Department of Energy 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces receipt of and publishes a petition for waiver and interim waiver from Senneca Holdings, which seeks a waiver for specified basic models of walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer doors from the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') test procedure used for determining the energy consumption of walk-in doors. This document also provides notice of an Interim Waiver Order requiring Senneca Holdings to test and rate the specified walk-in door basic models in accordance with the alternate test procedure set forth in the Interim Waiver Order. DOE solicits comments, data, and information concerning the petition and its suggested alternate test procedure so as to inform DOE's final decision on the waiver request.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') proposes to amend the test procedures for walk-in freezers to address an issue affecting hot gas defrost-equipped unit coolers (``hot gas defrost unit coolers''). DOE is proposing to amend the current test procedure regarding hot gas unit coolers consistent with an update to the industry standard that is incorporated by reference in the DOE test procedure for walk-in freezer refrigeration systems. Given the upcoming energy conservation standards compliance date of July 10, 2020, DOE is limiting the scope of this proposed rulemaking to expediently address how to test a hot gas defrost unit cooler.

Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Department of Energy (DOE) intends to extend for three years, an information collection request with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on a proposed collection of information that DOE is developing for submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection requests a three-year extension of its Semi-Annual Davis-Bacon Enforcement Report. All Federal agencies administering programs subject to Davis-Bacon wage provisions are required by to submit a report of all new covered contracts/projects and all compliance and enforcement activities every six months to the Department of Labor (DOL). In order for DOE to comply with this reporting requirement, it must collect contract and enforcement information from the Recovery Act funded Loan Borrowers, Loan Guarantee Borrowers, DOE direct contractors, and other prime contractors that administer DOE programs subject to Davis- Bacon requirements. DOE will require that such entities complete and submit a Semi-Annual Enforcement Report every six months, by the 21st of April and the 21st of October each year.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is publishing an analysis of the energy savings potential of amended industry consensus standards for certain classes of computer room air conditioners (CRACs) and air- cooled, three-phase, small commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment with a cooling capacity of less than 65,000 Btu/h (air-cooled, three-phase, small commercial package AC and HP (

In response to a petition for rulemaking submitted on October 18, 2018 (Gas Industry Petition), the Department of Energy (DOE) published that petition in the Federal Register on November 1, 2018, for public review and input, and DOE subsequently published a proposed interpretive rule in the Federal Register on July 11, 2019, which tentatively determined that in the context of residential furnaces, commercial water heaters and similarly-situated products/equipment, use of non-condensing technology (and associated venting) may constitute a performance-related ``feature'' under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) that cannot be eliminated through adoption of an energy conservation standard. After carefully considering the public comments on its proposed interpretive rule, DOE has tentatively determined to consider a more involved class structure which turns on maintenance of compatibility with existing venting categories, and the Department seeks further information on the potential feasibility, burdens, and other implications of implementing such a venting- compatibility approach. DOE requests comments limited in scope to this issue, after which DOE will respond to not only this matter, but also to all of the other topics raised in comments on the July 2019 notice of proposed interpretive rule.

This notice announces an open meeting of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB). The SEAB was reestablished pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This notice is provided in accordance with the Act.