Department of Energy December 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On August 27, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or Department) published in the Federal Register for public comment a proposed interpretive rule to reinstate a long-standing interpretation under which, in the context of residential furnaces, commercial water heaters, and similarly-situated products or equipment, the heat exchanger technology (and associated venting) used to supply heated air or hot water is not a performance-related ``feature'' that provides a distinct consumer utility under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended (EPCA). The August 27, 2021 proposed interpretive rule set forth the basis and rationale for this final interpretive rule, in which DOE responds to public comments and ultimately reinstates its long-standing interpretation as proposed.

Notice is hereby given that the Department of Energy (DOE), pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, as implemented by DOE's regulations regarding Trespassing on DOE property which published in the Federal Register on October 31, 1969, prohibits the unauthorized entry, and the unauthorized introduction of weapons or dangerous materials, into or upon the following described facility of the ANL of the DOE.

This notice announces an online virtual meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of this online virtual meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

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. The hydroelectric incentive payments are a benefit 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 2021, 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 2020.

On December 1, 2021, the Office of Nuclear Energy, Department of Energy, published a request for information in the Federal Register on how to site federal facilities for the temporary, consolidated storage of spent nuclear fuel using a consent-based approach. This document corrects broken hyperlinks to the Invitation for Public Comment and to the 2017 Draft Consent-Based Siting Process for Consolidated Storage and Disposal Facilities for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste.

In this Notice of Inquiry, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) seeks comments on the rate recovery, reporting, and accounting treatment of industry association dues and certain civic, political, and related expenses. In addition, the Commission seeks comments on the ratemaking implications of potential accounting and reporting changes. The Commission also seeks comments on whether additional transparency or guidance is needed with respect to defining donations for charitable, social, or community welfare purposes.