[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71680-71685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29606]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

[Case No. CW-016]


Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Notice of 
Petition for Waiver of LG Electronics USA, Inc. from the Department of 
Energy Residential Clothes Washer Test Procedure, and Grant of Interim 
Waiver

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of petition for waiver, notice of grant of interim 
waiver, and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt of and publishes the LG 
Electronics USA, Inc. (LG) petition for waiver (hereafter, 
``petition'') from specified portions of the U.S. Department of Energy 
(DOE) test procedure for determining the energy consumption of clothes 
washers. Today's notice also grants an interim waiver of the clothes 
washer test procedure. Through this notice, DOE also solicits comments 
with respect to the LG petition.

DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, and information with respect to 
the LG petition until, but no later than December 27, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by case number CW-016, 
by any of the following methods:

[[Page 71681]]

    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0f4e5c50586e66796a7d505d6a7e7a6a7c7b7c4f6a6a216b606a21686079"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4d0c1e121a2c243b283f121f283c38283e393e0d282863292228632a223b">[email protected]</span></a> Include ``Case No. 
CW-016'' in the subject line of the message.
    <bullet> Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J/1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. Please 
submit one signed original paper copy.
    <bullet> Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Suite 
600, Washington, DC 20024. Please submit one signed original paper 
copy.
    Instructions: All submissions received should include the agency 
name and case number for this proceeding. Submit electronic comments in 
WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Portable Document Format (PDF), or text 
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)) file 
format and avoid the use of special characters or any form of 
encryption. Wherever possible, include the electronic signature of the 
author. DOE does not accept telefacsimiles (faxes).
    Any person submitting written comments must also send a copy to the 
petitioner, pursuant to 10 CFR 430.27(d). The contact information for 
the petitioner is: John I. Taylor, Vice President, Government Relations 
and Communications, LG Electronics USA, Inc., 1776 K Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20006; (202) 719-3490; E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6d0702050343190c1401021f2d010a08430e0200"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e48e8b8c8aca90859d888b96a4888381ca878b89">[email protected]</span></a>.
    According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person submitting information that 
he or she believes to be confidential and exempt by law from public 
disclosure should submit two copies to DOE: One copy of the document 
including all the information believed to be confidential, and one copy 
of the document with the information believed to be confidential 
deleted. DOE will make its own determination about the confidential 
status of the information and treat it according to its determination.
    Factors of interest to DOE when evaluating requests to treat 
submitted information as confidential include: (1) A description of the 
items; (2) whether and why such items are customarily treated as 
confidential within the industry; (3) whether the information is 
generally known by or available from other sources; (4) whether the 
information has previously been made available to others without 
obligation concerning its confidentiality; (5) an explanation of the 
competitive injury to the submitting person which would result from 
public disclosure; (6) a date upon which such information might lose 
its confidential nature due to the passage of time; and (7) why 
disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest.
    Docket: For access to the docket to review the background documents 
relevant to this matter, you may visit the U.S. Department of Energy, 
950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., (Resource Room of the Building Technologies 
Program), Washington, DC, 20024; (202) 586-2945, between 9 a.m. and 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Available 
documents include the following items: (1) This notice; (2) public 
comments received; (3) the petition for waiver and application for 
interim waiver; and (4) prior DOE waivers and rulemakings regarding 
similar clothes washer products. Please call Ms. Brenda Edwards at the 
above telephone number for additional information regarding visiting 
the Resource Room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michael G. Raymond, U.S. 
Department of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mail Stop EE-2J, 
Forrestal Building,
    1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. 
Telephone: (202) 586-9611. E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#91dcf8f2f9f0f4fdbfc3f0e8fcfefff5d1f4f4bff5fef4bff6fee7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b0fdd9d3d8d1d5dc9ee2d1c9dddfded4f0d5d59ed4dfd59ed7dfc6">[email protected]</span></a>.
    Ms. Elizabeth Kohl, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the 
General Counsel, Mail Stop GC-71, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0103. Telephone: (202) 586-7796. E-
mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#397c555043585b5c4d511772565155795148175d565c175e564f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4e0b2227342f2c2b3a2660052126220e263f602a212b60292138">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background and Authority

    Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (``EPCA'') sets 
forth a variety of provisions concerning energy efficiency. Part A of 
Title III provides for the ``Energy Conservation Program for Consumer 
Products Other Than Automobiles.'' (42 U.S.C. 6291-6309). Part A 
includes definitions, test procedures, labeling provisions, energy 
conservation standards, and the authority to require information and 
reports from manufacturers. Further, Part A authorizes the Secretary of 
Energy to prescribe test procedures that are reasonably designed to 
produce results which measure energy efficiency, energy use, or 
estimated operating costs, and that are not unduly burdensome to 
conduct. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3)). The test procedure for automatic and 
semi-automatic clothes washers is contained in 10 CFR part 430, subpart 
B, appendix J1.
    The regulations set forth in 10 CFR 430.27 contain provisions that 
enable a person to seek a waiver from the test procedure requirements 
for covered consumer products. A waiver will be granted by the 
Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (the 
Assistant Secretary) if it is determined that the basic model for which 
the petition for waiver was submitted contains one or more design 
characteristics that prevents testing of the basic model according to 
the prescribed test procedures, or if the prescribed test procedures 
may evaluate the basic model in a manner so unrepresentative of its 
true energy consumption characteristics as to provide materially 
inaccurate comparative data. 10 CFR 430.27(l). Petitioners must include 
in their petition any alternate test procedures known to the petitioner 
to evaluate the basic model in a manner representative of its energy 
consumption. 10 CFR 430.27(b)(1)(iii). The Assistant Secretary may 
grant the waiver subject to conditions, including adherence to 
alternate test procedures. 10 CFR 430.27(l). Waivers remain in effect 
pursuant to the provisions of 10 CFR 430.27(m).
    The waiver process also allows the Assistant Secretary to grant an 
interim waiver from test procedure requirements to manufacturers that 
have petitioned DOE for a waiver of such prescribed test procedures. 10 
CFR 430.27(a)(2). An interim waiver remains in effect for 180 days or 
until DOE issues its determination on the petition for waiver, 
whichever is sooner. An interim waiver may be extended for an 
additional 180 days. 10 CFR 430.27(h).

II. Application for Interim Waiver and Petition for Waiver

    On September 24, 2010, LG filed a petition for waiver and 
application for interim waiver from the test procedure applicable to 
automatic and semi-automatic clothes washers set forth in 10 CFR part 
430, subpart B, appendix J1. In particular, LG requested a waiver to 
test its clothes washers with basket volumes greater than 3.8 cubic 
feet on the basis of the residential test procedures contained in 10 
CFR part 430, Subpart B, Appendix J1, with a revised Table 5.1 which 
extends the range of container volumes beyond 3.8 cubic feet.
    LG's petition seeks a waiver from the DOE test procedure because 
the mass of the test load used in the procedure, which is based on the 
basket volume of the test unit, is currently not defined for

[[Page 71682]]

