+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/181** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 31 March 2006     |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (06-1491)         |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade**     | Original: English |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

NOTIFICATION

The following notification is being circulated in accordance with
Article 10.6.

+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Member to Agreement     |   |                                 |
| 1. | notifying:** [UNITED      |   |                                 |
| ** | STATES]{.underline}       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **If applicable, name of  |   |                                 |
|    | local government involved |   |                                 |
|    | (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):** |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Agency responsible:**   |   |                                 |
| 2. | Office of Energy          |   |                                 |
| ** | Efficiency and Renewable  |   |                                 |
|    | Energy, Department of     |   |                                 |
|    | Energy (EERE/DOE) (187)   |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Name and address        |   |                                 |
|    | (including telephone and  |   |                                 |
|    | fax numbers, e-mail and   |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available) of** **agency  |   |                                 |
|    | or authority designated   |   |                                 |
|    | to handle comments        |   |                                 |
|    | regarding the             |   |                                 |
|    | notification shall be     |   |                                 |
|    | indicated if different    |   |                                 |
|    | from above:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Notified under Article  |   |                                 |
| 3. | 2.9.2 \[** X **\], 2.10.1 |   |                                 |
| ** | \[ **  **\], 5.6.2        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], 5.7.1        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], other:**     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Products covered (HS or |   |                                 |
| 4. | CCCN where applicable,    |   |                                 |
| ** | otherwise national tariff |   |                                 |
|    | heading.\                 |   |                                 |
|    | ICS numbers may be        |   |                                 |
|    | provided in addition,     |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable):**      |   |                                 |
|    | Appliances: Residential   |   |                                 |
|    | Electric and Gas Ranges   |   |                                 |
|    | and Microwave Ovens,      |   |                                 |
|    | Dishwashers,              |   |                                 |
|    | Dehumidifiers, and        |   |                                 |
|    | Commercial Clothes        |   |                                 |
|    | Washers (HS Chapter 8415, |   |                                 |
|    | 8419, 8422, 8450),        |   |                                 |
|    | (ICS:97)                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | Energy Conservation       |   |                                 |
|    | Standards for Residential |   |                                 |
|    | Electric and Gas Ranges   |   |                                 |
|    | and Microwave Ovens,      |   |                                 |
|    | Dishwashers,              |   |                                 |
|    | Dehumidifiers, and        |   |                                 |
|    | Commercial Clothes        |   |                                 |
|    | Washers (3 pages, in      |   |                                 |
|    | English)                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** The Department |   |                                 |
| ** | of Energy (DOE or         |   |                                 |
|    | Department) will hold an  |   |                                 |
|    | informal public meeting   |   |                                 |
|    | to discuss and receive    |   |                                 |
|    | comments on issues it     |   |                                 |
|    | will address in this      |   |                                 |
|    | rulemaking proceeding.    |   |                                 |
|    | The Department is also    |   |                                 |
|    | initiating the data       |   |                                 |
|    | collection process for    |   |                                 |
|    | establishing energy       |   |                                 |
|    | conservation standards    |   |                                 |
|    | for residential electric  |   |                                 |
|    | and gas ranges and ovens  |   |                                 |
|    | and microwave ovens,      |   |                                 |
|    | dishwashers,              |   |                                 |
|    | dehumidifiers, and        |   |                                 |
|    | commercial clothes        |   |                                 |
|    | washers. The Department   |   |                                 |
|    | also encourages written   |   |                                 |
|    | comments on these         |   |                                 |
|    | subjects. In addition,    |   |                                 |
|    | this effort is the result |   |                                 |
|    | of the Energy Policy Act  |   |                                 |
|    | of 2005 (EPACT 2005)      |   |                                 |
|    | directive to publish a    |   |                                 |
|    | final rule to determine   |   |                                 |
|    | whether the standards     |   |                                 |
|    | established by EPACT 2005 |   |                                 |
|    | should be amended no      |   |                                 |
|    | later than October 1,     |   |                                 |
|    | 2009, for dehumidifiers,  |   |                                 |
|    | and no later than January |   |                                 |
|    | 1, 2010, for commercial   |   |                                 |
|    | clothes washers.          |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | To inform stakeholders    |   |                                 |
|    | and facilitate this       |   |                                 |
|    | process, DOE has prepared |   |                                 |
|    | a Framework Document, a   |   |                                 |
|    | draft of which is         |   |                                 |
|    | available at:             |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://w                 |   |                                 |
|    | ww.eere.energy.gov/buildi |   |                                 |
|    | ngs/appliance_standards/> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:**       |   |                                 |
|    | Protection of             |   |                                 |
|    | environment, consumer     |   |                                 |
|    | safety.                   |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | 71 Federal Register (FR)  |   |                                 |
| ** | 15059, 27 March 2006.     |   |                                 |
|    | Will appear in the        |   |                                 |
|    | Federal Register when     |   |                                 |
|    | adopted.                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Proposed date of        |   | To be determined                |
| 9. | adoption:**               |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Proposed date of entry  |   |                                 |
|    | into force:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Final date for          |   |                                 |
| *1 | comments:** 11 May 2006   |   |                                 |
| 0. |                           |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Texts available from:   |   |                                 |
| *1 | National enquiry point    |   |                                 |
| 1. | \[** X **\] or address,   |   |                                 |
| ** | telephone and fax         |   |                                 |
|    | numbers, e-mail and       |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available of the other    |   |                                 |
|    | body:** Full texts are    |   |                                 |
|    | now available on the      |   |                                 |
|    | Internet at URLs:         |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akama      |   |                                 |
|    | itech.net/7/257/2422/01ja |   |                                 |
|    | n20061800/edocket.access. |   |                                 |
|    | gpo.gov/2006/E6-4390.htm> |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akamaitec  |   |                                 |
|    | h.net/7/257/2422/01jan200 |   |                                 |
|    | 61800/edocket.access.gpo. |   |                                 |
|    | gov/2006/pdf/E6-4390.pdf> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+