Department of Energy August 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), a Federal power marketing administration of the Department of Energy (DOE), is evaluating options that could reduce congestion on its transmission system and facilitate the interconnection and/or transmittal of energy, including renewable generation, in southern Nevada. WAPA is requesting statements of interest (SOI) from entities that are interested in participating with WAPA to upgrade or construct new transmission facilities for WAPA's transmission system, or taking transmission service on or interconnecting with upgraded or newly constructed facilities, in the area of Boulder City, Nevada. WAPA's transmission system in the area of Boulder City, Nevada includes Mead Substation, a significant regional trading hub for energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is establishing a test procedure for a category of cooking products, i.e., conventional cooking tops, under a new appendix. The new test procedure adopts the latest version of the relevant industry standard for electric cooking tops with modifications. The modifications adapt the test method to gas cooking tops, normalize the energy use of each test cycle, include measurement of standby mode and off mode energy use, update certain test conditions, and clarify certain provisions. This final rule retitles the existing cooking products test procedure to specify that it is for microwave ovens only. This final rule also corrects the CFR following an incorrect amendatory instruction in a June 2022 final rule.

This final rule amends the current U.S. Department of Energy test procedure for external power supplies by clarifying the scope of the test procedure more explicitly, providing more specific instructions for testing single-voltage external power supplies with multiple-output busses and external power supplies shipped without an output cord, providing instructions allowing for functionality unrelated to the external power supply circuit to be disconnected during testing so long as the disconnection does not impact the functionality of the external power supply itself, specifying test requirements for adaptive external power supplies that conform to the industry-based Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery specifications consistent with current test procedure waivers that DOE has already granted for these products, and reorganizing the test procedure to centralize definitions, consolidate generally applicable requirements, and better delineate requirements for single-voltage, multiple-voltage, and adaptive external power supplies.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi- autonomous agency within the Department of Energy (DOE), announces its intent to prepare a new Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) for the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or Laboratory) in Los Alamos, New Mexico (DOE/EIS-0552) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The SWEIS will analyze the potential environmental impacts of the reasonable alternatives for continuing operations of the Laboratory for approximately the next 15 years. The continued operation of the Laboratory is critical to NNSA's Stockpile Stewardship Program to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons worldwide and to many other areas impacting national security and global stability. The SWEIS will also analyze environmental impacts of legacy waste remediation conducted by DOE's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM). The purpose of this Notice is to invite public participation in the process and to encourage public involvement on the scope of analysis (e.g., range of alternatives, impacts, and actions) and alternatives that should be considered in the SWEIS. Following completion of the SWEIS, NNSA will decide which reasonable alternatives to implement and will announce its decisions through a Record of Decision (ROD). Absent any new decisions associated with this SWEIS process, NNSA would continue to implement decisions announced in previous RODs.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted an information collection request to the OMB for reinstatement under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection requests a three-year approval of its collection, titled United States Energy and Employment Report, OMB Control Number 1910-5179. The proposed collection will collect data from businesses in in-scope industries, quantifying and qualifying employment among energy activities, workforce demographics and the industry's perception on the difficulty of recruiting qualified workers. The data will be used to generate an annual US Energy and Employment Report.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') is amending the test procedures for ceiling fans to include a definition for ``circulating air'' for the purpose of the ceiling fan definition; include ceiling fans greater than 24 feet within the scope of the test procedure; include certain belt-driven ceiling fans within the scope of the test procedure; specify that certain very small-diameter ceiling fans are not required to be tested; maintain applicability of the standby power test procedure to large-diameter ceiling fans; specify instructions for testing ceiling fans with certain accessories or features; clarify test voltage for large-diameter ceiling fans; amend the low speed definition and increase low speed tolerance for stability criteria; permit an alternate set-up to collect air velocity test data and provide greater specificity regarding sensor orientation; amend the blade thickness measurement requirement; update instrument measurement resolution, represented values, rounding instructions, and enforcement provisions; and codify current guidance on calculating several values reported on the EnergyGuide label. DOE is also updating references to an industry test standard to reference the latest version.

This notice announces a closed meeting of the Defense Programs Advisory Committee (DPAC). The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of meetings be announced in the Federal Register. Due to national security considerations, the meeting will be closed to the public and matters to be discussed are exempt from public disclosure under Executive Order 13526, and the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.

On September 7, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) for public comment in which it proposed to amend its regulations on contractor workplace substance abuse programs at DOE sites. In this final rule, DOE is adopting the amendments proposed in the NOPR without change. The amendments decrease the random drug testing rate for individuals in certain testing designated positions (TDPs); clarify that all positions requiring access authorizations (security clearances) are included in the TDPs; and clarify requirements for DOE approval prior to allowing persons in certain TDPs to return to work after removal for illegal drug use.