G/TBT/N/USA/1877  
14 June 2022  
(22-4625) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:   
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (OEERE), Department of Energy (DOE) 
[1906]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments  
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], 3.2 [  ], 7.2 [  ], 
other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Consumer 
refrigeration and miscellaneous refrigeration products; Environmental protection (ICS 
code(s): 13.020); Domestic refrigerating appliances (ICS code(s): 97.040.30)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Energy 
Conservation Program: Consumer Refrigeration and Miscellaneous Refrigeration Products  
6. Description of content:  Notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment - On 
18 July 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy published a final rule (notified as 
G/TBT/N/USA/942/Add.1  and G/TBT/N/USA/661/Add.6 ) that amended the test procedure 
for refrigerators and refrigerator -freezers and establi shed both coverage and procedures 
for testing miscellaneous refrigeration products ("MREFs"). That final rule also established 
provisions within DOE's certification requirements to provide instructions regarding 
product category determinations, which were intended to be consistent with the 
definitions established for MREFs and refrigerators, refrigerator - freezers, and freezers. 
This document proposes to correct certain inconsistencies between the instructions for 
determining product categories and the corr esponding product definitions to avoid 
confusion regarding the application of those definitions. DOE is seeking comment from 
interested parties on the proposal.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Consumer  information, labelling; Prevention of deceptive practices and 
consumer protection; Protection of the environment  
8. Relevant documents:   
87 Federal Register (FR) 35678, 13 June 2022; Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
Part 429:  G/TBT/N/USA/1877  
 
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  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2022-06-13/html/2022 -12660.htm  
https://www.govin fo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2022-06-13/pdf/2022 -12660.pdf  
This notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment is identified by Docket 
Number EERE -2022-BT-CRT-0021. The Docket Folder is available from Regulations.gov 
at https: //www.regulations.gov/docket/EERE -2022-BT-CRT-0021/document  and 
provides access to primary documents as well as comments received. Documents are also 
accessible from Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket Number . WTO Members and 
their stakeholders are asked to submit comments to the USA TBT Enquiry Point  by or 
before 4pm Eastern Time  on 13 July 2022. Comments received by the USA TBT Enquiry 
Point from WTO Members and their stakeholders will be shared with the regulator and will 
also be submitted to the Docket  on Regulations.gov if received within the comment 
period.  
G/TBT/N/USA/942/Add.1  - Energy Conservation  Program: Final Coverage Determination; 
Test Procedures for Miscellaneous Refrigeration Products; Final Rule identified by Docket 
Numbers EERE–2011–BT–DET–0072 and EERE–2013–BT–TP–0029. A correction to the 
final rule was notified as G/TBT/N/USA/942/Add.1 /Corr.1 . Also notified as 
G/TBT/N/USA/661/Add.6 ; see also G/TBT/N/US A/661/Add.6/Corr.1  and the confirmation 
of effective date and compliance date for the direct final rule notified as 
G/TBT/N/USA/661/Add.7 . 
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  13 July 2022  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2022/TBT/USA/22_4102_00_e.pdf