Federal Register / Vol. 54, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 9, 1989 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy

[Docket Number CE-RM-88-101]

Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Finding of No Significant Impact

(FONSI) for Candidate Energy

Conservation Standards for

Dishwashers, Clothes. Washers and

Clothes Dryers.

SUMMARY: The Energy Policy and

Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended

by the National Energy Conservation

Policy Act (NECPA) and the National

Appliance Energy Conservation Act

(NAECA), prescribes energy

conservation standards for certain

major household appliances, and

requires the Department of Energy

(DOE) to administer an energy

conservation program for these

products. As a general matter, these

federal standards preempt State and

local standards and any other State and

local requirements with respect to

energy efficiency or energy use of these

products. Among other things, NAECA

requires DOE to consider amending the

energy conservation standards for

dishwashers, clothes washers and

clothes dryers.

Based on an Environmental

Assessment (EA), (DOE/EA-0386), DOE

has determined that the proposal of any

of the candidate amended energy

efficiency standards for dishwashers,

clothes washers and clothes-dryers

would not be a major federal action

significantly affecting the quality of the

human environment within the meaning

of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969 (NEPA). Therefore an Environmental Impact Statement is not

required.

Public Availability: The EA is

published within the Technical Support

Document for the range of candidate

amended energy efficiency standards

and is available on request at the

following address: Hearings and

Dockets Branch, Office of Conservation

and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department

of Energy, Docket Number CE-RM-88-

101, 1000 Independence Avenue. SW.,

Room 6B-025. CE-43.1 Washington,. DC

20585 (202) 586-9320.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael J. McCabe, U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy (CE-132), 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9127.

Donald K Henninger, U.S. Departinent

of Energy, Office of NEPA Project

Assistance (EH-25], 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-2410.

Martha S. Crosland, U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of General Counsel

(GG-11), 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202)

586-6947.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE

prepared an Environmental Assessment

(DOE/EA--0386) on the candidate

standards for amended energyefficiency standards pursuant to the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969, as amended, Pub. L. 91-190, 40

U.S.C. 4221 et seq., and the

implementing regulations of the Council

on Environmental Quality [40 CFR Parts

1500-1508]. The EA addresses the

possible incremental environmental

effects attributable to the application of

a range of candidate amended standards

(in the form of engineering changes) to

the design of dishwashers, clothes

washers, and clothes dryers. The effects

of the candidate amended standards

range from no change to a slight

improvement in the environment as

discussed in the General Findings

below.

Approach Used in the Analysis

The EA evaluates the environmental

impacts resulting from the proposed

setting of a range of amended energyefficiency standards for dishwashers,

clothes washers, and clothes dryers in

accordance with the NAECA. A

complete description of the Engineering

and Economic Analysis of the range of

amended standards may be found in the

Technical Support Document (TSD).

The main environmental concern

addressed is emissions from fossil

fueled electricity generation. Each of the

design options for dishwashers, clothes

washers and clothes dryers would result

in decreased electricity use and,

therefore, reduced powerplant

emissions. The proposed efficiency

standards would decrease air pollution

by decreasing future energy demand.

The greatest decreases in air pollution

would be in sulfur oxides.

Some design options for dishwashers

would also reduce water consumption,

resulting in lower in-house emissions

from fuel-burning water heaters.

An in-depth analysis of particulate

emissions is not included in the EA

because particulate emissions are minor

compared to sulfur and nitrogen oxide

emissions. For example, in 1984 power

plants contributed only 7 percent of U.S.

total particulate emissions as compared

to contributions of 83 percent and 34

percent of total SO2 and NO 2 emissions,

respectively (EPA, 1986)

General Findings

1. Dishwashers"

The greatest environmental impacts of

the candidate standards would result

from generating less electricity. Power

plants' main environmental effects on

air and water result from emissions of

sulfur oxides (SO.), nitrogen oxides

(NO.), and carbon dioxide (CO 2). All

SO. and NO. emissions are expressed in

the equivalent weights of SO2 and NO 2,

respectively. Carbon dioxide emissions

are commonly expressed as tons of

carbon. General findings are

summarized below.

A. Sulfur Dioxide

The greatest decrease in air pollution

would occur for sulfur dioxide. The

range of expected reductions from the

candidate standards is from 4,442 tons,

or 0.03 percent of the U.S. SO2 emissions

expected to be emitted by power plants

in the year 2010, to a level of 9,523 tons,

or 0.06 percent of the expected U.S.

power plant emissions of SO2 in 2010.

