### 71630 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 29, 1998 / Notices

with the workforce needed for operations during closure activities.

• Potential impacts on cultural and historic resources.

• Potential cumulative environmental impacts of past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future operations at the SRS.

• Potential irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on December 22, 1998. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health. [FR Doc. 98–34458 Filed 12–28–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

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

ACTION : Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted the proposed information collection request (ICR) described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). The OMB is particularly interested in comments which evaluate: (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary to measure the progress and success of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, (2) the accuracy of DOE’s estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection, (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who choose to respond.

DOE received one public comment in response to an earlier notice inviting public comment on this proposed collection (63 FR 56922, October 23, 1998), and has replied to the comment in its submission to OMB.

DATES : Comments regarding this collection of information should be received on or before January 28, 1999.

ADDRESSES : Comments should be sent to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: OMB Desk Officer for DOE, Room 10202, New Executive Office Building, 725 17th Street, N.W., Washington DC 20503. A copy of the comments should also be sent to: Kimberly Kendall, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy, Room 6C–016, 1000 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of the ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained from: Kimberly Kendall, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy, Room 6C–016, 1000 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–0927; or e-mail to kim.kendall@hq.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION : The following proposed collection of information has been sent to OMB for clearance:

Title: U.S. Department of Energy/ Million Solar Roofs Initiative Registry

OMB Control Number: None. Type of request: New collection. Expiration date of current OMB clearance: N/A.

Frequency of response: One time. Respondents: Individuals, solar energy system installers, other solar energy industry representatives federal agencies, state and local governments, and utilities.

Estimated time per respondent: 30 minutes.

Estimated number of respondents: 1,000.

Total annual burden hours: 500 hours

Total annual cost to federal government: $20,000.

Summary/description of need: DOE seeks to collect information from individual homeowners, solar energy system installers, other solar energy industry representatives, utilities, federal agencies, and state and local governments concerning the details of newly installed solar energy systems (eg. system size and technology). The collection of this data is critical to the management of the President’s Million Solar Roofs Initiative. Because the Initiative seeks to install one million solar energy systems on American homes and businesses by 2010, the information collected will allow DOE to measure its success in this effort. Many thousands of commitments have been made to date and a mechanism must be in place to account for the activity generated under this Federal initiative.

Issued in Washington, DC on December 23, 1998. Brian T. Castelli, Chief of Staff, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. [FR Doc. 98–34456 Filed 12–28–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Publishing of the Petition for Extension of the 180-Day Period for Revising Manufacturers Representations

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION : Notice.

SUMMARY : This notice grants the ‘‘Petitions for Extension,’’ dated October 6, 1998, from the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA) on behalf of Aero Environmental Limited, American Water Heater Company, Bock Water Heaters, Bradford-White Corporation, Controlled Energy Corporation (e.l.m. LeBlanc), DEC International, GSW Water Heating Company Ltd., Heat Transfer Products, Inc., Rheem Water Heater Division, A. O. Smith Water Products Company, State Industries, Inc., Therma-Stor Products Group, Vaughn Manufacturing Company, Vulcano Termo-Domesticos S.A., Water Heater Innovations, and Airexcel, Inc., Crispaire Division. GAMA’s Petition asks for an extension of the 180-day period for manufacturers’ representations. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended, (EPCA) permits the Secretary of DOE to extend the period for representations by 180 days if good cause is shown.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terry Logee, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Mail Station EE–43, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585–0121, Telephone: (202) 586–1689, Email: terry.logee@ee.doe.gov or Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General Counsel, Mail Station GC–72, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585–0121, Telephone: (202) 586–9507.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION : The Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products (other than automobiles) was established by the EPCA which requires DOE to prescribe standardized test procedures to measure the energy consumption of certain consumer products, including water heaters. The intent of the test procedures is to provide a comparable measure of energy consumption that will assist consumers in making purchasing decisions, and to form the basis of the Federal Trade Commission’s

### 71631 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 29, 1998 / Notices

(FTC) labeling requirements. The water heater test procedure final rule was published on May 11, 1998, at 63 FR 25996. Included in this final rule, wasa revised first hour rating for storagetype water heaters, defined in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR, Part 430, Subpart B, Appendix E, § 1.12.

The following manufacturers have authorized GAMA to petition the Department under Section 323(c)(2) of EPCA, 42 U.S.C. 6293(c)(2). This petition was received at DOE on October 6, 1998. The manufacturers included in the petition are: Aero Environmental Limited, American Water Heater Company, Bock Water Heaters, Bradford-White Corporation, Controlled Energy Corporation (e.l.m. LeBlanc), DEC International, GSW Water Heating Company Ltd., Heat Transfer Products, Inc., Rheem Water Heater Division, A. O. Smith Water Products Company, State Industries, Inc., Therma-Stor Products Group, Vaughn Manufacturing Company, Vulcano Termo-Domesticos S.A., Water Heater Innovations, and Airexcel Inc., Crispaire Division.

