Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 2003 / Proposed Rules 62205

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy 

10 CFR Part 430 

[Docket No. EE–RM/TP–03–100] 

RIN 1904–AB43 

Energy Conservation Program for 

Consumer Products: Test Procedure 

for Clothes Washers

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY: This notice of proposed 

rulemaking contains an amendment to 

the test procedure for measuring the 

energy consumption of clothes washers. 

The amendment changes one of the spin 

cycles required for testing the cloth used 

in the extraction phase of the test 

procedure by replacing the lowest spin 

cycle of 50 gravitation (g) force with a 

spin cycle of 100g. The 50g spin cycle 

produced inconsistent and unreliable 

test results. This amendment also 

includes an additional statistical 

analysis as a criterion to establish the 

acceptance of a future lot of the test 

cloth when it is submitted for testing. 

These changes will improve the 

reliability of the test cloth data and the 

repeatability of the clothes washer test 

procedure. Because the Department of 

Energy (DOE or the Department) does 

not expect this proposed amendment to 

the rule to receive any significant 

adverse comments, it is also issuing the 

amendment as a direct final rule in the 

‘‘Rules and Regulations’’ section of this 

Federal Register.

DATES: Public comments on the 

amendment proposed herein will be 

accepted until December 1, 2003.

ADDRESSES: The Department will accept 

comments, data and information 

regarding the proposed rule no later 

than the date provided in the DATES

section. Please submit comments, data 

and information electronically to the 

following Internet address: 

clotheswashertestclothtp@ee.doe.gov.

Electronic comments must be submitted 

in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, 

or text (ASCII) format file and avoid the 

use of special characters or any form of 

encryption. Comments in electronic 

format should be identified by the 

docket number EE–RM/TP–03–100, and 

wherever possible carry the electronic 

signature of the author. Absent an 

electronic signature, comments 

submitted electronically must be 

followed and authenticated by 

submitting the signed original paper 

document. No telefacsimiles (telefaxes) 

will be accepted. 

Written (paper) comments may be 

submitted to: Ms. Brenda EdwardsJones, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Building Technologies Program, 

Mailstop EE–2J, Test Procedures for 

Clothes Washers, Docket Number: EE–

RM/TP–03–100, 1000 Independence 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585–

0121. Telephone: (202) 586–2945. 

Please submit one signed copy—no 

telefacsimiles. 

You may read copies of the public 

comments received in the resource room 

of the appliance office of the Building 

Technologies Program, room 1J–018 of 

the Forrestal Building at the U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC between the hours of 9 

a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. Please 

call Ms. Brenda Edwards-Jones at the 

above telephone number for additional 

information regarding visiting the 

resource room. Please note: The 

Department’s Freedom of Information 

Reading Room (room 1E–190 in the 

Forrestal Building) is no longer 

servicing rulemakings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barbara Twigg or Bryan Berringer, U.S. 

Department of Energy, Office of Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy, EE–

2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121, (202) 586–

9611, e-mail: 

Barbara.Twigg@ee.doe.gov, or 

Bryan.Berringer@ee.doe.gov,

respectively; or Francine Pinto, Esq., or 

Thomas DePriest, Esq., U.S. Department 

of Energy, Office of General Counsel, 

GC–72, 1000 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–

9507, e-mail: 

Francine.Pinto@hq.doe.gov, or 

Thomas.DePriest@hq.doe.gov,

respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In this 

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR), 

DOE proposes an amendment to the test 

procedure for measuring the energy 

consumption of clothes washers. The 

proposed amendment replaces the 50g 

force spin cycle required for testing the 

cloth used in the extraction phase of the 

test procedure with a spin cycle of 100g. 

Recent tests have disclosed that the 

slow 50g spin cycle, unlike the test 

cycles at spin speeds of 100g and above, 

produced inconsistent results and 

unreliable data. In this NOPR, DOE also 

proposes to require the use of a 

statistical procedure, Analysis of 

Variance (ANOVA), that can detect the 

interactive effect between test lots and 

spin speeds and improve consistency 

with the baseline data. 

Today, the Department is also 

publishing, elsewhere in this issue of 

the Federal Register, a direct final rule 

that makes the change to this test 

procedure that DOE is proposing in this 

NOPR. As DOE explains in the preamble 

of the direct final rule, the Department 

considers this amendment to be 

uncontroversial and unlikely to generate 

any significant adverse comments. If the 

Department receives no significant 

adverse comments on the amendment, 

the direct final rule will become 

effective on the date specified in that 

rule, and there will be no further action 

on this proposal. If DOE receives 

significant adverse comments on the 

direct final rule, DOE will withdraw the 

direct final rule. DOE will then address 

the public comments in a subsequent 

final rule based on the rule proposed in 

this NOPR (which is the same as the 

rule set forth in the direct final rule). 

Because the Department will not 

institute a second comment period on 

this proposed rule, any parties 

interested in commenting should do so 

during this comment period. 

For further supplemental information, 

the detailed rationale, and the rule 

amendment, see the information 

provided in the direct final rule in this 

Federal Register.

List of Subjects in 10 CFR Part 430 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Energy conservation, 

Household appliances.

Issued in Washington, DC, on October 27, 

2003. 

David K. Garman, 

Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy.

[FR Doc. 03–27469 Filed 10–30–03; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P


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