8122 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 28 / Tuesday, February 11, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

1For editorial reasons, upon codification in the 

U.S. Code, Part B was redesignated Part A. 

2All references to EPCA in this document refer 

to the statute as amended through the American 

Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act 

(AEMTCA), Public Law 112–210 (Dec. 18, 2012). 

commercial clothes washers before the 

effective date of any amended standards 

based on Appendix J2 efficiency 

metrics. The test procedures for clothes 

washers in Appendix J2 to subpart B of 

part 430 of this chapter must be used to 

test commercial clothes washers 

manufactured on or after the effective 

date of any amended standards based on 

Appendix J2 efficiency metrics. 

[FR Doc. 2014–02818 Filed 2–10–14; 8:45 a.m.] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

10 CFR Part 430 

[Docket No. EERE–2012–BT–STD–0047] 

RIN 1904–AC88 

Energy Conservation Standards for 

Residential Boilers: Availability of 

Analytical Results and Modeling Tools 

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of data availability. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) has completed a 

provisional analysis that estimates the 

potential economic impacts and energy 

savings that could result from 

promulgating amended energy 

conservation standards for residential 

boilers. At this time, DOE is not 

proposing any amendments to the 

energy conservation standards for 

residential boilers. However, it is 

publishing this analysis so stakeholders 

can review the analytical output, the 

underlining assumptions, and the 

calculations that might ultimately 

support amended standards. DOE 

encourages interested parties to provide 

any additional data or information that 

may improve the analysis. 

DATES: Comments: DOE will accept 

comments, data, and information 

regarding this notice of data availability 

(NODA) no later than March 13, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Any comments submitted 

must identify the NODA for Energy 

Conservation Standards for Residential 

Boilers, and provide docket number 

EERE–2012–BT–STD–0047 and/or 

regulatory information number (RIN) 

number 1904–AC88. Comments may be 

submitted using any of the following 

methods: 

1. Federal Rulemaking Portal: 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

2. Email: ResBoilers2012STD0047@

ee.doe.gov. Include the docket number 

EERE–2012–BT–STD–0047 and/or RIN 

1904–AC88 in the subject line of the 

message. Submit electronic comments 

in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, 

or ASCII file format, and avoid the use 

of special characters or any form of 

encryption. 

3. Postal Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, 

U.S. Department of Energy, Building 

Technologies Office, Mailstop EE–2J, 

1000 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. If 

possible, please submit all items on a 

compact disc (CD), in which case it is 

not necessary to include printed copies. 

4. Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda 

Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Building Technologies Office, 950 

L’Enfant Plaza SW., Suite 600, 

Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: 

(202) 586–2945. If possible, please 

submit all items on a CD, in which case 

it is not necessary to include printed 

copies. 

No telefacsimilies (faxes) will be 

accepted. 

Docket: The docket, EERE–2012–BT– 

STD–0047, is available for review at 

www.regulations.gov, including Federal 

Register notices, comments, and other 

supporting documents/materials. All 

documents in the docket are listed in 

the www.regulations.gov index. 

However, not all documents listed in 

the index may be publicly available, 

such as information that is exempt from 

public disclosure. 

A link to the docket Web page can be 

found at: http://www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2012-BT-STD0047. The regulations.gov Web page 

contains instructions on how to access 

all documents in the docket, including 

public comments. 

For detailed instructions on 

submitting comments and additional 

information on the rulemaking process, 

see section IV, ‘‘Public Participation,’’ of 

this document. For further information 

on how to submit a comment or review 

other public comments and the docket, 

contact Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 

586–2945 or by email: 

Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

John Cymbalsky, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Building 

Technologies, EE–2J, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

Telephone: (202) 287–1692. Email 

residential_furnaces_and_boilers@

ee.doe.gov. 

Mr. Eric Stas, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of the General Counsel, 

GC–71, 1000 Independence Avenue 

SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

Telephone: (202) 586–9507. Email: 

Eric.Stas@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. History of Energy Conservation Standards 

Rulemaking for Residential Boilers 

II. Current Status 

III. Summary of the Analysis Performed by 

DOE 

A. Market and Technology Assessment 

B. Screening Analysis 

C. Engineering Analysis 

D. Markups Analysis 

E. Energy Use Analysis 

F. Life-Cycle Cost and Payback Period 

Analysis 

1. Inputs to Installed Cost 

2. Inputs to Operating Cost 

3. Base-Case Distributions by Efficiency 

Levels 

G. Shipments Analysis 

H. National Impact Analysis 

I. Preliminary Manufacturer Impact 

Analysis 

IV. Public Participation 

A. Submission of Comments 

I. History of Energy Conservation 

Standards Rulemaking for Residential 

Boilers 

Title III, Part B1 of the Energy Policy 

and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), 

Public Law 94–163 (42 U.S.C. 6291– 

6309, as codified), sets forth a variety of 

provisions designed to improve energy 

efficiency and established the Energy 

Conservation Program for Consumer 

Products Other Than Automobiles, a 

program covering most major household 

appliances and certain industrial and 

commercial equipment.2 The National 

Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 

1987 (NAECA), Public Law 100–12, 

amended EPCA to establish energy 

conservation standards for residential 

furnaces and boilers, and set 

requirements to conduct two cycles of 

rulemaking to determine whether these 

standards should be amended. (42 

U.S.C. 6295(f)). 

On November 19, 2007, DOE 

published a final rule in the Federal 

Register (hereafter referred to as the 

‘‘November 2007 final rule’’) revising 

the energy conservation standards for 

furnaces and boilers, which addressed 

the first required review of minimum 

standards for boilers under 42 U.S.C. 

6295(f)(4)(B). 72 FR 65136. Compliance 

with the standards in the November 

2007 final rule would have been 

required by November 19, 2015. 

However, on December 19, 2007, the 

Energy Independence and Security Act 

of 2007 (EISA 2007), Public Law 110– 


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140, was signed into law, which further 

revised the energy conservation 

standards for residential boilers. More 

specifically, EISA 2007 revised the 

minimum annual fuel utilization 

efficiency (AFUE) requirements for 

residential boilers and set several design 

requirements for each product class (42 

U.S.C. 6295(f)(3)). EISA 2007 required 

compliance with the amended energy 

conservation standards for residential 

boilers beginning on September 1, 2012. 

