DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY office of Conservation and Renewable Energy 10 CFR Part 430 Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products
AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)on Proposed ~ulemakingfor Energy Conservation Standards for 3 Types of Consumer Products. SUMMARY: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA),as amended by the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA)and theNational Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA),prescribes energy conservation standards for certain major household appliances, and requires the Department of Energy (DOE)toadminister an energy conservation program for these products. As a general matter, these Federal standardspreempt State and local standards and any other State and local requirementswith respect toenergy efficiency or energy use of these products. Among other things, NAECA requires DOE to consider amending the energy conservation standards for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers; to establish standards for small gas furnaces; and to consider establishing energy conservation standards for television sets.
In accordance with NAECA, the Department has reviewed possible standards for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers, small gas furnaces and television sets asdiscussed in today's notice of proposed rulemaking.refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers,the tment is proposing a range of standards that includes not creasing the stringency of the standard level. DOE is soliciting comments and information from the public tobe considered in promulgating the final rule. As discussed in the proposed rule, the final rule will specify a specific level for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers. For small gas furnaces, the Department is proposing todetermine that standardswould result in a significant conservation of energy and be economically justified. Therefore, the Department is today proposing to amend 10 CFR Part 430 toadd standards for this product. Finally, for television sets, the Department is proposing to determine that an energy conservation standard would result in a significant conservation of energy but would not be economically justified. Therefore, the Department is proposing to amend Part 430 to include a determination of no standard for television sets.

Based on an Environmental Assessment (EA), DOE has determined that none of the proposed standards, including the "no standardn for television sets, are a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of thehuman environment within themeaning of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Therefore an Environmental Impact Statement will not be prepared. The EA is part of the Technical Support Document for the proposed standards and is available
on request at the following address. Public availability: Hearings and Dockets Branch, Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy, I'.S. Department of Energy, Docket-RM-87-102, 1000 IndependenceAvenue, s.w., Room 68-025, gton, DC 20585 (202)586-9320. FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael 

### J. McCabe U.S. Department of Energy Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy Forrestal Building, Mail Station CE-132 1000 IndependenceAvenue, s.W. Washington, D.C. 20585

(202) 586-9127 Donald E. Henninger U.S. Department of Energy Office of NEPA Project Assistance Forrestal Building, Mail station EH-25 1000 IndependenceAvenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20585

(202)586-4600 Martha S. Crosland U.S. Department of Energy Office of General Counsel Forrestal Building, Mail Station GC-11 1000 IndependenceAvenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20585

(202)586-6947
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA)on the proposed standardspursuant to theNational Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, Pub. 

### L. 91-190, 40U.S.C. 4221 et seq, and the implementing regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality [40CFR Parts 1500-18081. The EA addresses the possible incremental environmental effects attributable to the application of the proposed standards to thedesign of refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers; and small gas furnaces. The EA also looked at the impact of energy conservation standards for television sets. As discussed in the General Findings, the "no standardw standard for televisionswill not change the status quo and thereforewill not result in any environmental impact. The effect of,,,ironment as discussed in theGeneral Findings below.
used in The Analysis. 

### his assessment evaluates the environmental impacts resulting from theproposed setting of new or amended energy-efficiency

r standards for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, freezers, and small gas furnaces and theproposed setting of no standards for television sets in accordance with theNAECA. A complete description of the Engineering and Economic Analysis of theproposed standards may be found in the Technical Support Document (TSD).
The twomain environmental concerns addressed are emissions from fossil fuel fired electricity generation and the chlorofluorocarbons used in the production of rigid insulation foam.
Four of the fourteen scenarios for product design changes described in the Engineering Analysis of the TSDwere chosen for study based on their relative importance as design measures. Values for energy savings that result from product design changes are also taken from the TSD. An in-depth analysis of particulate emissions is not included in this assessment because particulate emissions are relatively small compared to sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions. Current electricity generating methods are far cleaner than those of thepast. In 1984, power plants contributed only 7 percent ofU.S. total particulate emissions as compared tocontributions of 83 percent and 34 percent to total SO2 and NO2 emissions, respectively (EPA,1986).I Refrigerators,Refrigerator-Freezers and Freezers. roposed standards for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers range from retaining the federally mandated standards 

