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

8189

Vol. 62, No. 36

Monday, February 24, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy

10 CFR Part 430

Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products: Workshop to

Consider a Revised Approach for

Analyzing the Manufacturer Impacts

from New or Revised Appliance

Energy-Efficiency Standards

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy, Department of

Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Workshop on a

Revised Manufacturer Impact Analysis

Approach.

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy

(the Department or DOE) is convening a

public workshop to discuss a new

approach to assessing the likely impacts

on manufacturers of appliance energyefficiency standards that are under

consideration by the Department. All

persons are hereby given notice of the

opportunity to attend and participate in

the public workshop.

DATES: The workshop on a revised

manufacturer impact analysis approach

will be held on Tuesday and

Wednesday, March 11 and 12, 1997,

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

ADDRESSES: A transcript of the

workshop may be read at the DOE

Freedom of Information Reading Room,

U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal

Building, Room 1E–190, 1000

Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20585, (202) 586–

6020, between the hours of 9:00 a.m.

and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday,

except Federal holidays.

The Manufacturer Impact Analysis

Workshop will be held in Room 1E–245,

Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence

Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585.

If you are planning to attend the

workshop or wish to receive material

prepared for the workshop, please

contact either Qonnie Laughlin or

Sandy Beall, as listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Qonnie Laughlin, U.S. Department

of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency

and Renewable Energy, Forrestal

Building, Mail Station EE–43, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20585–0121, (202)

586–9632.

Ms. Sandy Beall, Office of Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy,

U.S. Department of Energy, Mail Stop

EE–43, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20585–0121,

(202) 586–7574.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as

amended by the National Energy Policy

Conservation Act, the National

Appliance Energy Conservation Act, the

National Appliance Energy

Conservation Amendments of 1988, and

the Energy Policy Act of 1992,

prescribes energy conservation

standards for certain major appliances

and equipment and requires the

Department of Energy to administer an

energy conservation program for the

products. Earlier appliance rulemakings

have highlighted the need to address a

number of complex issues concerning

the impact of standards on consumers

and manufacturers. In response to these

issues, the Department initiated a

comprehensive process improvement

effort to examine, through a series of

stakeholder meetings and interviews,

issues surrounding the appliance

standards program. On July 15, 1996,

(61 FR 36974) DOE issued Procedures

for Consideration of New or Revised

Energy Conservation Standards for

Consumer Products final rule (process

rule) resulting from the process

improvement effort.

In the July 15, 1996, procedures, the

Department committed to a

comprehensive review of its existing

methodology for analyzing the likely

impacts on manufacturers of new or

revised appliance minimum energy

efficiency standards. In that review, the

Department identified several ways to

improve such analyses, and has

incorporated these into a Manufacturer

Impact Analysis Approach—Draft

Workplan.

The Department intends to introduce

for consideration and discussion its

Draft Workplan at the Workshop that is

the subject of this Notice.

A central feature of the draft approach

is the incorporation of the industryprovided Government Regulatory

Impact Model (GRIM). The GRIM meets

a number of the Department’s objectives

in revising the manufacturer impact

analysis approach, in that the model is

transparent, relatively easy to use, and

capable of being used by any individual

manufacturer. The GRIM, however, also

requires a number of significant inputs

to be operational. These inputs include

forecasts of expected prices and

industry shipments, as well as

information about firm-level production

costs. The Department desires to

address the derivation of these

important inputs as soon as possible,

and the workshop will be the initial

opportunity for individuals to provide

comments to the Department on this

topic. The Department hopes to obtain

guidance from individuals attending

this workshop, on methods for

estimating the impacts of standards on

appliance prices, shipments and

manufacturer costs.

While there will be some

presentations, the workshop is being

designed to maximize open discussions.

The Manufacturer Impact Analysis

Workshop will be professionally

facilitated. It is expected that one

outcome of this workshop will be the

formation of a working group that

would meet subsequent to the workshop

to help the Department further develop

its workplan.

Below is the preliminary agenda for

the public workshop:

Preliminary Agenda, Manufacturer

Impact Analyses Workshop, March 11

and 12, 1997, Room 1E–245, 1000

Independence Ave SW, Washington,

D.C.

Purpose: To describe and obtain

comments on the draft workplan for

future manufacturer impact analysis. To

describe and obtain comments on

existing and proposed analytical tools.

Expected Outcomes: Formation of a

working group(s) consisting of

representatives of different industries

and other interested parties. Guidance

for further development of the

workplan, including advice on the

desirability of making changes to

existing models or developing new

tools.
8190 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 1997 / Proposed Rules

Day 1—March 11

Methodology Overview and Description

of Analytical Tools

9:00 a.m.—9:15 a.m.

Opening Remarks, Overview, Agenda

Review

9:15 a.m.—9:30 a.m.

