12252 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 36 / Friday, February 22, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

Association International (AMCA), on 

behalf of itself and its affiliates, 

requested an extension of the public 

comment period by 45 days. AMCA 

stated that the additional time is 

necessary to conduct a rapid and 

intensive research project in order to 

provide DOE with better information at 

an early stage of the regulatory process, 

making subsequent phases more 

efficient and effective. 

Based on AMCA’s request, DOE 

believes that extending the comment 

period to allow additional time for 

interested parties to submit comments is 

appropriate. Therefore, DOE is 

extending the comment period until 

May 2, 2013 to provide interested 

parties additional time to prepare and 

submit comments. Accordingly, DOE 

will consider any comments received by 

May 2, 2013 to be timely submitted. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 12, 

2013. 

Kathleen B. Hogan, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy 

Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2013–04058 Filed 2–21–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

10 CFR Part 431 

[Docket No. EERE–2012–BT–STD–0029] 

RIN 1904–AC82 

Energy Efficiency Program for 

Commercial and Industrial Equipment: 

Public Meeting and Availability of the 

Framework Document for Packaged 

Terminal Air Conditioners and 

Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps 

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and 

availability of the framework document. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) is initiating a rulemaking 

and data collection process to consider 

amending energy conservation 

standards for packaged terminal air 

conditioners (PTACs) and packaged 

terminal heat pumps (PTHPs). DOE will 

hold a public meeting to discuss and 

receive comments on its planned 

analytical approach and issues it will 

address in this rulemaking proceeding. 

DOE welcomes written comments and 

relevant data from the public on any 

subject within the scope of this 

rulemaking. To inform interested parties 

and to facilitate this process, DOE has 

prepared a framework document that 

details the analytical approach and 

identifies several issues on which DOE 

is particularly interested in receiving 

comments. 

DATES: Meeting: DOE will hold a public 

meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 

from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in 

Washington, DC. Additionally, DOE 

plans to conduct the public meeting via 

webinar. You may attend the public 

meeting via webinar, and registration 

information, participant instructions, 

and information about the capabilities 

available to webinar participants will be 

published on DOE’s Web site at: http://

www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/

appliance_standards/product.aspx/

productid/45. Participants are 

responsible for ensuring their systems 

are compatible with the webinar 

software. 

DOE must receive requests to speak at 

the public meeting before 4:00 p.m., 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013. DOE must 

receive an electronic copy of the 

statement with the name and, if 

appropriate, the organization of the 

presenter to be given at the public 

meeting before 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, 

March 5, 2013. 

Comments: DOE will accept written 

comments, data, and information 

regarding the framework document 

before and after the public meeting, but 

no later than March 25, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be 

held at the U.S. Department of Energy, 

Forrestal Building, Room 8E–089, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. Please 

note that foreign nationals planning to 

participate in the public meeting are 

subject to advance security screening 

procedures. If a foreign national wishes 

to participate in the public meeting, 

please inform DOE of this fact as soon 

as possible by contacting Ms. Brenda 

Edwards at (202) 586–2945 so that the 

necessary procedures can be completed. 

Please note that any person wishing to 

bring a laptop computer into the 

Forrestal Building will be required to 

obtain a property pass. Visitors should 

avoid bringing laptops, or allow an extra 

45 minutes. As noted above, persons 

may also attend the public meeting via 

webinar. 

Interested parties are encouraged to 

submit comments electronically. 

However, comments may be submitted 

by any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Email to the following address: 

PkgTerminalAC– 

HP2012STD0029@ee.doe.gov. Include 

docket number EERE–2012–BT–STD– 

0029 and/or RIN 1904–AC82 in the 

subject line of the message. All 

comments should clearly identify the 

name, address, and, if appropriate, 

organization of the commenter. 