# ' .,,tained in NAECA, up tothreemore stringent standards. The greatest impacts of the proposed standards, other than theminimum NAECA standards, are the result of generating less electricity. Power plants1main environmental effects on air and water result from emissions of sulfur oxides (SO,), nitrogen oxides (NOx),and carbon dioxide (C02). All SOx and NOx emissions are expressed in the equivalent weights of SO2 and NO2, respectively. Carbon dioxide emissions are commonly expressed as tons of carbon. Additionally, therewould be some shifting of CFC use. General findings are summarized below:
A. Sulfur Dioxide. The greatest decrease in air pollution will occur for sulfur dioxide. The possible reductions range from no change up to 151,000 tons or 0.9 percent of theU.S. SO2 emissions expected tobe emitted by power plants by the year 2010 for themost stringent standard



### B. Nitrogen Dioxide. The possible reductions inNO2 range from no change up to


# u The upper levels are interpolated from data in Table 5.8 of the Technical Support Document for energy savings and Tables 1,2,5, and 6 of the Environmental Assessment for pollutant reductions. The interpolation is made between standard level 1 (engineering lev21 3) and standard level 4 (engineering level 8).tons or 1.0 percent of the total NO2 emissions expected tobe power plants by theyear 2010 for themost stringent rndard proposed.

# u
C. Carbon Dioxide. J The possible reductions in CO2 range from no change up to the equivalent of 9,180,000 tons or 0.2 percent of theworldwide C02 emissions for theyear 2010 for themost stringent standard

D. Chlorofluorocarbons. An additional effect of some design change scenarios is an increased consumption of CFC1s. CFC-11 is contained in the rigid foam insulation used in the appliances and CFC-12 is theheat exchange fluid used in refrigerators and freezers. The possible increased use ranges from no change toone percent of the 1985 total United States CFC-11 and CFC-12 consumption for themost stringent standards proposed. However, since CFC production has been limited, any extra consumption would have to come from other uses and would not result in
a net increase in CFC production. None of the environmental impacts from the savings of SO2, NO2,
or C02 from the range of proposed standards are considered tobe significant.



### 2/ ibid. ibid.2. Small Gas Furnaces. The greatest impact of theproposed standard for small gas ~rnaces is a decrease in electricity consumption as some households ~hift from electric heating to small gas furnaces and decreases in gas and oil burned in homes. General findings are summarized below:


### A. Sulfur ~ioxide. The reduction in SO2would be 6800tons or 4.2 percent of the emissions estimated to come from residential fuel combustion during 2010.


### B. Nitrogen Dioxide The reduction in NO2 would be 5100 tons or 1.3 percent of the emissions estimated to come from residential fuel combustion during 2010.
C. Carbon Dioxide The reduction in C02 would be equivalent to 569,000 tons of carbon or .Ol percent of theworldwide C02 emissions for the year 2010. None of the environmental impacts from the savings of SO2, NO2, or C02 from the proposed standard are considered tobe significant.

3. Television Sets. The proposed "no standard" standard for television sets results in no impact on the environment since it will not change the status quo. DOE is unaware of any State or local energy conservation standards concerning television sets that would be preempted by the l1nostandardm standard. The only state standard for television sets- 

## r\mentof

## Energy

DOE is aware is the New York State standard that bans the Pnt-onwFeature of tube type televisions. However, since tube pe television sets are no longermanufactured, such standards rrently have no effect.
termination. Based upon the EA, DOE has determined that the proposed interim andards do not constitute amajor federal action significantly fecting the quality of the human environment,within themeaning of PA. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement is not required.
Issued in Washington, D.C. 

## 1/17 

## , 1988. 

# &C
Ernest C. Bay&"d 11b7' Assistant se;;S/etary C Environment, Safety and Health-- 

### a. EnvironmentalReview DOE 

### prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) 

### on theproposed standardswursuant to theNationalEnvironmentalPolicyAct 

### of 1969,
as amended, Pub. L. 

### 91-190, 40 U.S .C. 

### 4221 et 

## sea., and the implementing requlations of theCouncilonEnvironmental Quality (40 CFR Parts 1500 through 1808)

# . TheEA 

### addresses thepossible incremental environmental effects attributable to the

### application of theproposed standards to the

### design of three types of covered proi'ucts: refriaerators, r e f r i a e r a t o r - freezers, and freezers; small
aas fvrnacest 

### and television 

### sets.
A 

### Finding of No

### Siqnificant Impact (FONSI) 

### ispublished in todav'sFeeera1Rea

### ister

# . TheFONSI 

### concludes that theproposed standar$s would result inno siqnificant environmental impacts and that an environmental impact statement is 

### not requ-ired. TheEA 

### is part of theTechnicalSupportDocument and is 

### availableat theDOE 

### Freedom of InformationReading Room 

### at the addressprovided atthe beginning of thisnotice.