Description of the Review Process

—Major objectives of the process rule

regarding the analysis of

manufacturer impacts

—Process description

—Schedule

9:30 a.m.—9:45 a.m.

Analytical Framework

—Measures of impact

—Firms considered

—Balance of qualitative and

quantitative assessments

9:45 a.m.—10:30 a.m.

Description of New Approach

—Overview

—Relationship to other standards

analyses

—Phase 1, Industry Profile

—Phase 2, Industry Cash Flow

—Phase 3, Sub-Group Analysis

10:30 a.m.—10:45 a.m.

Break

10:45 a.m.—12:00 noon

Description of the GRIM Model

—Role and applicability of the GRIM

Model

—Financial principles

—Input requirements

—Output results

—Open discussion, suggested

modification, e.g. inclusion of

return on investment

12:00 noon—1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 p.m.—2:00 p.m.

Preparing the Industry Profiles

—Industry characterization

—Industry data book

2:00 p.m.—3:30 p.m.

Issues in Shipments Forecasts—Panel

and Open Discussion

—Role of forecasting models in the

manufacturer impact analyses

—General description of models,

including

• Input requirements

• Outputs

• Key assumptions

• Uncertainty analysis

• Track record

• Operating characteristics

—New spread sheet approach

—Advantages and disadvantages of

alternate approaches to forecasting

shipments for GRIM

3:30 p.m.—5:00 p.m.

Optional hands-on computer training

on the models

Day 2—March 12

Methodology Implementation

9:00 a.m.—9:15 a.m.

Opening Remarks, Agenda Review

—Objectives

9:15 a.m.—9:45 a.m.

Review of Day One Outcomes

—Key issues

—DOE perspective

—Stakeholder comments

9:45 a.m.—10:00 a.m.

Break

10:00 a.m.—11:30 a.m.

Estimating Manufacturing Costs for

Input to GRIM—Panel and Open

Discussion

—Relationship to engineering analysis

—Uncertainty in key variables

—Variability between firms

—Data collection methods e.g.

ASHRAE methodology

—Costs not considered in GRIM

11:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.

Lunch

12:30 p.m.—1:30 p.m.

Estimating Prices for Input to GRIM—

Panel and Open Discussion

—Relationship to life-cycle cost

analysis

—Economic concepts

—DOT methodology

—Alternative forecasts

—Scenario/ uncertainty analysis

—Open discussion

1:30 p.m.—2:30 p.m.

Estimating Shipments for Input to

GRIM—Panel and Open Discussion

—Relationship to national benefits

forecasts

—Appropriateness of existing

forecasting models

—Simplified spreadsheet model

—Alternative forecasts

—Scenario/uncertainty analysis

—Open discussion

2:30 p.m.—2:45 p.m.

Break

2:45 p.m.—4:15 p.m.

Non-Model Impact Evaluation—Panel

and Open Discussion

—Competitive impacts

—Manufacturing capacity, lost

investment

—Employment impacts

—Information gathering and

assessment methodology

—Cumulative impacts

4:15 p.m.—4:45 p.m.

Other Issues/Alternative Methods/

Stakeholder Comments

4:45 p.m.—5:00 p.m.

Discussion of Future Steps

—Working group(s) composition, role

and meetings

5:00 p.m.

Adjourn

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 18,

1997.

Christine A. Ervin,

Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy.

[FR Doc. 97–4427 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

10 CFR Part 835

[Docket Number EH–RM–96–835]

Occupational Radiation Protection

AGENCY: Office of Environment, Safety

and Health, DOE.

ACTION: Proposed Rule; Extension of

Public Comment Period.

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy

(DOE) published a notice of proposed

rulemaking on December 23, 1996, (61

FR 67600) concerning amending its

primary standards for occupational

radiation protection. That notice

provided the public with the

opportunity to provide written

comments on this issue with a written

comment period to end on February 21,

1997. Today’s notice extends this

written comment period to March 31,

1997.

DATES: Written comments and data must

be received by the Department on or

before March 31, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and data

(5 copies and, if possible, a computer

disk) should be addressed to Dr. Joel

Rabovsky, U.S. Department of Energy,

Office of Environment, Safety and

Health, EH–52, EH–RM–96–835, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20585. Telephone: 202

586–3012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Joel Rabovsky, U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Environment, Safety

and Health, EH–52, 1000 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585.

Telephone: 301 903–2135.

For Information concerning the

submission of comments, contact Ms.

Andi Kasarsky on (202) 586–3012.

Issued in Washington, DC on February 18,

1997.

Peter N. Brush,

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for

Environment, Safety and Health.

[FR Doc. 97–4426 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION

12 CFR Part 650

RIN 3052–AB72

Federal Agricultural Mortgage

Corporation; Receivers and

Conservators

AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Farm Credit

Administration (FCA), by the FCA