• Postal Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, 

U.S. Department of Energy, Building 

Technologies Program, Mailstop EE–2J, 

Framework Document for PTACs and 

PTHPs, Docket No. EERE–2012–BT– 

STD–0029 and/or RIN 1904–AC82, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. Please 

submit one signed paper original. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda 

Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Building Technologies Program, Sixth 

Floor, 950 L’Enfant Plaza SW., 

Washington, DC 20024. Please submit 

one signed paper original. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name and 

docket number and/or RIN for this 

rulemaking. No telefacsimilies (faxes) 

will be accepted. 

Docket: The docket is available for 

review at www.regulations.gov, 

including Federal Register notices, 

public meeting attendees’ lists and 

transcripts, comments, and other 

supporting documents/materials. All 

documents in the docket are listed in 

the www.regulations.gov index. 

However, not all documents listed in 

the index may be publicly available, 

such as information that is exempt from 

public disclosure. 

A link to the docket Web page can be 

found at: http://www.regulations.gov/#

!docketDetail;dct=FR%252BPR%252

BN%252BO%252BSR%252BPS;rpp=25;

po=0;D=EERE-2012-BT–STD-0029. This 

Web page contains a link to the docket 

for this notice on the 

www.regulations.gov Web site. The 

www.regulations.gov Web page contains 

simple instructions on how to access all 

documents, including public comments, 

in the docket. 

For information on how to submit a 

comment, review other public 

comments and the docket, or participate 

in the public meeting, contact Ms. 

Brenda Edwards at (202) 586–2945 or by 

email: Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Ronald Majette, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Building 

Technologies, EE–2J, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

Telephone: (202) 586–7935. Email: 

PTACs@ee.doe.gov. 

Ms. Jennifer Tiedeman, U.S. 

Department of Energy, Office of the 

General Counsel, GC–71, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 36 / Friday, February 22, 2013 / Proposed Rules 12253 

1For editorial reasons, upon codification in the 

U.S. Code, Part C was re-designated Part A–1. 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

Telephone: (202) 287–6111. Email: 

Jennifer.Tiedeman@hq.doe.gov. 

For information on how to submit or 

review public comments and on how to 

participate in the public meeting, 

contact Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. 

Department of Energy, Office of Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 

Building Technologies Program, EE–2J, 

1000 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC, 20585–0121. 

Telephone (202) 586–2945. Email: 

Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title III, 

Part C of the Energy Policy and 

Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), 

Public Law 94–163 (42 U.S.C. 6311– 

6317, as codified), added by Public Law 

95–619, Title IV, section 441(a), 

established the Energy Conservation 

Program for Certain Industrial 

Equipment, which includes the PTACs 

and PTHPs that are the focus of this 

notice.1

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 

(EPACT 1992), Public Law 101–486, 

amended section 342 of EPCA to 

establish Federal energy conservation 

standards that generally correspond to 

the levels in American Society of 

Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineer (ASHRAE)/ 

Illuminating Engineering Society of 

North America (IESNA) Standard 90.1, 

‘‘Energy Standard for Buildings Except 

Low-Rise Residential Buildings,’’ 

(ASHRAE Standard 90.1), effective 

October 24, 1992. These standards apply 

to most types of covered equipment 

listed in section 342(a) of EPCA, 

including PTACs and PTHPs. (42 U.S.C. 

6313(a)) Further, section 342(a)(6)(A) of 

EPCA states that if ASHRAE modifies 

the required efficiency levels specified 

in Standard 90.1 for PTACs and PTHPs, 

DOE must amend the national standard 

for that equipment at the level specified 

in updated ASHRAE Standard 90.1, 

unless DOE determines that a more 

stringent standard would result in 

significant energy savings and would be 

technologically feasible and 

economically justified. (42 U.S.C. 

6313(a)(6)(A)) On October 29, 1999, 

ASHRAE amended its efficiency levels 

for PTACs and PTHPs in ASHRAE 

Standard 90.1–1999; in response, DOE 

published a final rule (2008 final rule) 

amending the minimum energy 

conservation standard for PTACs and 

PTHPs at a more-stringent level than 

those specified in ASHRAE Standard 

90.1–1999. 73 FR 58772 (Oct. 7, 2008). 