Only July 15, 2008, DOE issued a final 

rule technical amendment to the 2007 

furnaces and boilers final rule, which 

was published in the Federal Register 

on July 28, 2008, to codify the energy 

conservation standard levels, the design 

requirements, and compliance dates for 

residential boilers outlined EISA 2007. 

73 FR 43611. For gas-fired hot water 

boilers, oil-fired hot water boilers, and 

electric hot water boilers, EISA 2007 

requires that residential boilers 

manufactured after September 2012 

have an automatic means for adjusting 

water temperature. 10 CFR 

430.32(e)(2)(ii)–(iv). The automatic 

means for adjusting water temperature 

must automatically adjust the water 

temperature of the water supplied by 

the boiler to ensure that an incremental 

change in the inferred heat load 

produces a corresponding incremental 

change in the temperature of the water 

supplied. EISA 2007 also disallows the 

use of constant-burning pilot lights in 

gas-fired hot water boilers and gas-fired 

steam boilers. 

DOE initiated this rulemaking 

pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6295(f)(4)(C), 

which requires DOE to conduct a 

second round of amended standards 

rulemaking for residential boilers. 

EPCA, as amended by EISA 2007, also 

requires that not later than 6 years after 

issuance of any final rule establishing or 

amending a standard, DOE must publish 

either a notice of the determination that 

standards for the product do not need to 

be amended, or a notice of proposed 

rulemaking including new proposed 

energy conservation standards. (42 

U.S.C. 6295(m)(1)) As noted above, 

DOE’s last final rule for residential 

boilers was issued on July 15, 2008, so 

DOE must act by July 15, 2014. This 

rulemaking will satisfy both statutory 

provisions. 

Furthermore, EISA 2007 amended 

EPCA to require that any new or 

amended energy conservation standard 

adopted after July 1, 2010, shall address 

standby mode and off mode energy use 

pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6295(o). (42 

U.S.C. 6295(gg)(3)) DOE will consider 

standby mode and off mode energy use 

as part of this rulemaking for residential 

boilers. 

II. Current Status 

In initiating this rulemaking, DOE 

prepared a Framework Document, 

‘‘Energy Conservation Standards 

Rulemaking Framework Document for 

Residential Boilers,’’ which describes 

the procedural and analytical 

approaches DOE anticipates using to 

evaluate energy conservation standards 

for residential boilers. DOE published a 

notice that announced both the 

availability of the Framework Document 

and a public meeting to discuss the 

proposed analytical framework for the 

rulemaking. That notice also invited 

written comments from the public. 78 

FR 9631 (Feb. 11, 2013). This document 

is available at: http://

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2012-BT-STD0047. 

DOE held a public meeting on March 

13, 2013, at which time it described the 

various analyses DOE would conduct as 

part of the rulemaking, such as the 

engineering analysis, the life-cycle cost 

(LCC) and payback period (PBP) 

analyses, and the national impact 

analysis (NIA). Representatives for 

manufacturers, trade associations, 

environmental and energy efficiency 

advocates, and other interested parties 

attended the meeting. 

Comments received since publication 

of the Framework Document have 

helped DOE identify and resolve issues 

related to the analyses performed for 

this NODA. A discussion of these 

comments and DOE’s responses is 

available at: http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2012-BT-STD0047 (see chapter 2 of the supporting 

documentation). 

At this time, DOE is not proposing 

any amended energy conservation 

standards for residential boilers. DOE 

encourages stakeholders to provide any 

additional data or information that may 

improve DOE’s analysis. DOE may 

revise the analysis presented in today’s 

notice based on any new or updated 

information or data it obtains between 

now and the publication of a notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NOPR). 

III. Summary of the Analysis Performed 

by DOE 

This section provides a description of 

the analytical framework that DOE is 

using to evaluate potential amended 

energy conservation standards for 

residential boilers. This section sets 

forth the methodology, analytical tools, 

and relationships among the various 

analyses that are part of this rulemaking. 

The analyses performed in 

preparation for this NODA are listed 

below. 

• A market and technology 

assessment to characterize the relevant 

products, their markets, and technology 

options for improving their energy 

efficiency, including prototype designs. 

• A screening analysis to review each 

technology option and determine if it is 

technologically feasible; is practicable to 

manufacture, install, and service; would 

adversely affect product utility or 

product availability; or would have 

adverse impacts on health and safety. 

• An engineering analysis to develop 

relationships that show the 

manufacturer’s cost of achieving 

increased efficiency. 

• A markups analysis to develop 

distribution channel markups that relate 

the manufacturer selling price to the 

cost to the consumer. 

• An energy use analysis to determine 

the annual energy use of the considered 

products in a representative set of users. 

• A LCC and PBP analysis to 

calculate the anticipated savings in 

operating costs at the consumer level 

throughout the life of the covered 

products compared with any increase in 

the installed cost for the products likely 

to result directly from standards. 

• A shipments analysis to forecast 

product shipments, which are then used 

to calculate the national impacts of 

standards on energy, net present value 

(NPV), and future manufacturer cash 

flows. 

• A national impact analysis (NIA) to 

assess the aggregate impacts at the 

national level of potential amended 

energy conservation standards for the 

considered products, as measured by 

the NPV of total consumer economic 

impacts and the national energy savings 

(NES). 

• A preliminary manufacturer impact 

analysis (MIA) to assess the potential 

impacts of amended energy 

conservation standards on 

manufacturers’ capital conversion 

expenditures, marketing costs, 

shipments, and research and 

development costs. 

The tools used in preparing several of 

the above analyses (life-cycle cost and 

national impacts) are available at: 

http://www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2012-BT-STD0047. Each individual spreadsheet 

includes an introduction describing the 

various inputs and outputs to the 

analysis, as well as operation 

instructions. Details regarding the 

methods and data used in the analyses 

may be found at the same Web site. 

The sections below present an 

overview of the analyses DOE has 

conducted for residential boilers. Using 

the methods described in this NODA, 

DOE calculated results pertaining to 


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3The national accounts channel is an exception 

to the usual distribution channel that is only 

applicable to those residential boilers installed in 

the small to mid-size commercial buildings where 

the on-site contractor staff purchase equipment 

directly from the wholesalers at lower prices due 

to the large volume of equipment purchased, and 

perform the installation themselves. 

potential amended energy efficiency 

standard levels for residential boilers. 

