21442 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 73 / Wednesday, April 16, 2014 / Notices 

advice to the CFPB or in representing 

the CFPB in a proceeding before a court, 

adjudicative body, or other 

administrative body, where the use of 

such information by the DOJ is deemed 

by the CFPB to be relevant and 

necessary to the advice or proceeding, 

and in the case of a proceeding, such 

proceeding names as a party in interest: 

(a) The CFPB; 

(b) Any employee of the CFPB in his 

or her official capacity; 

(c) Any employee of the CFPB in his 

or her individual capacity where DOJ or 

the CFPB has agreed to represent the 

employee; or 

(d) The United States, where the 

CFPB determines that litigation is likely 

to affect the CFPB or any of its 

components; 

(7) A court, magistrate, or 

administrative tribunal in the course of 

an administrative proceeding or judicial 

proceeding, including disclosures to 

opposing counsel or witnesses 

(including expert witnesses) in the 

course of discovery or other pre-hearing 

exchanges of information, litigation, or 

settlement negotiations, where relevant 

or potentially relevant to a proceeding, 

or in connection with criminal law 

proceedings; 

(8) Appropriate agencies, entities, and 

persons, to the extent necessary to 

obtain information needed to 

investigate, resolve, respond, or refer a 

complaint or inquiry; 

(9) Appropriate federal, state, local, 

foreign, tribal, or self-regulatory 

organizations or agencies responsible for 

investigating, prosecuting, enforcing, 

implementing, issuing, or carrying out a 

statute, rule, regulation, order, policy, or 

license if the information may be 

relevant to a potential violation of civil 

or criminal law, rule, regulation, order, 

policy or license; 

(10) An entity or person that is the 

subject of the complaint or inquiry and 

the counsel or non-attorney 

representative for that entity or person; 

(11) Appropriate agencies, entities, 

and persons for the purpose of 

performing audit or oversight operations 

authorized by law, but only such 

information as is necessary and relevant 

to such audit or oversight function; and 

(12) Federal and state agencies for the 

purpose of facilitating the data sharing 

requirements described in 12 U.S.C. 

§ 5493(b)(3)(D) concerning consumer 

complaint information. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, 

RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND

DISPENSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: 

STORAGE: 

Paper and electronic records. 

RETRIEVABILITY: 

Records are retrievable by a variety of 

fields including without limitation the 

individual’s name, social security 

number, complaint/inquiry case 

number, address, account number, 

transaction number, phone number, 

date of birth, or by some combination 

thereof. 

SAFEGUARDS: 

Access to electronic records is 

restricted to authorized personnel who 

have been issued non-transferrable 

access codes and passwords. Other 

records are maintained in locked file 

cabinets or rooms with access limited to 

those personnel whose official duties 

require access. 

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL: 

The CFPB will maintain electronic 

and paper records for Consumer 

Response records under the National 

Archives and Records Administration 

(NARA) records schedule, N1–587–12– 

05 and N1–587–12–04. 

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS: 

The Consumer Financial Protection 

Bureau, Division of the Chief Operating 

Officer, Office of Consumer Response, 

1700 G Street NW., Washington, DC 

20552. 

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE: 

Individuals seeking notification and 

access to any record contained in this 

system of records, or seeking to contest 

its content, may inquire in writing in 

accordance with instructions appearing 

in Title 12, Chapter 10 of the CFR, 

‘‘Disclosure of Records and 

Information.’’ Address such requests to: 

Chief Privacy Officer, Bureau of 

Consumer Financial Protection, 1700 G 

Street NW., Washington, DC 20552. 

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES: 

See ‘‘Notification Procedures’’ above. 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

See ‘‘Notification Procedures’’ above. 

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: 

Information in this system is obtained 

from individuals and entities filing 

complaints and inquiries, other 

governmental authorities, and entities 

that are the subjects of complaints and 

inquiries. 

EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM: 

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552a(k)(2), to 

the extent that the Consumer Response 

System contains investigatory materials 

compiled for law enforcement purposes 

those materials are exempt from 

disclosure under 5 U.S.C. § 552a. 

[FR Doc. 2014–08555 Filed 4–15–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P 

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY 

COMMISSION 

[CPSC Docket No. CPSC–2014–0009] 

Carbon Monoxide/Combustion Sensor 

Forum and Request for Information 

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety 

Commission. 

