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

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (``EPCA''), as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including evaporatively-cooled commercial package air conditioners and water- cooled commercial package air conditioners (referred to as evaporatively-cooled commercial unitary air conditioners (``ECUACs'') and water-cooled commercial unitary air conditioners (``WCUACs'') in this document). EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') to periodically determine whether more stringent, amended standards would result in significant additional conservation of energy, be technologically feasible, and be economically justified. In this notice of proposed determination (``NOPD''), DOE has tentatively determined that the standards for small (cooling capacity less than 135,000 Btu/h), large (cooling capacity greater than or equal to 135,000 and less than 240,000 Btu/h), and very large (cooling capacity greater than or equal to 240,000 and less than 760,000 Btu/h) ECUACs and WCUACs do not need to be amended, and DOE requests comment on this proposed determination and the associated analyses and results.

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 currently approved information collections, FERC Form No. 2 (Annual Report for Major Natural Gas Companies) and FERC Form No. 2-A (Annual Report for Non-Major Natural Gas Companies). This notice corrects and replaces the 30-day notice published on July 20, 2020. The 60-day notice was published on April 30, 2020 and the initial 30-day notice published on July 20, 2020. The intial 30-day notice erroneously omitted the burden associated with a Final rule approved September 9, 2019. In order to correct the previously published notices, FERC is providing the opportunity for an additional 30-day comment period.

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 extension to the information collection, FERC-717 (Standards for Business Practices and Communication Protocols for Public Utilities) which will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a review of the information collection requirements.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is extending the public comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking (``NOPR'') which DOE proposes to establish separate product classes for top- loading residential clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers that offer cycle times for a normal cycle of less than 30 minutes, and for front-loading residential clothes washers that offer cycle times for a normal cycle of less than 45 minutes. DOE published the NOPR in the Federal Register on August 13, 2020, establishing a public comment period that ends on September 14, 2020. In this document, DOE is extending the comment period to October 13, 2020 and announcing a public hearing on September 30, 2020.

The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of a Record of Decision (ROD) published under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and implementing regulations. This ROD supports DOE/FE's decision in DOE/FE Order No. 3643-A, an opinion and order authorizing Alaska LNG Project LLC to export domestically-produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-free trade agreement countries.

On August 20, 2020, Hill Top Energy Center LLC (HTEC), as owner and operator of a new baseload power plant, submitted a coal capability self-certification to the Department of Energy (DOE). The Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978, as amended, and regulations thereunder require DOE to publish a notice of filing of self-certification in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on its Request for Information (RFI) number DE-FOA-00002413 regarding bioenergy workforce-development methods and tools available, as well as those needed in the United States. Specifically, this RFI seeks to provide BETO with evidence-based workforce-development data to help individuals to link to existing and new bioenergy workforce-development tools in order to assist in preparing the nation's current and future workforce for the rapidly and continually changing workforce demands to reskill and upskill in the bioenergy industry.

This notice announces receipt of and publishes a petition for waiver and interim waiver from CNA International, Inc. (``CNA''), which seeks a waiver for a specified dishwasher basic model from the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') test procedure used for determining the energy and water consumption of dishwashers. DOE also gives notice of an Interim Waiver Order that requires CNA to test and rate the specified dishwasher basic model in accordance with the alternate test procedure set forth in the Interim Waiver Order. DOE solicits comments, data, and information concerning CNA's petition and its suggested alternate test procedure so as to inform DOE's final decision on CNA's waiver request.

The extension of existing Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie Project transmission service rates has been confirmed, approved, and placed into effect on an interim basis. The existing transmission service rates under Rate Schedules INT-FT5 and INT-NFT4 were set to expire on September 30, 2020. This rate extension makes no change to the existing transmission service rates and extends them through September 30, 2023.