The results may be found at the same 

Web site. 

A. Market and Technology Assessment 

When DOE begins an energy 

conservation standards rulemaking, it 

develops information that provides an 

overall picture of the market for the 

products considered, including the 

nature of the products, market 

characteristics, and industry structure. 

This activity consists of both 

quantitative and qualitative efforts 

based primarily on publicly-available 

information. The market assessment 

examined manufacturers, trade 

associations, and the quantities and 

types of products offered for sale. 

DOE reviewed relevant literature and 

interviewed manufacturers to develop 

an overall picture of the residential 

boiler industry in the United States. 

Industry publications and trade 

journals, government agencies, and 

trade organizations provided the bulk of 

the information, including: (1) 

Manufacturers and their approximate 

market shares; (2) shipments by product 

type (e.g., gas-fired hot water, oil-fired 

hot water); (3) product information; and 

(4) industry trends. 

DOE developed a list of 

technologically feasible design options 

for the considered products through 

consultation with manufacturers of 

components and systems, and from 

trade publications and technical papers. 

Since many options for improving 

product efficiency are available in 

existing units, product literature and 

direct examination provided additional 

information. 

B. Screening Analysis 

The purpose of the screening analysis 

is to evaluate the technologies identified 

in the technology assessment to 

determine which technologies to 

consider further and which technologies 

to screen out. DOE consulted with 

industry, technical experts, and other 

interested parties in developing a list of 

energy-saving technologies for the 

technology assessment. DOE then 

applied the screening criteria to 

determine which technologies were 

unsuitable for further consideration in 

this rulemaking. 

The screening analysis examines 

whether various technologies: (1) Are 

technologically feasible; (2) are 

practicable to manufacture, install, and 

service; (3) have an adverse impact on 

product utility or availability; and (4) 

have adverse impacts on health and 

safety. If an answer to the first two 

criteria is ‘‘no,’’ or an answer to the 

second two criteria is ‘‘yes,’’ DOE will 

not consider that technology further. In 

consultation with interested parties, 

DOE reviewed the list of residential 

boiler technologies according to these 

criteria. In the engineering analysis, 

DOE further considers the efficiencyenhancement technologies that it did 

not eliminate in the screening analysis. 

C. Engineering Analysis 

The engineering analysis establishes 

the relationship between manufacturing 

production cost and efficiency levels for 

each residential boiler product class. 

This relationship serves as the basis for 

cost-benefit calculations in terms of 

individual consumers, manufacturers, 

and the Nation. To determine the cost 

to consumers of residential boilers at 

various efficiency levels, DOE estimated 

manufacturing costs, markups in the 

distribution chain, installation costs, 

and maintenance costs. 

DOE typically structures its 

engineering analysis around one of three 

methodologies: (1) The design-option 

approach, which calculates the 

incremental costs of adding specific 

design options to a baseline model; (2) 

the efficiency-level approach, which 

calculates the relative costs of achieving 

increases in energy efficiency levels 

without regard to the particular design 

options used to achieve such increases; 

and/or (3) the reverse-engineering or 

cost-assessment approach, which 

involves a ‘‘bottom-up’’ manufacturing 

cost assessment based on a detailed bill 

of materials derived from tear-downs of 

the equipment being analyzed. 

For this analysis, DOE conducted the 

engineering analysis for residential 

boilers using a combination of the 

efficiency level and cost-assessment 

approaches for analysis of various 

energy efficiency levels. More 

specifically, DOE identified the 

efficiency levels for analysis and then 

used the cost-assessment approach to 

determine the manufacturing costs at 

those levels. This approach involved 

physically disassembling commerciallyavailable products, consulting with 

outside experts, reviewing publiclyavailable cost and performance 

information, and modeling equipment 

cost. 

D. Markups Analysis 

DOE uses manufacturer-to-customer 

markups (e.g., manufacturer markups, 

retailer markups, distributors markups, 

contractor markups (where appropriate), 

and sales taxes) to convert the 

manufacturer selling price estimates 

from the engineering analysis to 

customer prices, which are then used in 

the LCC and PBP analysis and in the 

manufacturer impact analysis. 

Before developing markups, DOE 

defines key market participants and 

identifies distribution channels. DOE 

used three types of distribution 

channels to describe how most 

residential boilers pass from the 

manufacturer to the consumer: (1) 

Replacement market; (2) new 

construction, and (3) national accounts.3

After defining the participants and 

channels, DOE also determined the 

existence and magnitude of differences 

between markups for baseline products 

(baseline markups) and higherefficiency products (incremental 

markups), in order to transform the 

manufacturer selling price into a 

consumer product price. The 

development of the markups relied on 

data from both government and industry 

sources. DOE uses the baseline 

markups, which cover all of a 

distributor’s or contractor’s costs, to 

determine the sales price of baseline 

models. Incremental markups are 

coefficients that DOE applies to the 

incremental cost of higher-efficiency 

models. Because companies mark up the 

price at each point in the distribution 

channel, both baseline and incremental 

markups are dependent on the 

particular distribution channel. 

E. Energy Use Analysis 

The energy use analysis determines 

the annual energy consumption of 

residential boilers used in 

representative U.S. single-family homes, 

multi-family residences, and 

commercial buildings, and assesses the 

energy savings potential of increased 

boiler efficiency. DOE estimated the 

annual energy consumption of 

residential boilers at specified energy 

efficiency levels across a range of 

climate zones, building characteristics, 

and heating applications. The annual 

energy consumption includes the 

natural gas, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), 

oil, and/or electricity use by the boiler 

for space and water heating. The annual 

energy consumption of residential 

boilers is used in subsequent analyses, 

including the LCC and PBP analysis and 

the NIA. 

For the residential sector, DOE 

consulted the Energy Information 

Administration’s (EIA) 2009 Residential 

Energy Consumption Survey (RECS 


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4U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Information 

Administration, Residential Energy Consumption 

Survey: 2009 RECS Survey Data (2013) (Available 

at: <http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/

data/2009/>) (Last accessed March, 2013). 

5U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Information 

Administration, Commercial Buildings Energy 

Consumption Survey (2003) (Available at: <http:// 

www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial/data/2003/

index.cfm?view=microdata>) (Last accessed 

November, 2013). 

