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

(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, was

a 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