Department of Energy 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended (``EPCA''), prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including Commercial Water Heating (``CWH'') equipment. EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') to periodically review standards. In this final rule, DOE is adopting amended energy conservation standards for CWH equipment.

The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) of the Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice (Notice) of receipt of a Request for Amendment (Request), filed by Carib Energy (USA), LLC (Carib Energy) on September 7, 2023, and Supplemental Information Supporting Request for Export Authorization Amendment (Supplement) filed on September 21, 2023. Carib Energy is currently authorized to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) previously imported into the United States by vessel from foreign sources in a volume equivalent to 0.48 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas on a cumulative basis over a two-year period to countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Carib Energy requests an increase in its authorized export volume of previously imported foreign-sourced LNG from the equivalent of 0.48 Bcf to 1.4 Bcf on a cumulative basis, effective June 1, 2023, and continuing through the end of its export term, April 6, 2024. Carib Energy filed the Request and Supplement under the Natural Gas Act (NGA).

In this final rule, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is amending the Uniform System of Accounts (USofA) for public utilities and licensees to: create new accounts for wind, solar, and other renewable generating assets; create a new functional class for energy storage accounts; codify the accounting treatment of environmental credits; and create new accounts within existing functions for computer hardware, software, and communication equipment. We also amend the relevant FERC forms to accommodate these changes.

This notice provides the Performance Review Board Chair designee for the Department of Energy. This listing supersedes all previously published lists of Performance Review Board Chair.

Pursuant the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and the Code of Federal Regulations, and following consultation with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration, notice is hereby given that the DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) has been renewed for a two-year period.

This notice announces an open virtual meeting of the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC). The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.

On April 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR), in which DOE proposed regulations regarding procedures for calculating a value for the petroleum equivalent fuel economy of electric vehicles (EVs) for use in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT). In their comments to DOE's NOPR, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators) raised the issue of the ability of manufacturers to comply with the proposed PEF in 2027 due to vehicle design cycles. DOE is providing notice that it sent follow-up letters to member companies of the Auto Innovators inviting the companies to provide information to clarify the challenges to implementing the revised standard to apply to model year (MY) 2027- 2031 vehicles as proposed. In this notice and request for comment, DOE requests additional comment on the questions posed to the Auto Innovator members providing a similar opportunity to all stakeholders.