6National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, NNDC Climate Data Online 

(Available at: http://www7.ncdc.noaa.gov/CDO/

CDODivisionalSelect.jsp) (Last accessed March 15, 

2013). 

7U.S. Department of Energy-Energy Information 

Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2013 with 

Projections to 2040 (Available at: <http://

www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/>). 

8 In the case of modulating condensing boilers, to 

accommodate lower firing rates, the inducer will 

provide lower combustion airflow to regulate the 

excess air in the combustion process. DOE assumed 

that modulating condensing boilers are equipped 

with inducer fans with PSC motors and two-stage 

controls. The inducers are assumed to run at a 70- 

percent airflow rate when the modulating unit 

operates at low-fire. 

9S. Sorrell, J. D., and M. Sommerville, ‘‘Empirical 

estimates of the direct rebound effect: A review,’’ 

Energy Policy (2009) 37: pp. 1356–71. 

2009) to establish a sample of 

households using residential boilers for 

each boiler product class.4 The RECS 

data provide information on the vintage 

of the home, as well as heating energy 

use in each household. DOE used the 

household samples not only to 

determine boiler annual energy 

consumption, but also as the basis for 

conducting the LCC and PBP analysis. 

DOE projected household weights and 

household characteristics in 2020, the 

expected compliance date of any 

amended energy conservation standards 

for residential boilers. 

DOE accounted for applications of 

residential boilers in multi-family 

housing and commercial buildings 

because the intent of the analysis of 

consumer impacts is to capture the full 

range of usage conditions for these 

products. DOE considered that the 

definition of ‘‘residential boiler’’ is 

limited only by its capacity and not by 

the application type. DOE determined 

that these applications represent about 

14 percent of the residential gas-fired 

boiler market and 11 percent of the 

residential oil-fired boiler market. 

For the commercial building sample, 

DOE used the EIA’s 2003 Commercial 

Building Energy Consumption Survey 5

(CBECS 2003) to establish a sample of 

commercial buildings using residential 

boilers for each boiler product class. 

Criteria were developed to help size 

these boilers using several variables, 

including building square footage and 

estimated supply water temperature. For 

boilers used in multi-family housing, 

DOE used the RECS 2009 sample 

discussed above, accounting for 

situations where more than one 

residential boiler is used to heat a 

building. 

To estimate the annual energy 

consumption of boilers meeting higher 

efficiency levels, DOE first calculated 

the heating load based on the RECS and 

CBECS estimates of the annual energy 

consumption of the boiler for each 

household. DOE estimated the house 

heating load by reference to the existing 

boiler’s characteristics, specifically its 

capacity and efficiency (AFUE), as well 

as by the heat generated from the 

electrical components. The AFUE of the 

existing boilers was determined using 

the boiler vintage (the year of 

installation of the equipment) from 

RECS and historical data on the market 

share of boilers by AFUE. DOE then 

used the house heating load to 

determine the burner operating hours, 

which are needed to calculate the fossil 

fuel consumption and electricity 

consumption based on the DOE 

residential furnace and boiler test 

procedure. To calculate pump and other 

auxiliary components’ electricity 

consumption, DOE utilized data from 

manufacturer product literature. 

Additionally, DOE adjusted the 

energy use to normalize for weather by 

using long-term heating degree-day data 

for each geographical region.6 DOE also 

accounted for change in building shell 

characteristics between 2009 and 2020 

by applying the building shell efficiency 

indexes in the National Energy 

Modeling System (NEMS) based on 

EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2013 

(AEO 2013).7

DOE is aware that some residential 

boilers have the ability to provide both 

space heating and domestic water 

heating and that these products are 

widely available and may vary greatly in 

design. For these applications, DOE 

accounted for the boiler energy used for 

domestic water heating, which is part of 

the total annual boiler energy use. To 

accomplish this, DOE used the RECS 

2009 and/or CBECS data to identify 

those boiler households or buildings 

that use the same fuel type for space and 

water heating and then assumed that a 

fraction of these identified households/ 

buildings used the boiler for both 

applications. 

To calculate the annual water-heating 

energy use for each boiler efficiency 

level, DOE first calculated the waterheating load by multiplying the annual 

fuel consumption for water heating 

(derived from RECS or CBECS) by the 

AFUE of the existing boiler, adjusted for 

the difference between AFUE and 

recovery efficiency for water heating. 

DOE then calculated the boiler energy 

use for each efficiency level by 

multiplying the water-heating load by 

the AFUE of the selected efficiency 

level, adjusted for the difference 

between AFUE and recovery efficiency 

for water heating. 

The Department calculated boiler 

electricity consumption for the 

circulating pump, the draft inducer,8

and the ignition system. If a household 

required a condensate pump, which is 

sometimes installed with higherefficiency equipment, DOE assumed 

that the pump consumes 60 watts and 

operated at the same time as the burner. 

For single-stage boilers, the Department 

calculated the electricity consumption 

as the sum of the electrical energy used 

during boiler operation for both space 

heating, water heating, and standby 

energy consumption. For two-stage and 

modulating equipment, this formula 

includes parameters for the operation at 

full, modulating, and reduced load. 

The Department calculated boiler 

standby mode and off mode electricity 

consumption for times when the boiler 

is not in use. 

A rebound effect occurs when a moreefficient piece of equipment is used 

more intensively, such that the expected 

energy savings from the efficiency 

improvement may not be fully realized. 

DOE conducted a review of information 

that included a 2009 study examining 

empirical estimates of the rebound 

effect for various energy-using 

products.9 Based on this review, DOE 

has tentatively concluded that the 

inclusion of a rebound effect of 20 

percent for residential boilers is 

warranted for this analysis. DOE 

incorporates this effect in the NIA. 

F. Life-Cycle Cost and Payback Period 

Analysis 

In determining whether an energy 

efficiency standard is economically 

justified, DOE considers the economic 

impact of potential standards on 

consumers. The effect of new or 

amended standards on individual 

consumers usually includes a reduction 

in operating cost and an increase in 

purchase cost. DOE used the following 

two metrics to measure consumer 

impacts: 

• LCC (life-cycle cost) is the total 

consumer cost of an appliance or 

product, generally over the life of the 

appliance or product, including 

purchase and operating costs. The latter 

consist of maintenance, repair, and 

energy costs. Future operating costs are 

discounted to the time of purchase and 


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10 DOE plans to use the Annual Energy Outlook 

2014 when it becomes available. 