basket sizes greater than 3.8 cubic feet. LG manufactures basic models 
with capacities greater than 3.8 cubic feet, and it is for these basic 
models that LG seeks a waiver from DOE's test procedure.
    Table 5.1 of Appendix J1 defines the test load sizes used in the 
test procedure as linear functions of the basket volume. LG has 
submitted a revised table to extend the maximum basket volume from 3.8 
cubic feet to 6.0 cubic feet, a table is similar to one developed by 
the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). AHAM provided 
calculations to extrapolate Table 5.1 of the DOE test procedure to 
larger container volumes. DOE believes that this is a reasonable 
procedure because the DOE test procedure defines test load sizes as 
linear functions of the basket volume. AHAM's extrapolation was 
performed on the load weight in pounds, and AHAM seems to have used the 
conversion formula of 1/2.2 (or 0.45454545) to convert pounds to 
kilograms. LG requests to use a table similar to the table proposed by 
Samsung in its petition, rounding the results in kilograms to two 
decimal places. 75 FR 57937 (September 23, 2010). However, this table 
does contain small rounding errors which were corrected in the table 
included in DOE's clothes washer test procedure notice of proposed 
rulemaking. See discussion in the Alternate Test Procedure section, 
below.
    An interim waiver may be granted if it is determined that the 
applicant will experience economic hardship if the application for 
interim waiver is denied, if it appears likely that the petition for 
waiver will be granted, and/or the Assistant Secretary determines that 
it would be desirable for public policy reasons to grant immediate 
relief pending a determination of the petition for waiver. (10 CFR 
430.27(g)). DOE determined that LG's application for interim waiver 
does not provide sufficient market, equipment price, shipments, and 
other manufacturer impact information to permit DOE to evaluate the 
economic hardship LG might experience absent a favorable determination 
on its application for interim waiver. Previously, however, DOE granted 
an interim test procedure waiver to Whirlpool for three of Whirlpool's 
clothes washer models with container capacities greater than 3.8 ft\3\. 
(71 FR 48913, August 22, 2006). This notice contained an alternate test 
procedure, which extended the linear relationship between maximum test 
load size and clothes washer container volume in Table 5.1 to include a 
maximum test load size of 15.4 pounds (lbs) for clothes washer 
container volumes of 3.8 to 3.9 ft\3\. On September 16, 2010, DOE 
granted interim waivers to General Electric (75 FR 57915, September 23, 
2010) and Samsung (75 FR 57937, September 23, 2010) for similar 
products. The alternate test procedure in the GE petition was the same 
as that granted to Whirlpool in its interim waiver, while the alternate 
test procedure in the Samsung petition used the slightly different and 
more accurate conversion factor discussed above.
    There was one comment on the LG petition, from Whirlpool 
Corporation. Whirlpool urged that DOE process the LG waiver 
expeditiously, so that clothes washers with larger clothes containers 
can be tested and rated on a comparable basis.
    The current test procedure specifies test load sizes only for 
machines with capacities up to 3.8 cubic feet. In addition, testing a 
basic model with a capacity larger than 3.8 cubic feet using the 
current procedure could evaluate the basic model in a manner so 
unrepresentative of its true energy consumption as to provide 
materially inaccurate comparative data. Based on this, and the interim 
waivers granted to Whirlpool, Samsung and GE, it appears likely that 
the petition for waiver will be granted. As a result, the Department of 
Energy grants an interim waiver to LG for all of the basic models of 
clothes washers with container volumes greater than 3.8 cubic feet 
specified in its petition for waiver, pursuant to 10 CFR 430.27(g). DOE 
also provides for the use of an alternative test procedure extending 
the linear relationship between test load size and container capacity. 
Therefore, it is ordered that:
    The application for interim waiver filed by LG is hereby granted 
for the specified LG clothes washer basic models, subject to the 
specifications and conditions below.
    1. LG shall not be required to test or rate the specified clothes 
washer products on the basis of the test procedure under 10 CFR part 
430 subpart B, appendix J1.
    2. LG shall be required to test and rate the specified clothes 
washer products according to the alternate test procedure as set forth 
in section IV, ``Alternate test procedure.''
    The interim waiver applies to the following basic model groups:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Model                                Brand
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WT5001C *..................................  LG
WT5101H *..................................  LG
LSWF388H **................................  LG
WM3875H ***................................  LG
WM3885H ***................................  LG
WM2701H *..................................  LG
WM2801H ***................................  LG
WM3001H ***................................  LG
4219<greek-i>90<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
4102<greek-i>90<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
4051<greek-i>90<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
4172<greek-i>00<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
2927<greek-i>00<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
2900<greek-i>00<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOE makes decisions on waivers and interim waivers for only those 
models specifically set out in the petition, not future models that may 
or may not be manufactured by the petitioner. LG may submit a new or 
amended petition for waiver and request for grant of interim waiver, as 
appropriate, for additional models of clothes washers for which it 
seeks a waiver from the DOE test procedure. In addition, DOE notes that 
grant of an interim waiver or waiver does not release a petitioner from 
the certification requirements set forth at 10 CFR 430.62.