B. Nitrogen Dioxide

. The expected reductions in NO2 from

the candidate standard levels range

from 3,299 tons, or 0.03 percent of the

total NO2 emissions expected to be

emitted by power plants in the year

2010, to a level of 6,869 tons, or 0.07

percent of the expected U.S. power plant

emissions of NO2 in 2010.

C. Carbon Dioxide

The expected reductions in CO2 from

the candidate standard levels range

from the equivalent of 350,000 tons, or

0.02 percent of the total CO2 emissions

expected to be emitted in the U.S. in the

year 2010, to a level of 704,000 tons, or

0.04 percent of expected U.S. emissions

of CO 2 in 2010.

The candidate dishwasher standards

would also save 197 billion to 276 billion

gallons of water during the 1993-2015

time period.

None of the environmental impacts

from the savings of SO2, NO 2, or CO2

from the candidate standards is

considered to be significant.

2. Clothes Washers

The greatest environmental impact of

the candidate standards for clothes

washers would be a decrease in

electricity consumption. General

findings are summarized below:

A. Sulfur Dioxide

The expected reductions in SO2 from

the candidate standard levels range

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Federal Register / Vol. 54, No. 152 /Wednesday, August 9, 1989 / Notices

from 8,943 tons, or 0.05 percent of the

expected U.S. power plant emissions of

SO2 in 2010, to a level of 21,528 tons or

0.13 percent of the U.S. SO2 emissions

expected to be emitted by power plants

in the year 2010.

B. Nitrogen Dioxide

The expected reductions in NO2 from

the candidate standard levels range

from 6,759 tons, or .07 percent of the U.S.

NO2 emissions expected to be emitted

by power plants in the year 2010, to a

level of 15,875 tons, or 0.16 percent of

2010 emissions of NO2 from U.S. power

plants.

C. Carbon Dioxide

The expected reductions in CO2 from

the candidate standard levels range

from 736,000 tons, or 0.04 percent of the

expected CO2 emissions in the U.S. in

2010, to a level of 1,677,000 tons, or C.09

percent of the CO2 emissions expected

in the U.S. in the year 2010.

The environmental impacts from the

savings of SO2, NO2, or CO2 from the

candidate standards are considered to

be insignificant.

3. Clothes Dryers

The greatest impact of the candidate

standard levels for clothes dryers is a

decrease in electricity consumption.

General findings are summarized below:

A. Sulfur Dioxide

The expected reductions in SO2 from

the candidate standard levels range

from 10,552 tons, or 0.06 percent of the

SO2 emissions expected from U.S. power

plants in the year 2010, to a level of

38,230 tons, which would represent 0.22'

percent of SO2 emissions by U.S. power

plants in 2010.

B. Nitrogen Dioxide

The expected reductions in NO 2 from

the candidate standard levels range

from 7,020 tons, or 0.07 percent of the

U.S. NO2 emissions expected to be

emitted by U.S. power plants in the year

2010, to a level of 25,641 tons,

representing 0.25 percent of NO2

emissions by U.S. power plants in 2010.

C. Carbon Dioxide

The expected reductions in CO2 from

the candidate standard levels range

from 638,000 tons, or 0.04 tons of the CO2

emissions expected to be emitted in the

U.S. in the year 2010, to a level of

2,398,000 tons, or 0.13 percent of U.S.

emissions of CO2 in 2010.

The environmental impacts from the

savings of SO2, NO2, or CO2 from the

candidate standards are considered to

be insignificant.

In conclusion, no levels of the

candidate standards for the appliances,

individually or cumulatively, would

result in significant reductions of SO2,

NO2, or CO2 and therefore none would

result in significant environmental

impacts.

Determination

Based upon the EA, DOE has

determined that the proposal of any of

the candidate amended energyefficiency standards for dishwashers,

clothes dryers and clothes washers

would not constitute a major federal

action significantly affecting the quality

of the human environment, within the

meaning of NEPA. Therefore, an

Environmental Impact Statement is not

required.

Issued in Washington, DC, May 30, 1989.

Peter N. Brush,

Acting Assistant Secretary, Environment,

Safety and Health.

[FR Doc. 89-18538 Filed 8-8-89; 8:45 am]

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