11RS Means Company Inc., RS Means Facilities 

Maintenance & Repair Cost Data (2013). 

12 Decision Analysts, 2008 American Home 

Comfort Study: Online Database Tool (2009) 

(Available at: <http://www.decisionanalyst.com/

Syndicated/HomeComfort.dai>). 

13Available at www.federalreserve.gov/

econresdata/scf/scfindex.htm. 

14Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration 

Institute, Consumer’s Directory of Certified 

Efficiency Ratings for Heating and Water Heating 

Equipment (AHRI Directory September 2013) 

(Available at: http://www.ahridirectory.org/

ahridirectory/pages/home.aspx) (Last accessed 

September, 2013). 

summed over the lifetime of the 

appliance or product. 

• PBP (payback period) measures the 

amount of time it takes consumers to 

recover the assumed higher purchase 

price of a more energy-efficient product 

through reduced operating costs. 

DOE analyzed the net effect of 

potential amended boiler standards on 

consumers by calculating the LCC and 

PBP using the engineering performance 

data, the energy-use data, and the 

markups. Inputs to the LCC calculation 

include the installed cost to the 

consumer (purchase price, including 

sales tax where appropriate, plus 

installation cost), operating expenses 

(energy expenses, repair costs, and 

maintenance costs), the lifetime of the 

product, and a discount rate. Inputs to 

the payback period calculation include 

the installed cost to the consumer and 

first-year operating costs. 

DOE performed the LCC and PBP 

analyses using a spreadsheet model 

combined with Crystal Ball (a 

commercially-available software 

program used to conduct stochastic 

analysis using Monte Carlo simulation 

and probability distributions) to account 

for uncertainty and variability among 

the input variables. Each Monte Carlo 

simulation consists of 10,000 LCC and 

PBP calculations using input values that 

are either sampled from probability 

distributions and household samples or 

characterized with single point values. 

The analytical results include a 

distribution of 10,000 data points 

showing the range of LCC savings and 

PBPs for a given efficiency level relative 

to the base case efficiency forecast. In 

performing an iteration of the Monte 

Carlo simulation for a given consumer, 

product efficiency is chosen based on its 

probability. If the chosen product 

efficiency is greater than or equal to the 

efficiency of the standard level under 

consideration, the LCC and PBP 

calculation reveals that a consumer is 

not impacted by the standard level. By 

accounting for consumers who already 

purchase more-efficient products, DOE 

avoids overstating the potential benefits 

from increasing product efficiency. 

1. Inputs to Installed Cost 

The total installed cost to the 

consumer is the sum of the product 

price, including sales tax where 

appropriate, and installation cost (labor 

and materials cost). 

DOE estimated the costs associated 

with installing a boiler in a new housing 

unit or as a replacement for an existing 

boiler. Installation costs account for 

labor and material costs and any 

additional costs, such as venting and 

piping modifications and condensate 

disposal that might be required when 

installing equipment at various 

efficiency levels. 

For replacement installations, DOE 

included a number of additional costs 

(‘‘adders’’) for a fraction of the sample 

households. For non-condensing 

boilers, these additional costs may 

account for updating of flue vent 

connectors, vent resizing, chimney 

relining, and, for a fraction of 

installations, the costs for a stainless 

steel vent. For condensing boilers, these 

additional costs included adding a new 

flue vent (polyvinylchloride (PVC)), 

combustion air venting for direct vent 

installations (PVC), concealing vent 

pipes for indoor installations, 

addressing an orphaned water heater (by 

updating flue vent connectors, vent 

resizing, or chimney relining), and 

condensate removal. 

DOE also included installation adders 

for new construction installations. For 

non-condensing boilers, the only adder 

is a new flue vent (metal, including a 

fraction with stainless steel venting). 

For condensing gas boilers, the adders 

include a new flue vent (PVC), 

combustion air venting for direct vent 

installations (PVC), accounting for a 

commonly vented water heater, and 

condensate removal. 

With regards to all near-condensing 

boiler installations, DOE has accounted 

for the installation costs of the ‘‘nearcondensing’’ products by considering 

the additional cost of using stainless 

steel venting. 

2. Inputs to Operating Cost 

The calculation of energy costs at 

each considered efficiency level makes 

use of the annual energy use derived in 

the energy use analysis, along with 

appropriate energy prices. DOE assigned 

an appropriate energy price to each 

household or commercial building in 

the sample, depending on its location. 

For future prices, DOE used the 

projected annual changes in average 

residential and commercial natural gas, 

LPG, electricity, and fuel oil prices in 

AEO 2013.10

DOE estimated maintenance and 

repair costs for residential boilers at 

each considered efficiency level using a 

variety of sources, including 2013 RS 

Means,11 manufacturer literature, and 

information from expert consultants. 

DOE estimated the frequency of annual 

maintenance using data from a 

proprietary consumer survey.12 DOE 

also accounted for the difference in the 

maintenance practices for the oil boiler 

market and the gas boiler market. 

Product lifetime is the age at which an 

appliance is retired from service. DOE 

conducted an analysis of boiler lifetimes 

using a combination of shipments data, 

the boiler stock, and RECS data on the 

age of the boilers in the homes. The data 

allowed DOE to develop a survival 

function, which provides an average 

and a median appliance lifetime. In 

addition, DOE reviewed a number of 

sources to validate the derived boiler 

lifetime, including research studies 

(from the U.S. and Europe) and field 

data reports. 

DOE used discount rates to determine 

the present value of lifetime operating 

expenses. The discount rate used in the 

LCC analysis represents the rate from an 

individual consumer’s perspective. 

Much of the data used for determining 

consumer discount rates comes from the 

Federal Reserve Board’s triennial 

Survey of Consumer Finances.13

3. Base-Case Distributions by Efficiency 

Levels 

To estimate the share of consumers 

affected by a potential standard at a 

particular efficiency level, DOE’s LCC 

and PBP analysis considers the 

projected distribution (i.e., market 

shares) of product efficiencies that 

consumers will purchase in the first 

compliance year under the base case 

(the case without amended energy 

conservation standards). 

DOE accounted for the increasing 

market share of condensing residential 

gas boilers in its base-case projection. 

