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Federal Register I Vol. 67, No. 100 I Thursday, May 23, 2002 I Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy 

Finding of No Significant Impact: 


Energy Conservation Program for 


Consumer Products 


AGENCY: Department of Energy. 


ACTION: ~i~di~~ of no 
 impact


for amended energy conservation 


standard for residential central air 


conditioners and heat pumps. 


SUMMARY: The Energy Policy and 

Conservation Act, as amended by the 

National Energy Conservation Policy 

Act and the National Appliance Energy 

Conservation Act, and the National 

Appliance Energy Conservation 

Amendments, prescribes energy 

conservation standards for certain major 

household appliances, and requires the 

Department of Energy (DOE) to 

administer an energy conservation 

program for these products. Based on an 

Environmental Assessment @A), DOE/ 

EA-1352, and revisions to the EA as documented in Appendix M of the 

. 	Residential Central Air Conditioner and 

Heat Pump Technical Support 

Document (TSD), DOE has determined 

that the adoption of energy efficiency 

Trial Standard Level (TSL) 2 for 

residential central air conditioners and 

heat pumps, as adopted by the Final 

Rule entitled the "Energy Conservation 

Program for Consumer Products: 

Residential Central Air Conditioners 

and Heat Pumps Energy Conservation 

Standards," would not be a major 

Federal action significantly affecting the 

quality of the human environment 

within the meaning of the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA). Therefore, an environmental 

impact statement (EIS) is not required, 

and the Department is issuing this 

Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI). 

ADDRESSES: Public Availability: Copies 

of the EA and the TSD are available 

from: U.S. Department of Energy, Office 

of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station 

EE-41,1000 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-9127. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Raymond, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, 

Mail Station EE41,1000 Independence 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585- 

0121, (202) 586-9611. 

For further information regarding the 

DOE NEPA process contact: Carol 

Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA 

Policy and Assistance (EH-42), 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585-0119, (202) 586- 

4600. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Description of the Proposed Action: The 

proposed action is the establishment of a revised energy conservation standard 

(TSL 2) for residential central air 

conditioners and heat pumps. Environmental Impacts: The EA and 

TSD evaluate the environmental 

impacts of a range of new energy 

conservation standards for residential 

central air conditioners and heat pumps. 

The results are presented for each 

potential trial standard level. Each 

potential trial standard level is an alternative action, and the 

environmental impacts of each 

alternative are compared to what would 

be expected to happen if no new standard were adopted, i.e., the "no 

action" alternative. 

The main environmental impact is . 

decreased emissions from fossil-fueled 

electricity generation. All of the 

minimum efficiency levels considered 

for this appliance product category 

would result in decreased electricity use and, therefore, a reduction in power 

plant emissions. The proposed 

efficiency standard would generally 

decrease air pollution by decreasing 

future energy demand. The 

environmental analysis considers two 

pollutants, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 

sulfur dioxide (SOz), and one emission, 

carbon. The results of the analysis show 

an estimated cumulative reduction of 

24.2 million tons of carbon equivalent 

emissions and 83.2 thousand tons NOx 

for TSL 2 through the year 2020. his 

would be a national reduction of 0.17% 

of carbon equivalent emissions, and 

0.08% of NOX. Because emissions of 

SO2 from power plants are capped by 

clean air legislation, physical emissions 

of this pollutant from electricity 

generation will be only minimally 

affected by residential central air 

conditioners and heat pumps standards. 

The maximum SO2 allowed by law will 

most likely still be produced, but 

because SO2 emissions are traded, and 

if SO2 emissions are lowered due to less 

Power generation, then the cost of SO2 

emission credits may decrease slightly. 

Therefore, the EA did not consider 

changes in power sector SOz emissions 

because they will be negligible. 

Determination 

Based upon the EA, DOE has 

determined that the adoption of the 

proposed energy efficiency standard for 

residential central air conditioners and 

heat pumps would not constitute a major Federal action significantly 

affecting the quality of the human 

environment, within the meaning of 

NEPA. Therefore, an EIS is not required, 

and the Department is issuing this 

FONSI. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on May 14, zooz. 

David K. Garman, 

Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and 

RenewableEnerg~. 

[FR Doc. 02-12681 Filed 5-22-02; 8.45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P