Section 323(c)(2) of EPCA, 42 U.S.C. 6293(c)(2), allows manufacturers 180 days to test products according to a new or revised DOE test procedure in order to determine the energy use or energy efficiency for the purposes of making representations in writing, including on a label, or in a broadcast advertisement. On the petition of any manufacturer(s), the 180-day period may be extended by the Secretary up to a maximum of an additional 180 days if the Secretary determines that the initial 180 days would impose undue hardship on the manufacturer(s). The petition must be received by DOE no later than 60 days before the end of the 180-day period or no later than October 8, 1998 in this

case.

In the petition, GAMA claims that there are over 500 models of residential water heaters. GAMA also claims that since two or more units for each water heater model must be tested and the revised first hour test procedure will take about five hours to conduct, the revised test procedure presents a very large test burden on the manufacturers.

Based on GAMA’s survey of residential water heater manufacturers, each major manufacturer would have to test, on average, at least 190 water heaters at a total cost of about $85,000. This estimate is based on testing at least two units each for each heater model, and each major manufacturer having about 95 water heater models to test. Since the manufacturers have only one or two test cells to dedicate to testing of the water heaters, GAMA claims that, on average, the testing will take about 230 days to complete which is greater than the 180 days required for compliance.

Additionally, GAMA claims that the revised test procedure creates a difficult situation with regard to the manufacturers’ obligation to comply with the FTC’s EnergyGuide labeling requirements for residential water heaters. Some information on the label is directly specified by the FTC while other information is determined by the manufacturer based on the results of the DOE energy efficiency test procedure. The end points of ranges of comparability for estimated annual energy usage for models with similar hot water delivery are directly specified by the FTC. The measure used to group the various water heater models according to similar hot water delivery capability is the first hour rating. Since the revised test procedure could result in a change to a water heater’s first hour rating, the FTC appliance label will also have to change. If the extension is granted, GAMA claims that manufacturers could provide the FTC with information based on the revised test procedure in advance of the FTC’s May 1st deadline for estimated annual energy usage for residential water heaters. GAMA claims this would minimize confusion for consumers.

After discussion with the staff at the FTC, we have determined that GAMA’s claims regarding the FTC’s procedures for establishing the end points of the ranges of comparability for estimated annual energy use are correct.

DOE staff also verified GAMA’s time and cost estimates for testing water heaters for first hour rating. DOE contacted Intertek Testing Service (ITS), a commercial testing laboratory, to determine if GAMA’s time estimate of five hours for measuring each water heater’s first hour rating and GAMA’s cost estimate of $85,000 for performing tests on 190 water heaters for the revised first hour rating was reasonable. ITS advised us that the cost estimate of approximately $450 per test unit ($85000/190 heaters) and five-hour time estimate for a first hour rating by itself with no other tests being conducted was reasonable. For each water heater tested, in addition to conducting the first hour rating test, the testing lab would have to unpack the water heater from the shipping container, setup (and later remove) the water heater from the test stand, and prepare a report with the test results. Therefore, DOE has concluded that GAMA’s data is accurate and that the revised test for first hour rating does constitute an undue burden on the manufacturers.

Since it will take the manufacturers more than 180 days to complete testing of all water heaters, the Department grants GAMA’s petition on behalf of the following manufacturers: Aero Environmental Limited, American Water Heater Company, Bock Water Heaters, Bradford-White Corporation, Controlled Energy Corporation (e.l.m. LeBlanc), DEC International, GSW Water Heating Company Ltd., Heat Transfer Products, Inc., Rheem Water Heater Division, A. O. Smith Water Products Company, State Industries, Inc., Therma-Stor Products Group, Vaughn Manufacturing Company, Vulcano Termo-Domesticos S.A., Water Heater Innovations, and Airexcel, Inc., Crispaire Division. This will provide an additional 180 days so that manufacturers can complete the testing for first hour rating. The extension allows the manufacturers named above until June 5, 1999, to comply with representations under the revised test procedure for first hour rating.

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 21, 1998. Dan W. Reicher, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. [FR Doc. 98–34457 Filed 12–28–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP98–40–001]

East Tennessee Natural Gas Company; Notice of Petition to Amend

December 22, 1998.

Take notice that on November 18, 1998, East Tennessee Natural Gas Company (East Tennessee), 1001 Louisiana, Houston, Texas 77002, filed in Docket No. CP98–40–001 an application, pursuant to Sections 7(b) and 7(C) of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission’s Regulations seeking to amend the certificate of public convenience and necessity issued on April 1, 1998, in Docket No. CP98–40–000, all as more fully described in the application which is on file with the Commission and open for public inspection.

Among other things, the certificate issued to East Tennessee on April 1, 1998 in Docket No. CP98–40–000 authorized East Tennessee to increase the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) of the 3100 Line. East Tennessee states that after receiving the certificate, its engineering staff determined that certain pipeline segments of the 3100 Line need to be