DOE’s projection used available data on 

recent market trends in boiler efficiency 

and takes into account the potential 

impacts of the ENERGY STAR program 

and other policies that may affect the 

demand for more-efficient boilers. DOE 

estimated the market shares of the 

efficiency levels in each product class in 

2020 using data on the share of models 

in each product class that are of 

different designs, based on the AHRI 

certification directory.14

G. Shipments Analysis 

DOE used forecasts of product 

shipments to calculate the national 

impacts of potential amended energy 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 28 / Tuesday, February 11, 2014 / Proposed Rules 8127 

15U.S. Appliance Industry Statistical Review, 

Appliance Magazine, various years. 16Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration 

Institute (AHRI), Confidential Shipment data for 

2003–2012. 

17Available at: http://www.census.gov/const/

www/charindex.html. 

18 Decision Analysts, 2008 American Home 

Comfort Study: Online Database Tool (2009) 

(Available at: <http://www.decisionanalyst.com/

Syndicated/HomeComfort.dai>). 

conservation standards on energy use, 

NPV, and future manufacturer cash 

flows. A discussion of the shipments 

forecast methodology and the sources 

used is available at: http://

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2012-BT-STD0047 (see chapter 9 of the supporting 

documentation). DOE estimated boiler 

shipments by projecting shipments in 

three market segments: (1) 

Replacements; (2) new housing; and (3) 

new owners in buildings that did not 

previously have a boiler. DOE also 

considered whether standards that 

require more-efficient boilers would 

have an impact on boiler shipments. 

To project boiler replacement 

shipments, DOE developed retirement 

functions for boilers from the lifetime 

estimates and applied them to the 

existing products in the housing stock. 

The existing stock of products is tracked 

by vintage and developed from 

historical shipments data.15 16

To project shipments to the new 

housing market, DOE utilized a forecast 

of new housing construction and 

historic saturation rates of boiler 

product types in new housing. DOE 

used AEO 2013 for forecasts of new 

housing. Boiler saturation rates in new 

housing are provided by the U.S. Census 

Bureau’s Characteristics of New 

Housing.17

To estimate future shipments to new 

owners, DOE determined that a fraction 

of residential boiler shipments are to 

new owners with no previous boiler 

based on a proprietary consumer 

survey.18 DOE also accounted for 

potential switching between different 

boiler product classes (steam to hot 

water and oil to gas). 

To estimate the impact of the 

projected price increase for the 

considered efficiency levels, DOE used 

a relative price elasticity approach. This 

approach gives some weight to the 

operating cost savings from higherefficiency products. The impact of 

higher boiler prices (at higher efficiency 

levels) is expressed as a percentage drop 

in market share for each year during the 

analysis period. 

Additional details regarding the 

shipments analysis can be found in 

worksheet ‘‘NODA Results’’ of the NIA 

Spreadsheet. 

H. National Impact Analysis 

The NIA assesses the national energy 

savings (NES) and the net present value 

(NPV) from a national perspective of 

total consumer costs and savings 

expected to result from new or amended 

energy conservation standards at 

specific efficiency levels. DOE 

determined the NPV and NES for the 

efficiency levels considered for the 

boiler product classes analyzed. To 

make the analysis more accessible and 

transparent to all interested parties, 

DOE prepared a computer spreadsheet 

that uses typical values (as opposed to 

probability distributions) as inputs. 

Analyzing impacts of potential energy 

conservation standards for residential 

boilers requires comparing projections 

of U.S. energy consumption with 

amended energy conservation standards 

against projections of energy 

consumption without amended 

standards. The forecasts include 

projections of annual appliance 

shipments, the annual energy 

consumption of new appliances, and the 

purchase price of new appliances. 

A key component of DOE’s NIA is the 

energy efficiencies forecasted over time 

for the base case (without new 

standards) and each of the standards 

cases. DOE developed a distribution of 

efficiencies in the base case for 2020 

(the year of anticipated compliance with 

an amended standard) for each 

residential boiler product class. Details 

can be found in worksheet ‘‘NODA 

Results’’ of the NIA spreadsheet. In each 

standards case, a ‘‘roll-up’’ scenario 

approach was applied to establish the 

efficiency distribution for 2020. Under 

the ‘‘roll-up’’ scenario, DOE assumed 

that product efficiencies in the base case 

that do not meet the standard level 

under consideration would ‘‘roll-up’’ to 

meet the new standard level, and 

product efficiencies above the standard 

level under consideration would not be 

affected. 

Regarding the efficiency trend in the 

years after compliance, for the base case, 

DOE estimated that the overall market 

share of condensing gas-fired and oilfired hot water boilers would grow. DOE 

assumed a similar trend for the 

standards cases. Details on these 

efficiency trends are in worksheet 

‘‘NODA Results’’ of the NIA 

spreadsheet. 

The inputs for determining the 

national energy savings for each product 

analyzed are: (1) Annual energy 

consumption per unit; (2) shipments; (3) 

product stock; (4) national energy 

consumption; and (5) site-to-source 

conversion factors. DOE calculated the 

annual national energy consumption by 

multiplying the number of units (stock) 

of each product (by vintage or age) by 

the unit energy consumption (also by 

vintage). DOE calculated annual NES 

based on the difference in national 

energy consumption under the base case 

(without new or amended efficiency 

standards) and under each higher 

efficiency standard. DOE estimated 

energy consumption and savings based 

on site energy and converted the 

electricity consumption and savings to 

source (primary) energy using annual 

conversion factors derived from the 

most recent version of NEMS. 

Cumulative energy savings are the sum 

of annual NES over the timeframe of the 

analysis. 

DOE has historically presented NES 

in terms of primary energy savings. In 

response to the recommendations of a 

committee on ‘‘Point-of-Use and FullFuel-Cycle Measurement Approaches to 

Energy Efficiency Standards’’ appointed 

by the National Academy of Science, 

DOE announced its intention to use fullfuel-cycle (FFC) measures of energy use 

and greenhouse gas and other emissions 

in the national impact analyses and 

emissions analyses included in future 

energy conservation standards 

rulemakings. 76 FR 51281 (August 18, 

2011). After evaluating the approaches 

discussed in the August 18, 2011 notice, 

DOE published a statement of amended 

policy in the Federal Register in which 

DOE explained its determination that 

NEMS is the most appropriate tool for 

its FFC analysis and its intention to use 

NEMS for that purpose. 77 FR 49701 

(August 17, 2012). For this analysis, 

DOE calculated FFC energy savings 

using a NEMS-based methodology. 

