Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 96 / Thursday, May 17, 2012 / Notices 29321 

SUMMARY: On February 21, 2012, EAC 

published a notice in accordance with 

Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. EAC announced 

an information collection and sought 

public comment on the provisions 

thereof. In compliance with Section 

3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, EAC announces 

an information collection and seeks 

public comment on the provisions 

thereof. EAC, pursuant to 5 CFR 

1320.5(a)(iii), intends to submit this 

proposed information collection 

(Election Administration in Urban and 

Rural Areas) to the Director of the Office 

of Management and Budget for 

approval. The Election Administration 

in Urban and Rural Areas survey asks 

election officials questions concerning 

voter outreach and election personnel. 

EAC will conduct the survey as a way 

to obtain data and information for a 

mandatory report to Congress as 

stipulated under HAVA 241 (B)(15), 

which requires EAC to study ‘‘[m]atters 

particularly relevant to voting and 

administering election in rural and 

urban areas.’’ Further, Section 202(3) of 

HAVA authorizes EAC to conduct 

studies and to carry out other duties and 

activities to promote the effective 

administration of Federal elections. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before 4:00 p.m. EDT on 

June 18, 2012. 

Comments: Public comments are 

invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed information collection; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the information collection on 

respondents, including through the use 

of automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Additional Information: Please note 

that the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) has up to 60 days to 

approve or disapprove the information 

collection, but may respond after 30 

days. Comments on the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted to OMB within 30 days of 

this notice. Comments should be sent to 

the attention of Sharon Mar, Desk 

Officer for the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission, Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs, Office of 

Management and Budget, Washington, 

DC 20503. Comments sent to OMB 

should also be sent to EAC at 

HAVAinfo@eac.gov with Urban/Rural 

study as the subject line. Written 

comments on the proposed information 

collection can also be sent to the U.S. 

Election Assistance Commission, 1201 

New York Avenue NW., Suite 300, 

Washington, DC 20005, ATTN: Urban/ 

Rural Study. 

Obtaining a Copy of the Survey: To 

obtain a free copy of the survey: (1) 

Access the EAC Web site at 

www.eac.gov; (2) write to the EAC 

(including your address and phone 

number) at U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission, 1201 New York Avenue 

NW., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, 

ATTN: Urban/Rural Study. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karen Lynn-Dyson or Shelly Anderson 

at (202) 566–3100. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title and OMB Number: Election 

Administration in Urban and Rural 

Areas; OMB Number Pending. 

Summary of the Collection of 

Information: The survey requests 

information at the local level concerning 

the following categories: 

Background: (1) Number of years 

served as an election official; type of 

appointment; (2) number of registered 

voters; (3) jurisdiction described as 

urban or rural; (4) jurisdiction required 

to provide language assistance; (5) office 

have full responsibility for elections in 

the jurisdiction; (6) alternative forms of 

voting allowed in the jurisdiction 

(absentee—excuse required, no-excuse 

absentee, early voting, all vote-by-mail). 

Voter Outreach: (7) type of voter 

outreach provided to the public; (8) 

outreach efforts coordinated with thirdparty/civic organizations; type of voter 

outreach coordinated; type of 

organizations with which the 

jurisdiction works; (9) voter outreach 

activities that focus on specific groups; 

(10) cost of voter outreach efforts in 

2010; (11) estimated cost of voter 

outreach efforts in 2012; (12) how voter 

outreach efforts were paid for; (13) ease 

or difficulty of engaging in voter 

outreach; (14) reasons outreach may 

have been difficult. 

Personnel: (15) number of paid fulltime, part-time, and temporary staff in 

2010; (16) number of poll workers used 

in 2010; (17) number of paid full-time, 

part-time, and temporary staff in 2012; 

(18) number of poll workers used in 

2012; (19) poll worker pay; (20) sources 

for recruiting poll workers; (21) ease or 

difficulty of obtaining poll workers; (22) 

reasons obtaining poll workers may 

have been difficult; (23) jurisdiction 

offer split shifts for poll workers; (24) 

additional comments. 