III. Alternate Test Procedure

    EPCA requires that manufacturers use DOE test procedures to make 
representations about the energy consumption and energy consumption 
costs of products covered by EPCA. (42 U.S.C. 6293(c)) Consistent 
representations are important for manufacturers to make representations 
about the energy efficiency of their products and to demonstrate 
compliance with applicable DOE energy conservation standards. Pursuant 
to its regulations for the grant of a waiver or interim waiver from an 
applicable test procedure at 10 CFR 430.27, DOE is considering setting 
an alternate test procedure for LG in a subsequent Decision and Order. 
This alternate procedure is intended to allow manufacturers of clothes 
washers with basket capacities larger than provided for in the current 
test procedure to make valid representations. This test procedure is 
based on the expanded Table 5.1 of Appendix J1 submitted by LG. This 
Table 5.1 is not identical to the Table 5.1 submitted by LG in its 
petition--it is the Table 5.1 from DOE's clothes washer test procedure 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) (75 FR 57556, September 21, 1010). 
The NOPR Table 5.1 uses the accurate conversion factor 0.45359237 
employed by LG and Samsung to convert from pounds to kilograms, and 
does not contain rounding errors. Furthermore, if DOE specifies an 
alternate test procedure for LG, DOE may consider applying the 
alternate test procedure to similar waivers for residential clothes 
washers.

[[Page 71683]]

    During the period of the interim waiver granted in this notice, LG 
shall test its clothes washer basic models according to the provisions 
of 10 CFR part 430 subpart B, appendix J1, except that the expanded 
Table 5.1 below shall be substituted for Table 5.1 of appendix J1.

