Department of Energy May 15, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Federal Power Act (``FPA''), the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'' or the ``Department'') Grid Deployment Office (``GDO'') is issuing this Notice of Intent (``NOI'') to establish a process to designate ``route-specific'' National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (``NIETCs,'' pronounced \NIT-sees\). Through this process, DOE intends to invite interested entities to propose for designation as a NIETC a potential route where one or more potential transmission projects could be located within a geographic area where the Department has identified transmission need(s) (i.e., present or expected electric transmission capacity constraints or congestion that adversely affects consumers) and where the Department has made other statutory findings. DOE intends to develop final guidelines and procedures for interested entities to propose that DOE designate a NIETC. In this NOI, DOE identifies certain key program design elements that it believes should form the basis of an applicant- driven, route-specific process to designate NIETCs. In the accompanying RFI, DOE seeks comments from the public and interested parties on these identified program elements and any additional program elements that should be included to assist in developing final guidelines, procedures, and evaluation criteria for the applicant-driven, route- specific NIETC designation process.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') amends the current test procedure for portable air conditioners (``portable ACs'') to incorporate a measure of variable-speed portable AC performance, generally consistent with previously granted waivers, and to make minor clarifying edits. DOE also establishes a new test procedure for portable ACs that provides more representative measures of cooling capacity and energy consumption. The new test procedure will provide the basis for development of any updated efficiency standards for portable ACs. Should DOE establish such standards, the amended test procedure would become the required test method for determining compliance.