The inputs for determining NPV are: 

(1) Total annual installed cost; (2) total 

annual savings in operating costs; (3) a 

discount factor to calculate the present 

value of costs and savings; (4) present 

value of costs; and (5) present value of 

savings. DOE determined the net 

savings for each year as the difference 

between the base case and each 

standards case in terms of the total 

savings in operating costs and total 

increases in installed costs. DOE 

calculated NPV as the difference 

between the present value of operating 

cost savings and the present value of 

total installed costs over the lifetime of 

products shipped in the forecast period. 

DOE estimates the NPV of consumer 

benefits using both a 3-percent and a 7- 

percent real discount rate. DOE uses 

these discount rates in accordance with 

guidance provided by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) to 

Federal agencies on the development of 

regulatory analysis. (OMB Circular A–4 


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8128 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 28 / Tuesday, February 11, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

(Sept. 17, 2003), section E, ‘‘Identifying 

and Measuring Benefits and Costs’’) 

DOE used EIA’s Annual Energy 

Outlook (AEO 2013) as the source of 

projections for future energy prices. 

I. Preliminary Manufacturer Impact 

Analysis 

In the NOPR phase, DOE will perform 

a manufacturer impact analysis (MIA) to 

estimate the financial impact of 

potential amended energy conservation 

standards on residential boiler 

manufacturers, as well as to calculate 

the impact of such standards on 

employment and manufacturing 

capacity. 

DOE recognizes that while any one 

regulation may not impose a significant 

burden on manufacturers, the combined 

effects of several impending regulations 

may have serious consequences for 

some manufacturers, groups of 

manufacturers, or an entire industry. 

Assessing the impact of a single 

regulation may overlook this cumulative 

regulatory burden. As a preliminary step 

to conducting the MIA, as part of this 

NODA analysis, DOE assessed the 

cumulative regulatory burden by 

identifying and characterizing other 

significant product-specific regulations 

that could affect residential boiler 

manufacturers. DOE identified the 

following regulations relevant to 

residential boiler manufactures 

including: DOE energy efficiency 

standards, ENERGY STAR, and local 

(State and regional) NOX requirements. 

IV. Public Participation 

DOE is interested in receiving 

comments on all aspects of the data and 

analysis presented in the NODA and 

supporting documentation that can be 

found at: http://www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2012-BT-STD0047. 

A. Submission of Comments 

DOE will accept comments, data, and 

information regarding this notice no 

later than the date provided in the DATES

section at the beginning of this notice. 

Interested parties may submit 

comments, data, and other information 

using any of the methods described in 

the ADDRESSES section at the beginning 

of this notice. 

Submitting comments via 

www.regulations.gov. The 

www.regulations.gov Web page will 

require you to provide your name and 

contact information. Your contact 

information will be viewable to DOE 

Building Technologies staff only. Your 

contact information will not be publicly 

viewable except for your first and last 

names, organization name (if any), and 

submitter representative name (if any). 

If your comment is not processed 

properly because of technical 

difficulties, DOE will use this 

information to contact you. If DOE 

cannot read your comment due to 

technical difficulties and cannot contact 

you for clarification, DOE may not be 

able to consider your comment. 

However, your contact information 

will be publicly viewable if you include 

it in the comment itself or in any 

documents attached to your comment. 

Any information that you do not want 

to be publicly viewable should not be 

included in your comment, nor in any 

document attached to your comment. 

Otherwise, persons viewing comments 

will see only first and last names, 

organization names, correspondence 

containing comments, and any 

documents submitted with the 

comments. 

Do not submit to www.regulations.gov 

information for which disclosure is 

restricted by statute, such as trade 

secrets and commercial or financial 

information (hereinafter referred to as 

Confidential Business Information 

(CBI)). Comments submitted through 

www.regulations.gov cannot be claimed 

as CBI. Comments received through the 

Web site will waive any CBI claims for 

the information submitted. For 

information on submitting CBI, see the 

Confidential Business Information 

section below. 

DOE processes submissions made 

through www.regulations.gov before 

posting. Normally, comments will be 

posted within a few days of being 

submitted. However, if large volumes of 

comments are being processed 

simultaneously, your comment may not 

be viewable for up to several weeks. 

Please keep the comment tracking 

number that www.regulations.gov 

provides after you have successfully 

uploaded your comment. 

Submitting comments via email, hand 

delivery/courier, or mail. Comments and 

documents submitted via email, hand 

delivery, or mail also will be posted to 

www.regulations.gov. If you do not want 

your personal contact information to be 

publicly viewable, do not include it in 

your comment or any accompanying 

documents. Instead, provide your 

contact information in a cover letter. 

Include your first and last names, email 

address, telephone number, and 

optional mailing address. The cover 

letter will not be publicly viewable as 

long as it does not include any 

comments. 

Include contact information each time 

you submit comments, data, documents, 

and other information to DOE. If you 

submit via mail or hand delivery/

courier, please provide all items on a 

CD, if feasible, in which case it is not 

necessary to submit printed copies. No 

facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted. 

Comments, data, and other 

information submitted to DOE 

electronically should be provided in 

PDF (preferred), Microsoft Word or 

Excel, WordPerfect, or text (ASCII) file 

format. Provide documents that are not 

secured, that are written in English, and 

that are free of any defects or viruses. 

Documents should not contain special 

characters or any form of encryption 

and, if possible, they should carry the 

electronic signature of the author. 

Campaign form letters. Please submit 

campaign form letters by the originating 

organization in batches of between 50 to 

500 form letters per PDF or as one form 

letter with a list of supporters’ names 

compiled into one or more PDFs. This 

reduces comment processing and 

posting time. 

Confidential Business Information. 

Pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person 

submitting information that he or she 

believes to be confidential and exempt 

by law from public disclosure should 

submit two well-marked copies: One 

copy of the document marked 

‘‘confidential’’ including all the 

information believed to be confidential, 

and one copy of the document marked 

‘‘non-confidential’’ with the information 

believed to be confidential deleted. DOE 

will make its own determination about 

the confidential status of the 

information and treat it according to its 

determination. 