Section 305 of the Energy 

Independence and Security Act of 2007 

(EISA 2007), Public Law 110–140, 

amended section 342(a)(6)(C) of EPCA 

to mandate that not later than six years 

after the issuance of any final rule 

establishing or amending a standard for 

ASHRAE equipment, DOE must either 

publish a notice of determination that 

more-stringent standards for such 

equipment are not needed or a notice of 

proposed rulemaking proposing 

amended standards that are 

technologically feasible and 

economically justified. (42 U.S.C. 

6313(6)(A)(i)) Therefore, DOE must 

publish either a determination or notice 

of proposed rulemaking by no later than 

October 7, 2014 (6 years after the 

publication of the 2008 final rule). This 

framework document is being published 

as a first step toward meeting these 

statutory requirements. 

DOE has prepared this framework 

document to explain the relevant issues, 

analyses, and processes it anticipates 

using to determine whether to amend 

energy conservation standards, and, if 

so, to develop such amended standards. 

The focus of the public meeting noted 

above will be to discuss the information 

presented and issues identified in the 

framework document. At the public 

meeting, DOE will make presentations 

and invite discussion on the rulemaking 

process as it applies to PTACs and 

PTHPs. DOE will also solicit comments, 

data, and information from participants 

and other interested parties. 

DOE is planning to conduct in-depth 

technical analyses in the following 

areas: (1) Engineering, (2) energy-use 

characterization, (3) equipment price, 

(4) life-cycle cost and payback period, 

(5) national impacts, (6) manufacturer 

impacts, (7) utility impacts, (8) 

employment impacts, (9) emission 

impacts, and (10) regulatory impacts. 

DOE will also conduct several other 

analyses that support those previously 

listed, including the market and 

technology assessment, the screening 

analysis (which contributes to the 

engineering analysis), and the 

shipments analysis (which contributes 

to the national impact analysis). 

DOE encourages those who wish to 

participate in the public meeting to 

obtain the framework document and be 

prepared to discuss its contents. A copy 

of the framework document is available 

at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/ 

buildings/appliance_standards/ 

product.aspx/productid/45. 

Public meeting participants need not 

limit their comments to the issues 

identified in the framework document. 

DOE is also interested in comments on 

other relevant issues that participants 

believe would affect energy 

conservation standards for this 

equipment, applicable test procedures, 

or the preliminary determination on the 

scope of coverage. DOE invites all 

interested parties, whether or not they 

participate in the public meeting, to 

submit in writing by March 25, 2013, 

comments and information on matters 

addressed in the framework document 

and on other matters relevant to DOE’s 

consideration of amended standards for 

PTACs and PTHPs. 

The public meeting will be conducted 

in an informal, facilitated, conference 

style. There shall be no discussion of 

proprietary information, costs or prices, 

market shares, or other commercial 

matters regulated by U.S. antitrust laws. 

A court reporter will record the 

proceedings of the public meeting, after 

which a transcript will be available on 

the DOE Web site at: http:// 

www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ 

appliance_standards/product.aspx/ 

productid/45. 

After the public meeting and the close 

of the comment period on the 

framework document, DOE will collect 

data, conduct the analyses as discussed 

in the framework document and at the 

public meeting, and review the public 

comments it receives. 

DOE considers public participation to 

be a very important part of the process 

to determine whether to establish 

amended energy conservation standards 

and, if so determined, to set those 

amended standards. DOE actively 

encourages participation and interaction 

of the public during the comment 

period in each stage of the rulemaking 

process. Beginning with the framework 

document, and during each subsequent 

public meeting and comment period, 

interactions with and among members 

of the public provide a balanced 

discussion of the issues that will assist 

DOE in the standards rulemaking 

process. Accordingly, anyone who 

wishes to participate in the public 

meeting, receive meeting materials, or 

be added to the DOE mailing list to 

receive future notices and information 

about this rulemaking should contact 

Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586–2945, 

or via email at 

Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 15, 

2013. 

Kathleen B. Hogan, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy 

Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2013–04106 Filed 2–21–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 


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