                                                               Table 5.1--Test Load Sizes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Container volume                                     Minimum load              Maximum load              Average load
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       cu. ft.  >= <                          liter  >= <        lb           kg           lb           kg           lb           kg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0-0.8.....................................................          0-22.7         3.00         1.36         3.00         1.36         3.00         1.36
0.80-0.90.................................................       22.7-25.5         3.00         1.36         3.50         1.59         3.25         1.47
0.90-1.00.................................................       25.5-28.3         3.00         1.36         3.90         1.77         3.45         1.56
1.00-1.10.................................................       28.3-31.1         3.00         1.36         4.30         1.95         3.65         1.66
1.10-1.20.................................................       31.1-34.0         3.00         1.36         4.70         2.13         3.85         1.75
1.20-1.30.................................................       34.0-36.8         3.00         1.36         5.10         2.31         4.05         1.84
1.30-1.40.................................................       36.8-39.6         3.00         1.36         5.50         2.49         4.25         1.93
1.40-1.50.................................................       39.6-42.5         3.00         1.36         5.90         2.68         4.45         2.02
1.50-1.60.................................................       42.5-45.3         3.00         1.36         6.40         2.90         4.70         2.13
1.60-1.70.................................................       45.3-48.1         3.00         1.36         6.80         3.08         4.90         2.22
1.70-1.80.................................................       48.1-51.0         3.00         1.36         7.20         3.27         5.10         2.31
1.80-1.90.................................................       51.0-53.8         3.00         1.36         7.60         3.45         5.30         2.40
1.90-2.00.................................................       53.8-56.6         3.00         1.36         8.00         3.63         5.50         2.49
2.00-2.10.................................................       56.6-59.5         3.00         1.36         8.40         3.81         5.70         2.59
2.10-2.20.................................................       59.5-62.3         3.00         1.36         8.80         3.99         5.90         2.68
2.20-2.30.................................................       62.3-65.1         3.00         1.36         9.20         4.17         6.10         2.77
2.30-2.40.................................................       65.1-68.0         3.00         1.36         9.60         4.35         6.30         2.86
2.40-2.50.................................................       68.0-70.8         3.00         1.36        10.00         4.54         6.50         2.95
2.50-2.60.................................................       70.8-73.6         3.00         1.36        10.50         4.76         6.75         3.06
2.60-2.70.................................................       73.6-76.5         3.00         1.36        10.90         4.94         6.95         3.15
2.70-2.80.................................................       76.5-79.3         3.00         1.36        11.30         5.13         7.15         3.24
2.80-2.90.................................................       79.3-82.1         3.00         1.36        11.70         5.31         7.35         3.33
2.90-3.00.................................................       82.1-85.0         3.00         1.36        12.10         5.49         7.55         3.42
3.00-3.10.................................................       85.0-87.8         3.00         1.36        12.50         5.67         7.75         3.52
3.10-3.20.................................................       87.8-90.6         3.00         1.36        12.90         5.85         7.95         3.61
3.20-3.30.................................................       90.6-93.4         3.00         1.36        13.30         6.03         8.15         3.70
3.30-3.40.................................................       93.4-96.3         3.00         1.36        13.70         6.21         8.35         3.79
3.40-3.50.................................................       96.3-99.1         3.00         1.36        14.10         6.40         8.55         3.88
3.50-3.60.................................................      99.1-101.9         3.00         1.36        14.60         6.62         8.80         3.99
3.60-3.70.................................................     101.9-104.8         3.00         1.36        15.00         6.80         9.00         4.08
3.70-3.80.................................................     104.8-107.6         3.00         1.36        15.40         6.99         9.20         4.17
3.80-3.90.................................................     107.6-110.4         3.00         1.36        15.80         7.16         9.40         4.26
3.90-4.00.................................................     110.4-113.3         3.00         1.36        16.20         7.34         9.60         4.35
4.00-4.10.................................................     113.3-116.1         3.00         1.36        16.60         7.53         9.80         4.45
4.10-4.20.................................................     116.1-118.9         3.00         1.36        17.00         7.72        10.00         4.54
4.20-4.30.................................................     118.9-121.8         3.00         1.36        17.40         7.90        10.20         4.63
4.30-4.40.................................................     121.8-124.6         3.00         1.36        17.80         8.09        10.40         4.72
4.40-4.50.................................................     124.6-127.4         3.00         1.36        18.20         8.27        10.60         4.82
4.50-4.60.................................................     127.4-130.3         3.00         1.36        18.70         8.46        10.80         4.91
4.60-4.70.................................................     130.3-133.1         3.00         1.36        19.10         8.65        11.00         5.00
4.70-4.80.................................................     133.1-135.9         3.00         1.36        19.50         8.83        11.20         5.10
4.80-4.90.................................................     135.9-138.8         3.00         1.36        19.90         9.02        11.40         5.19
4.90-5.00.................................................     138.8-141.6         3.00         1.36        20.30         9.20        11.60         5.28
5.00-5.10.................................................     141.6-144.4         3.00         1.36        20.70         9.39        11.90         5.38
5.10-5.20.................................................     144.4-147.2         3.00         1.36        21.10         9.58        12.10         5.47
5.20-5.30.................................................     147.2-150.1         3.00         1.36        21.50         9.76        12.30         5.56
5.30-5.40.................................................     150.1-152.9         3.00         1.36        21.90         9.95        12.50         5.65
5.40-5.50.................................................     152.9-155.7         3.00         1.36        22.30        10.13        12.70         5.75
5.50-5.60.................................................     155.7-158.6         3.00         1.36        22.80        10.32        12.90         5.84
5.60-5.70.................................................     158.6-161.4         3.00         1.36        23.20        10.51        13.10         5.93
5.70-5.80.................................................     161.4-164.2         3.00         1.36        23.60        10.69        13.30         6.03
5.80-5.90.................................................     164.2-167.1         3.00         1.36        24.00        10.88        13.50         6.12
5.90-6.00.................................................     167.1-169.9         3.00         1.36        24.40        11.06        13.70         6.21
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
(1) All test load weights are bone dry weights.
(2) Allowable tolerance on the test load weights are <plus-minus> 0.10 lbs (0.05 kg).

IV. Summary and Request for Comments

    Through today's notice, DOE announces receipt of LG's petition for 
waiver from certain parts of the test procedure that apply to clothes 
washers and grants an interim waiver to LG. DOE is publishing LG's 
petition for waiver in its entirety pursuant to 10 CFR 
430.27(b)(1)(iv). The petition contains no confidential information. 
The petition includes a suggested alternate test procedure to measure 
the energy consumption of clothes washers with capacities larger than 
the 3.8 ft\3\

[[Page 71684]]

specified in the current DOE test procedure. DOE is interested in 
receiving comments from interested parties on all aspects of the 
petition, including the suggested alternate test procedure and any 
other alternate test procedure.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 430.27(b)(1)(iv), any person submitting written 
comments to DOE must also send a copy to the petitioner, whose contact 
information is included in the ADDRESSES section above.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2010.
Cathy Zoi
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
September 24, 2010

The Honorable Catherine Zoi,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
United States Department of Energy,
Mail Station EE-10, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585.