Factors of interest to DOE when 

evaluating requests to treat submitted 

information as confidential include: (1) 

A description of the items; (2) whether 

and why such items are customarily 

treated as confidential within the 

industry; (3) whether the information is 

generally known by or available from 

other sources; (4) whether the 

information has previously been made 

available to others without obligation 

concerning its confidentiality; (5) an 

explanation of the competitive injury to 

the submitting person which would 

result from public disclosure; (6) when 

such information might lose its 

confidential character due to the 

passage of time; and (7) why disclosure 

of the information would be contrary to 

the public interest. 

It is DOE’s policy that all comments 

may be included in the public docket, 

without change and as received, 

including any personal information 

provided in the comments (except 

information deemed to be exempt from 

public disclosure). 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 28 / Tuesday, February 11, 2014 / Proposed Rules 8129 

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 31, 

2014. 

Kathleen B. Hogan, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy 

Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2014–02823 Filed 2–10–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0171; Airspace 

Docket No. 13–ANM–6] 

Proposed Amendment of Class E 

Airspace; Redmond, OR. 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: This action proposes to 

modify the Class E airspace areas at 

Redmond, OR, to accommodate Area 

Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning 

System (GPS) standard instrument 

approach procedures for Instrument 

Flight Rules (IFR) operations at Roberts 

Field. This action, initiated by the 

biennial review of the Redmond, OR, 

airspace area, would enhance the safety 

and management of IFR operations at 

the airport. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before March 28, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this 

proposal to the U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, M– 

30, West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 

Washington, DC 20590; telephone (202) 

366–9826. You must identify FAA 

Docket No. FAA–2013–0171; Airspace 

Docket No. 13–ANM–6, at the beginning 

of your comments. You may also submit 

comments through the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Richard Roberts, Federal Aviation 

Administration, Operations Support 

Group, Western Service Center, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057; 

telephone (425) 203–4517. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

Interested parties are invited to 

participate in this proposed rulemaking 

by submitting such written data, views, 

or arguments, as they may desire. 

Comments that provide the factual basis 

supporting the views and suggestions 

presented are particularly helpful in 

developing reasoned regulatory 

decisions on the proposal. Comments 

are specifically invited on the overall 

regulatory, aeronautical, economic, 

environmental, and energy-related 

aspects of the proposal. 

Communications should identify both 

docket numbers (FAA Docket No. FAA– 

2013–0171 and Airspace Docket No. 13– 

ANM–6) and be submitted in triplicate 

to the Docket Management System (see 

ADDRESSES section for address and 

phone number). You may also submit 

comments through the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

Commenters wishing the FAA to 

acknowledge receipt of their comments 

on this action must submit with those 

comments a self-addressed stamped 

postcard on which the following 

statement is made: ‘‘Comments to FAA 

Docket No. FAA–2013–0171 and 

Airspace Docket No. 13–ANM–6’’. The 

postcard will be date/time stamped and 

returned to the commenter. 

All communications received on or 

before the specified closing date for 

comments will be considered before 

taking action on the proposed rule. The 

proposal contained in this action may 

be changed in light of comments 

received. All comments submitted will 

be available for examination in the 

public docket both before and after the 

closing date for comments. A report 

summarizing each substantive public 

contact with FAA personnel concerned 

with this rulemaking will be filed in the 

docket. 

Availability of NPRM’s 

An electronic copy of this document 

may be downloaded through the 

Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. 

Recently published rulemaking 

documents can also be accessed through 

the FAA’s Web page at http://

www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/air_

traffic/publications/airspace_

amendments/. 

You may review the public docket 

containing the proposal, any comments 

received, and any final disposition in 

person in the Dockets Office (see the 

ADDRESSES section for the address and 

phone number) between 9:00 a.m. and 

5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except federal holidays. An informal 

docket may also be examined during 

normal business hours at the Northwest 

Mountain Regional Office of the Federal 

Aviation Administration, Air Traffic 

Organization, Western Service Center, 

Operations Support Group, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057. 

Persons interested in being placed on 

a mailing list for future NPRM’s should 

contact the FAA’s Office of Rulemaking, 

(202) 267–9677, for a copy of Advisory 

Circular No. 11–2A, Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking Distribution System, which 

describes the application procedure. 

The Proposal 

The FAA is proposing an amendment 

to Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations 

(14 CFR) part 71 by modifying Class E 

surface airspace at Roberts Field, 

Redmond, OR, to remove the segment 

extending from the 5.1 mile radius of 

the airport to .9 miles west of the 

VORTAC. After a biennial review of the 

airspace, the FAA found this action 

necessary as the airspace is no longer 

needed. Class E airspace extending 700 

feet above the surface would be 

modified with segments extending from 

the 7.6-mile radius of Roberts Field to 

11.5 miles northeast and 15 miles 

southeast of the airport. Class E airspace 

designated as an extension to the Class 

D and Class E surface area would be 

modified by adding a segment extending 

from the 5.1-mile radius of Roberts Field 

to 3.5 miles southeast of the airport, and 

removing the segment from the 5.1 mile 

radius of the airport to .9 miles west of 

the VORTAC to accommodate RNAV 

(GPS) standard instrument approach 

procedures and for the safety and 

management of IFR operations at the 

airport. 

Class E airspace designations are 

published in paragraph 6002, 6004 and 

6005, respectively, of FAA Order 

7400.9X, dated August 7, 2013, and 

effective September 15, 2013, which is 

incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 

71.1. The Class E airspace designations 

listed in this document will be 

published subsequently in this Order. 

The FAA has determined this 

proposed regulation only involves an 

established body of technical 

regulations for which frequent and 

routine amendments are necessary to 

keep them operationally current. 

Therefore, this proposed regulation; (1) 

Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory action’’ 

under Executive Order 12866; (2) Is not 

a ‘‘significant rule’’ under DOT 

Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 

FR 11034; February 26, 1979); and (3) 

Does not warrant preparation of a 

regulatory evaluation as the anticipated 

impact is so minimal. Since this is a 

routine matter that will only affect air 

traffic procedures and air navigation, it 

is certified this proposed rule, when 

promulgated, would not have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities 

under the criteria of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

The FAA’s authority to issue rules 

regarding aviation safety is found in 

Title 49 of the U.S. Code. Subtitle 1, 

Section 106, describes the authority for 


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