Department of Energy 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi- autonomous agency within the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE), announces the availability of a Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Draft LLNL SWEIS) (DOE/EIS-0547) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). NNSA is also announcing a 60-day public comment period and three public hearings to receive comments on the Draft LLNL SWEIS. NNSA prepared the Draft LLNL SWEIS to analyze the potential environmental impacts associated with continuing LLNL operations and foreseeable new and/or modified operations and facilities for approximately the next 15 years.

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 currently approved information collection, FERC-703 (Report of Transmission Investment Activity).

On April 21, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) revised its price index policy set forth in its Policy Statement on Natural Gas and Electric Price Indices (Revised Policy Statement). In order to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act requirements on Policy Statements, the Commission is establishing a new information collection, FERC-549E, (Price Index Data Providers and Developers) OMB No. 1902-New, to reflect the burden to implement the policy changes in the Revised Policy Statement and to reflect the unreported burden arising from the prior policy statements. The Commission is also seeking comment on the burden and cost related to complying with the Revised Policy Statement.

In this final rule, the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') amends the test procedure for automatic commercial ice makers to update incorporated references to the latest version of the industry standards; establish a relative humidity test condition; provide additional detail regarding certain test conditions, settings, setup requirements, and calculations; include a voluntary measurement of potable water use; clarify certification and reporting requirements; and add enforcement provisions. This final rule also provides additional detail to the DOE test procedure to improve the representativeness and repeatability of the current test procedure.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') announces the availability of the preliminary analysis it has conducted for purposes of evaluating the needed for amended energy conservation standards for consumer furnace fans, which is set forth in the Department's preliminary technical support document (``TSD'') for this rulemaking. DOE will hold a public meeting via webinar to discuss and receive comment on the preliminary analysis. The meeting will cover the analytical framework, models, and tools used to evaluate potential standards; the results of preliminary analyses performed by DOE; the potential energy conservation standard levels derived from these analyses (if DOE determines that proposed amendments are necessary); and other relevant issues. In addition, DOE encourages written comments on these subjects.

On October 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') published a notice of proposed rulemaking (``NOPR'') to establish test procedures for air cleaners and to announce a public meeting on November 9, 2022, to discuss the proposal. (``October 2022 NOPR'') This document announces a change to the public meeting time. Instead of being held from 1 to 4 p.m., the public meeting will now be held from 12 to 3 p.m.

In this Policy Statement, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) provides guidance regarding how it will evaluate complaints against oil pipeline index rate increases. Specifically, the Commission replaces the Substantially Exacerbate Test with the Percentage Comparison Test as the preliminary screen for determining whether to investigate complaints against index rate increases.