ACTION: Announcement of meeting and 

request for information. 

SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety 

Commission (CPSC, Commission, or we) 

is announcing that the CPSC intends to 

hold a forum on carbon monoxide/ 

combustion sensors. Through this 

announcement, we are also issuing a 

Request for Information (RFI) seeking 

information on the availability of 

sensors that are capable of: (1) Operating 

within the flue passageways of a gas 

appliance or similar environment; (2) 

directly or indirectly monitoring carbon 

monoxide levels or other gases or 

environmental conditions associated 

with the production of dangerous levels 

of carbon monoxide; and (3) providing 

a shutdown or other preemptive signal 

in response to dangerous levels of 

carbon monoxide. We invite interested 

parties to provide information 

responsive to the RFI and to attend and 

participate in the forum and to submit 

comments responsive to the forum 

agenda. 

DATES: The forum will be held from 9:00 

a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on June 3, 2014. 

Individuals interested in serving on 

panels at the forum should register by 

May 9, 2014; all other individuals who 

wish to attend the forum should register 

by May 23, 2014. Written comments 

will be received until July 7, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: The forum will be held at 

the CPSC’s National Product Testing 

and Evaluation Center, 5 Research 

Place, Rockville, MD 20850. There is no 

charge to attend the forum. Persons 

interested in serving on a panel or 

attending the forum should register 

online at: http://www.cpsc.gov/ 

meetingsignup.html, and click on the 

link titled, ‘‘Carbon Monoxide/ 

Combustion Sensor Forum.’’ For those 

who are unable to attend, the forum will 

also be webcast. 

You may submit written comments, 

identified by Docket No. CPSC–2014– 

0009, by any of the following methods: 

Electronic Submissions 

Submit electronic comments in the 

following way: 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

The Commission does not accept 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 73 / Wednesday, April 16, 2014 / Notices 21443 

comments submitted by electronic mail 

(email), except through 

www.regulations.gov. The Commission 

encourages you to submit electronic 

comments by using the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal, as described above. 

Written Submissions 

Submit written comments in the 

following way: 

Mail/Hand delivery/Courier, 

preferably in five copies, to: Office of 

the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety 

Commission, Room 820, 4330 East West 

Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; 

telephone (301) 504–7923. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name and 

docket number for this notice. All 

comments received may be posted 

without change, including any personal 

identifiers, contact information, or other 

personal information provided, to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Do not 

submit confidential business 

information, trade secret information, or 

other sensitive or protected information 

electronically. Such information should 

be submitted in writing. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received, go to: http:// 

www.regulations.gov and insert the 

docket number CPSC–2014–0009 into 

the ‘‘Search’’ box, and follow the 

prompts. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ronald Jordan, Division of Combustion 

and Fire Sciences, Directorate for 

Engineering Sciences, 5 Research Place, 

Rockville, MD 20850, telephone 301– 

987–2219, email: rjordan@cpsc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

a. Hazards Associated with Vented Gas 

Heating Appliances 

Vented gas heating appliances 

provide comfort heat to consumers in 

single- and multifamily dwellings, as 

well as in schools, motels/hotels, and 

nursing homes; burn natural gas or 

propane as a fuel; and exhaust the byproducts of combustion from the 

appliance to the outdoors through a vent 

system or chimney. Vented gas heating 

appliances include gas furnaces, boilers, 

wall furnaces, and floor furnaces. When 

these appliances experience certain 

failure modes or conditions, dangerous 

levels of carbon monoxide (CO) can be 

produced. 

CO is a by-product of the incomplete 

combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, such 

as natural gas, propane and oil. 

