Department of Energy August 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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

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

This notice announces an open virtual meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to amend the Federal test procedures for air-cooled commercial package air conditioners and heat pumps with a rated cooling capacity greater than or equal to 65,000 Btu/h, evaporatively-cooled commercial package air conditioners, and water-cooled commercial package air conditioners to incorporate by reference the latest versions of the applicable industry test standards. Specifically, DOE proposes: to amend the current test procedure for this equipment for measuring the current cooling and heating metricsintegrated energy efficiency ratio (IEER) and coefficient of performance (COP), respectively; and to establish a new test procedure for this equipment that would adopt two new metrics integrated ventilation, economizer, and cooling (IVEC) and integrated ventilation and heating efficiency (IVHE). Testing to the IVEC and IVHE metrics would not be required until such time as compliance is required with any amended energy conservation standard based on the new metrics. Additionally, DOE proposes to amend certain provisions of DOE's regulations related to representations and enforcement for the subject equipment. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this document (including topics not raised in this proposal), as well as the submission of data and other relevant information.

The Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) is publishing its intended allocation formula that will be used to distribute funds to Indian Tribes through the $225 million Tribal Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program. The purpose of the Tribal Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program is to help Tribal households to reduce energy bills, increase home comfort, improve indoor air quality, and reduce emissions by providing direct funding for energy efficiency and electrification home upgrades. This notice provides the tentative allocation formula developed by the Department to distribute funds to Tribes, as well as the allocation amounts and data used to calculate allocations. This notice also describes how Tribes may partner with other Tribes through consortia to submit a single application to DOE, and how Tribes may authorize a third-party agent to handle the application and administration of a grant award.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to amend its regulations for the timely coordination of Federal authorizations for proposed interstate electric transmission facilities pursuant to the Federal Power Act (FPA). Specifically, DOE is proposing to establish an integrated and comprehensive Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits Program (CITAP Program); make participation by application in the Integrated Interagency Preapplication (IIP) Process a pre-condition for a decision under the CITAP Program; require project proponents to develop resource reports and public engagement plans for communities that would be affected by a proposed qualifying project through an iterative and collaborative process with Federal agencies while providing that Federal entities would remain responsible for completion of environmental reviews, for government-to-government consultation with Indian Tribes (and government-to-sovereign consultation in the context of Native Hawaiian relations), and for any findings and determinations; require project proponents to conduct robust engagement with all Tribes and communities of interest that would be affected by a proposed qualifying project; ensure that DOE may carry out its statutory obligation to prepare a single Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) sufficient for the purposes of all Federal authorizations necessary to site a qualifying project; and align and harmonize the IIP Process and implementation of the FPA with Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.