Re: Petition for Waiver and Application for Interim Waiver, Test 
Procedure for Clothes Washers

Dear Assistant Secretary Zoi:

    LG Electronics, Inc. (LG) respectfully submits this Petition for 
Waiver and Application for Interim Waiver, pursuant to 10 CFR 
430.27, as related to DOE's test procedure for clothes washers.
    LG is a manufacturer of clothes washers and other products sold 
worldwide, including in the United States. LG's U.S. operations are 
LG Electronics USA, Inc., with headquarters at 1000 Sylvan Avenue, 
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (tel. 201-816-2000). Its worldwide 
headquarters are located at LG Twin Towers 20, Yoido-dong, 
Youngdungpo-gu Seoul, Korea 150-721; (tel. 011-82-2-3777-1114); URL: 
http.www.LGE.com. LG's principal brands include LG[supreg] and OEM 
brands, including GE[supreg] and Kenmore[supreg].
    The test procedure under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 
(EPCA), 42 U.S.C. 6291 et seq., provides for clothes washers to be 
tested with specified allowable test load sizes. See 10 CFR part 
430, subpart B, appendix J1, Table 5.1. The largest average load 
under Table 5.1 is 9.20 lbs. LG believes that it is appropriate for 
DOE to grant a waiver that would allow for testing and rating of 
specified models (see Appendix 1 hereto) with larger test loads 
where the model has a container volume that is greater than the 
largest volume shown on Table 5.1.
    DOE has already granted interim waivers to Whirlpool, General 
Electric, and Samsung for testing with larger test loads for 
specified models in excess of 3.8 cubic feet. 71 FR 48913 (Aug. 22, 
2006) (Whirlpool); 75 FR 57915 (Sept. 23, 2010) (GE); id. 57937 
(Sept. 23, 2010) (Samsung). The Association of Home Appliance 
Manufacturers (AHAM) has submitted comments to DOE suggesting that 
the DOE test procedure be amended to provide for testing with loads 
in excess of those shown in Table 5.1 when testing is done on 
clothes washers with volumes in excess of 3.8 cubic feet. See AHAM 
Comments on the Framework Document for Residential Clothes Washers; 
EERE-2008-BT-STD-0019; RIN 1904-AB90, at Appendix B--AHAM Proposed 
Changes to J1 Table 5.1 (Oct. 2, 2009). In addition, DOE has issued 
a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to amend the DOE test 
procedure to adopt the AHAM proposed Table 5.1. 75 FR 57556 (Sept. 
21, 2010).
    We note that Samsung applied for a waiver using a Table 5.1 that 
DOE has characterized as using ``a slightly more accurate conversion 
factor to convert pounds to kilograms than was used by AHAM and 
GE.'' 75 FR at 57917. DOE has granted Samsung's request in this 
regard for the interim waiver and states that it ``will consider 
adopting the more accurate Table 5.1 in the subsequent decision and 
order [for the GE waiver]'' and may consider applying a test 
procedure using the more accurate conversion factor ``to similar 
waivers for residential clothes washers.''
Id.
    LG requests that DOE grant a waiver for testing and rating based 
on the revised Table 5.1 in Appendix 2 hereto (this is the Table 5.1 
proposed by Samsung, which DOE believes uses a slightly more 
accurate conversion factor than used by AHAM and GE [see above]), 
and applied to its testing and rating of basic models specified in 
Appendix 1 hereto.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ All LG models are measured in accordance with DOE's final 
guidance for measuring clothes container capacity under the test 
procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix J1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The waiver should continue until DOE adopts an applicable 
amended test procedure.
    LG also requests an interim waiver for its testing and rating of 
the foregoing basic models manufactured after the grant of the 
interim waiver. The petition for waiver is likely to be granted, as 
evidenced not only by its merits, but also because DOE has granted 
interim waivers to other manufacturers (Whirlpool, GE, and Samsung) 
and has proposed a corresponding amendment to its test procedure. 
Hence, grant of an interim waiver for LG is appropriate.
    We would be pleased to discuss this request with DOE and provide 
further information as needed.
    We hereby certify that all manufacturers of domestically 
marketed units of the same product type have been notified by letter 
of this petition and application, copies of which letters are set 
forth in Appendix 3 hereto.