Affected Public (Respondents): Local 

governments that administer Federal 

elections. 

Affected Public: Local government. 

Number of Respondents: 5,000. 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Burden Per Response: 30 

minutes. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 1,500 hours. 

Frequency: One-time data collection. 

Mark A. Robbins, 

Acting Executive Director, U.S. Election 

Assistance Commission. 

[FR Doc. 2012–11919 Filed 5–16–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–KF–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

National Coal Council 

AGENCY: Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the National Coal Council 

(NCC). The Federal Advisory Committee 

Act (Pub. L. 92–463, 86 Stat. 770) 

requires that public notice of these 

meetings be announced in the Federal 

Register. 

DATES: Thursday, June 7, 2012, 10:00 

a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: Crowne Plaza Chicago 

O’Hare, 5440 North River Road, 

Rosemont, Illinois 60018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Robert J. Wright, U.S. Department of 

Energy; 4G–036/Forrestal Building, 

1000 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–1290; 

Telephone: 202–586–0429. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of Meeting: The Coal Policy 

Committee of the National Coal Council 

will review the draft of a report 

requested by Secretary of Energy Steven 

Chu in a letter dated October 28, 2011, 

to the Council. 

Tentative Agenda 

■ Review and action on the report. 

■ Adjourn. 

Public Participation: The meeting is 

open to the public. If you would like to 

file a written statement with the 

Committee, you may do so either before 

or after the meeting. If you would like 

to make oral statements regarding any 

potential items on the agenda, you 

should contact Dr. Robert J. Wright, 

202–586–0429 or 

Robert.wright@hq.doe.gov (email). You 

must make your request for an oral 

statement at least 5 business days before 

the meeting. Reasonable provision will 

be made to include the scheduled oral 

mstockstill on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

29322 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 96 / Thursday, May 17, 2012 / Notices 

statements on the agenda. The 

Chairperson of the Committee will 

conduct the meeting to facilitate the 

orderly conduct of business. Public 

comment will follow the 10-minute 

rule. 

Minutes: The NCC will prepare 

meeting minutes within 45 days of the 

meeting. The minutes will be posted on 

the NCC Web site at http:// 

www.nationalcoalcouncil.org/. 

Dated: Issued at Washington, DC, on May 

11, 2012. 

LaTanya R. Butler, 

Acting Deputy Committee Management 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–11977 Filed 5–16–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

[Docket No. EERE–2011–BT–DET–0057] 

RIN 1904–AC59 

Updating State Residential Building 

Energy Efficiency Codes 

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of final determination. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

(DOE or Department) has determined 

that the 2012 edition of the International 

Code Council (ICC) International Energy 

Conservation Code (IECC) (2012 IECC or 

2012 edition) would achieve greater 

energy efficiency in low-rise residential 

buildings than the 2009 IECC. Upon 

publication of this affirmative final 

determination, States are required to file 

certification statements to DOE that they 

have reviewed the provisions of their 

residential building code regarding 

energy efficiency and made a 

determination as to whether to update 

their code to meet or exceed the 2012 

IECC. Additionally, this Notice provides 

guidance to States on how the codes 

have changed from previous versions, 

and the certification process. 

DATES: Certification Statements by the 

States must be provided by May 17, 

2014. 

ADDRESSES: Certification Statements 

must be addressed to the Buildings 

Technologies Program-Building Energy 

Codes Program Manager, U.S. 

Department of Energy, Office of Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 

Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE–2J, 

1000 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Erbesfeld, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, 

Mail Station EE–2J, 1000 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585– 

