''). Under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended, DOE must review these standards at least once every six years and publish either propose new standards for EPSs or a notice of determination that the existing standards do not need to be amended. This request for information (``RFI'') solicits information from the public to help DOE determine whether amended standards for EPSs would result in significant energy savings and whether such standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified. As part of this RFI, DOE seeks comment on whether there have been sufficient technological or market changes since the most recent standards update that may justify a new rulemaking to consider more stringent standards. Specifically, DOE seeks data and information that could enable the agency to determine whether DOE should propose a ``no new standard'' determination because a more stringent standard: would not result in a significant savings of energy; is not technologically feasible; is not economically justified; or any combination of the foregoing. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this document (including those topics not specifically raised), as well as the submission of data and other relevant information.