Sincerely,

John I. Taylor,
Vice President, Government Relations and Communications, LG 
Electronics USA, Inc., 1776 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20006, 
Phone: 202-719-3490, Fax: 847-941-8177, E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c0aaafa8aeeeb4a1b9acafb280aca7a5eea3afad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7812171016560c190114170a38141f1d561b1715">[email protected]</span></a>.

Of counsel:

John A. Hodges,

Wiley Rein LLP, 1776 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20006, Phone: 
202-719-7000, Fax: 202-719-7049, E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#deb4b6b1bab9bbad9ea9b7b2bba7acbbb7b0f0bdb1b3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8fe5e7e0ebe8eafccff8e6e3eaf6fdeae6e1a1ece0e2">[email protected]</span></a>.

Appendix 1

    The waiver and interim waiver requested herein should apply to 
testing and rating of the following model series of LG-manufactured 
clothes washers. Please note that the actual model numbers will vary to 
account for such factors as year of manufacture, product color, or 
other features. Nonetheless, they will always have volumes in excess of 
3.8 cubic feet.
    (In the chart below, ``<greek-i>'' represents a number; ``*'' 
represents a letter.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Model                                Brand
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WT5001C*...................................  LG
WT5101H*...................................  LG
LSWF388H**.................................  LG
WM3875H***.................................  LG
WM3885H***.................................  LG
WM2701H*...................................  LG
WM2801H***.................................  LG
WM3001H***.................................  LG
4219<greek-i>90<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
4102<greek-i>90<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
4051<greek-i>90<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
4172<greek-i>00<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
2927<greek-i>00<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
2900<greek-i>00<greek-i>...................  Kenmore
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Appendix 2

                                                               Table 5.1--Test Load Sizes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Container volume                                     Minimum load              Maximum load              Average load
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       cu. ft.  >= <                         (liter)  >= <       lb           kg           lb           kg           lb           kg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0-0.8.....................................................          0-22.7         3.00         1.36         3.00         1.36         3.00         1.36
0.80-0.90.................................................       22.7-25.5         3.00         1.36         3.50         1.59         3.25         1.47
0.90-1.00.................................................       25.5-28.3         3.00         1.36         3.90         1.77         3.45         1.56
1.00-1.10.................................................       28.3-31.1         3.00         1.36         4.30         1.95         3.65         1.66
1.10-1.20.................................................       31.1-34.0         3.00         1.36         4.70         2.13         3.85         1.75

[[Page 71685]]