0121, (202) 287–1874, email: 

michael.erbesfeld@ee.doe.gov. For legal 

issues contact Kavita Vaidyanathan, 

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the 

General Counsel, Forrestal Building, 

GC–71, 1000 Independence Avenue 

SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586– 

0669, email: 

kavita.vaidyanathan@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction 

A. Statutory Requirements 

B. Background 

C. Public Comments on the Preliminary 

Determination 

D. DOE’s Final Determination Statement 

II. Discussion of Changes in the 2012 IECC 

A. Changes in the 2012 IECC That Increase 

Energy Efficiency 

B. Changes in the 2012 IECC That Decrease 

Energy Efficiency 

C. Changes in the 2012 IECC That Have an 

Unclear Impact on Energy Efficiency 

D. Changes in the 2012 IECC That Do Not 

Affect Energy Efficiency 

III. Filing Certification Statements With DOE 

A. State Determinations 

B. Certification 

C. Request for Extensions 

IV. Regulatory Analysis 

A. Review Under Executive Order 12866 

B. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility 

Act 

C. Review Under the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

D. Review Under Executive Order 13132, 

‘‘Federalism’’ 

E. Review Under the Unfunded Mandates 

Reform Act of 1995 

F. Review Under the Treasury and General 

Government Appropriations Act of 1999 

G. Review Under the Treasury and General 

Government Appropriations Act of 2001 

H. Review Under Executive Order 13211 

I. Review Under Executive Order 13175 

I. Introduction 

A. Statutory Requirements 

Title III of the Energy Conservation 

and Production Act, as amended 

(ECPA), establishes requirements for the 

Building Energy Standards Program. 

(42 U.S.C. 6831–6837) Section 304(a) of 

ECPA provides that when the 1992 

Model Energy Code (MEC), or any 

successor to that code, is revised, the 

Secretary must determine, not later than 

12 months after the revision, whether 

the revised code would improve energy 

efficiency in residential buildings and 

must publish notice of the 

determination in the Federal Register. 

(42 U.S.C. 6833(a)(5)(A)) The 

Department, following precedent set by 

the ICC and the American Society of 

Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 

considers high-rise (greater than three 

stories) multifamily residential 

buildings and hotel, motel, and other 

transient residential building types of 

any height as commercial buildings for 

energy code purposes. Low-rise 

residential buildings include one- and 

two-family detached and attached 

buildings, duplexes, townhouses, row 

houses, and low-rise multifamily 

buildings (not greater than three stories) 

such as condominiums and garden 

apartments. 

If the Secretary determines that the 

revision would improve energy 

efficiency then, not later than 2 years 

after the date of the publication of the 

affirmative determination, each State is 

required to certify that it has compared 

its residential building code regarding 

energy efficiency to the revised code 

and made a determination whether it is 

appropriate to revise its code to meet or 

exceed the provisions of the successor 

code. (42 U.S.C. 6833(a)(5)(B)) State 

determinations are to be made: (1) After 

public notice and hearing; (2) in writing; 

(3) based upon findings included in 

such determination and upon evidence 

presented at the hearing; and (4) 

available to the public. (See, 42 U.S.C. 

6833(a)(5)(C)) In addition, if a State 

determines that it is not appropriate to 

revise its residential building code, the 

State is required to submit to the 

Secretary, in writing, the reasons, which 

are to be made available to the public. 

(See, 42 U.S.C. 6833(a)(5)(C)) 

B. Background 

The ICC’s IECC establishes a national 

model code for energy efficiency 

requirements for buildings. In 1997, the 

Council of American Building Officials 

(CABO) was incorporated into the ICC 

and the MEC was renamed to the IECC. 

A previous Federal Register notice, 59 

FR 36173, July 15, 1994, announced the 

Secretary’s determination that the 1993 

MEC increased energy efficiency 

relative to the 1992 MEC for residential 

buildings. Similarly, another Federal 

Register notice, 61 FR 64727, December 

6, 1996, announced the Secretary’s 

determination that the 1995 MEC is an 

improvement over the 1993 MEC. 

Federal Register notice 66 FR 1964, 

January 10, 2001, simultaneously 

announced the Secretary’s 

determination that the 1998 IECC is an 

improvement over the 1995 MEC and 

the 2000 IECC is an improvement over 

the 1998 IECC. Federal Register notice 

76 FR 42688, July 19, 2011, announced 

the Secretary’s determination that the 

2003 IECC was not a substantial 

improvement over its predecessor, 

while the 2006 and 2009 editions were 

a substantial improvement over its 

predecessors. A map depicting the 

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