This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules. 

# Proposed Rules Federal Register 

### 18784

Vol. 80, No. 67

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

**DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION**

**Office of the Secretary**

**2 CFR Part 1201**

**[Docket DOT–OST–2015–0013]**

**RIN 2105–AE38**

**Geographic-Based Hiring Preferences in Administering Federal Awards** 

**AGENCY :**  Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation (DOT).

**ACTION :**  Extension of comment period on proposed rule.

**SUMMARY :**  This action extends the comment period for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to amend the DOT’simplementation of the Governmentwide Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards to permit recipients and subrecipients to impose geographic-based hiring preferences whenever not otherwise prohibited by Federal statute. This NPRM was published in the Federal Register on March 6, 2015, at 80 FR 12092. We are extending the end of the comment period from April 6, 2015, to May 6, 2015. The extension of the comment period is intended to provide all interested parties sufficient time prior to submit comments to the docket for this proposed rulemaking.

**DATES :**  Comments must be received by May 6, 2015. Comments received after this date will be considered to the extent practicable.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may file comments identified by the docket number DOT– OST–2015–0013 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Room W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001. • Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket number DOT– OST–2015–0013 or the Regulatory Identification Number, RIN No. 2105– AE11, for the rulemaking at the beginning of your comment. All comments received will be posted without change to http:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.

Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received in any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment if submitted on behalf of an association, a business, a labor union, etc.). You may review DOT’s complete Privacy Act statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477–78), or you may visit http:// Docketslnfo.dot.gov.

Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to http:// www.regulations.gov or to the street address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the docket.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Michael Harkins, Deputy Assistant General Counsel for General Law (OST– C10), U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590, 202–366–
0590.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  On March 6, 2015, the Department published a NPRM proposing to amend the DOT’simplementation of the Governmentwide Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards to permit recipients and subrecipients to impose geographic-based hiring preferences whenever not otherwise prohibited by Federal statute. On March 13, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) posted a comment requesting DOT extent the comment period for this NPRM by 30 days to May 6. With this notice, the DOT is granting this request by further extending the comment period to May 6.

The DOT has also received a comment to the docket asking whether this proposed rule applies to rolling stock. The DOT specifically requests comments on this issue and whether the DOT should clarify the proposed rule’s application to the procurement of rolling stock.

Issued this 1st day of April, 2015, in Washington, DC. Kathryn B. Thomson,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2015–08084 Filed 4–7–15; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY**

**10 CFR Part 430**

**[Docket Number EERE–2014–BT–STD– 0045]** 

**RIN 1904–AD48**

**Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Definitions for**  **Residential Water Heaters**

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

**ACTION :**  Notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR).

**SUMMARY :**  The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including residential water heaters. EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to determine whether more stringent amended standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a significant amount of energy. Accordingly, DOE established amended energy conservation standards for several classes of residential water heaters in an April 2010 final rule. In this notice, DOE proposes to amend its definitions pertaining to residential water heaters and to clarify the applicability of energy conservation standards for residential water heaters that are utilized as a secondary back-up heat source in solar-thermal water heating systems. Specifically, DOE is proposing to create a definition for ‘‘solar-assisted fossil fuel storage water heater’’ and ‘‘solar-assisted electric storage water heater’’ and clarify that water heaters meeting these definitions are not subject to the amended energy