 
1.20-1.30.................................................       34.0-36.8         3.00         1.36         5.10         2.31         4.05         1.84
1.30-1.40.................................................       36.8-39.6         3.00         1.36         5.50         2.49         4.25         1.93
1.40-1.50.................................................       39.6-42.5         3.00         1.36         5.90         2.68         4.45         2.02
1.50-1.60.................................................       42.5-45.3         3.00         1.36         6.40         2.90         4.70         2.13
1.60-1.70.................................................       45.3-48.1         3.00         1.36         6.80         3.08         4.90         2.22
1.70-1.80.................................................       48.1-51.0         3.00         1.36         7.20         3.27         5.10         2.31
1.80-1.90.................................................       51.0-53.8         3.00         1.36         7.60         3.45         5.30         2.40
1.90-2.00.................................................       53.8-56.6         3.00         1.36         8.00         3.63         5.50         2.49
2.00-2.10.................................................       56.6-59.5         3.00         1.36         8.40         3.81         5.70         2.59
2.10-2.20.................................................       59.5-62.3         3.00         1.36         8.80         3.99         5.90         2.68
2.20-2.30.................................................       62.3-65.1         3.00         1.36         9.20         4.17         6.10         2.77
2.30-2.40.................................................       65.1-68.0         3.00         1.36         9.60         4.35         6.30         2.86
2.40-2.50.................................................       68.0-70.8         3.00         1.36        10.00         4.54         6.50         2.95
2.50-2.60.................................................       70.8-73.6         3.00         1.36        10.50         4.76         6.75         3.06
2.60-2.70.................................................       73.6-76.5         3.00         1.36        10.90         4.94         6.95         3.15
2.70-2.80.................................................       76.5-79.3         3.00         1.36        11.30         5.13         7.15         3.24
2.80-2.90.................................................       79.3-82.1         3.00         1.36        11.70         5.31         7.35         3.33
2.90-3.00.................................................       82.1-85.0         3.00         1.36        12.10         5.49         7.55         3.42
3.00-3.10.................................................       85.0-87.8         3.00         1.36        12.50         5.67         7.75         3.52
3.10-3.20.................................................       87.8-90.6         3.00         1.36        12.90         5.85         7.95         3.61
3.20-3.30.................................................       90.6-93.4         3.00         1.36        13.30         6.03         8.15         3.70
3.30-3.40.................................................       93.4-96.3         3.00         1.36        13.70         6.21         8.35         3.79
3.40-3.50.................................................       96.3-99.1         3.00         1.36        14.10         6.40         8.55         3.88
3.50-3.60.................................................      99.1-101.9         3.00         1.36        14.60         6.62         8.80         3.99
3.60-3.70.................................................     101.9-104.8         3.00         1.36        15.00         6.80         9.00         4.08
3.70-3.80.................................................     104.8-107.6         3.00         1.36        15.40         6.99         9.20         4.17
3.80-3.90.................................................     107.6-110.4         3.00         1.36        15.80         7.18         9.40         4.27
3.90-4.00.................................................     110.4-113.3         3.00         1.36        16.20         7.36         9.60         4.36
4.00-4.10.................................................     113.3-116.1         3.00         1.36        16.60         7.55         9.80         4.45
4.10-4.20.................................................     116.1-118.9         3.00         1.36        17.00         7.73        10.00         4.55
4.20-4.30.................................................     118.9-121.8         3.00         1.36        17.40         7.91        10.20         4.64
4.30-4.40.................................................     121.8-124.6         3.00         1.36        17.80         8.09        10.40         4.73
4.40-4.50.................................................     124.6-127.4         3.00         1.36        18.20         8.27        10.60         4.82
4.50-4.60.................................................     127.4-130.3         3.00         1.36        18.70         8.50        10.85         4.93
4.60-4.70.................................................     130.3-133.1         3.00         1.36         19.1         8.65        11.03         5.00
4.70-4.80.................................................     133.1-135.9         3.00         1.36         19.5         8.83        11.24         5.10
4.80-4.90.................................................     135.9-138.8         3.00         1.36         19.9         9.02        11.44         5.19
4.90-5.00.................................................     138.8-141.6         3.00         1.36         20.3         9.21        11.65         5.28
5.00-5.10.................................................     141.6-144.4         3.00         1.36         20.7         9.39        11.85         5.38
5.10-5.20.................................................     144.4-147.3         3.00         1.36         21.1         9.58        12.06         5.47
5.20-5.30.................................................     147.3-150.1         3.00         1.36         21.5         9.76        12.26         5.56
5.30-5.40.................................................     150.1-152.9         3.00         1.36         21.9         9.95        12.46         5.65
5.40-5.50.................................................     152.9-155.8         3.00         1.36         22.3        10.13        12.67         5.75
5.50-5.60.................................................     155.8-158.6         3.00         1.36         22.7        10.32        12.87         5.84
5.60-5.70.................................................     158.6-161.4         3.00         1.36         23.2        10.51        13.08         5.93
5.70-5.80.................................................     161.4-164.3         3.00         1.36         23.6        10.69        13.29         6.03
5.80-5.90.................................................     164.3-167.1         3.00         1.36         24.0        10.88        13.49         6.12
5.90-6.00.................................................     167.1-169.9         3.00         1.36         24.4        11.06        13.70         6.21
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
(1) All test load weights are bone dry weights.
(2) Allowable tolerance on the test load weights are +/-0.10 lbs (0.05 kg).

[FR Doc. 2010-29606 Filed 11-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P


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