Incomplete combustion in a vented gas 

heating appliance can occur when too 

much fuel or inadequate air for 

combustion are supplied to the burner, 

or when the burner flame temperature is 

reduced below the ignition temperature 

of the fuel. When the flue passageways 

and venting systems of appliances are 

intact and properly installed and 

maintained, CO that results from 

incomplete combustion is safely vented 

to the outdoors. However, when a 

compromised flue passageway or 

venting system (e.g., a separated flue, a 

disconnected vent, or a hole in a vent) 

creates a leakage path, CO can enter the 

living space and present a hazard to 

consumers. 

b. Incident Data 

We analyzed death certificate data 

compiled by the National Center for 

Health Statistics (NCHS) and death 

certificates purchased by the CPSC from 

the 50 states, the District of Columbia, 

and New York City to estimate the 

number of CO poisoning deaths 

associated with vented gas heating 

appliances. According to this analysis, 

for the 12-year period from 1999 to 

2010, there were a total estimated 369 

non-fire CO poisoning deaths associated 

with central gas furnaces/boilers, wall 

furnaces, and floor furnaces. This 

analysis also revealed that for the years 

2008 through 2010, an annual estimated 

25 non-fire CO poisoning deaths were 

associated with these types of 

appliances. 

CPSC staff conducted a review of InDepth Investigations (IDIs) of non-firerelated CO incidents associated with gas 

furnaces and boilers: http://www.cpsc.

gov/PageFiles/130036/Updated_IDI_

review_CO_and_modern_furnaces_and_

boilers.pdf. The IDI review covered the 

years 2002 through 2009, and revealed 

83 incidents associated with carbon 

monoxide poisoning and gas furnaces 

and boilers that were determined to 

have been manufactured after 1987. In 

73 of the 83 incidents, the investigating 

authorities were able to identify the 

failure mode of the furnace or boiler. 

Thirty-one of the incidents involved the 

breach, disconnection, or blockage of 

the vent, chimney, or heat exchanger. In 

three of the incidents, reports identified 

the failure mode as improper venting; 

and in an additional three incidents, the 

failure mode was depressurization or 

back drafting. An additional 36 

incidents were associated with 

miscellaneous or multiple failure 

modes. There were 44 fatalities 

associated with these 83 CO poisoning 

incidents. 

c. CPSC Staff’s Activities Regarding 

Sensor Testing 

Despite safety improvements made to 

the gas appliance voluntary standards in 

the 1980s, the governing standards for 

gas-fired central furnaces (ANSI 

Z21.47), gas-fired boilers (ANSI Z21.13), 

and gas-fired wall and floor furnaces 

(ANSI Z21.86) do not protect against 

many of the failure modes or conditions 

observed to cause or contribute to CO 

exposure incidents. 

1. CPSC’s Activities with Voluntary 

Standards Organizations 

For more than a decade, CPSC staff 

has worked with voluntary standard 

organizations to encourage including 

CO shutoff requirements in voluntary 

standards. In 2000, to address CO 

poisoning risks, CPSC staff 

recommended that the governing 

voluntary standard group, the ANSI 

Z21.47 Central Furnace Subcommittee, 

add a provision to the ANSI furnace 

standard that would require a means to 

prevent furnaces from producing 

concentrations of CO in excess of 400 

parts per million (ppm) (the carbon 

monoxide emission limit set forth in the 

voluntary standard for gas furnaces, 

ANSI Z21.47) or cause the shutdown of 

furnaces in response to those CO levels. 

http://www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/106498/

Letter_ANSI_Z21.47_COemissions_

furnace2_to_5_CO_shutoff_

proposal.pdf. 

In 2001, CPSC staff began 

investigating combustion gas sensing 

technologies that might be used to 

detect CO in appliance flue passageways 

and provide a shutoff or some other 

preemptive response to dangerous levels 

of CO. CPSC staff tested sensor 

technologies to demonstrate the ability 

of CO/combustion sensors to provide 

detection and shutdown response to CO 

concentrations in excess of 400 ppm. At 

the conclusion of this testing, CPSC staff 

determined that existing CO sensor 

technology could be used to detect CO 

concentrations in excess of 400 ppm in 

vented gas heating appliances and shut 

down the appliance. http://www.cpsc.

gov/PageFiles/98232/Furnace_

combustion_sensor_test_results.pdf. 

CPSC staff provided these test results to 

the Z21.47 furnace subcommittee to 

support CPSC staff’s earlier proposal 

that the furnace standard be revised to 

require that vented gas heating 

appliances be required to detect 

dangerous levels of CO and shut down 

if high levels of CO are detected. 

The Z21.47 subcommittee referred 

CPSC’s CO shutoff proposal to the ANSI 

Z21/83 Technical Committee (Technical 

Committee), which in 2002, established 

the ANSI Z21/83 Ad Hoc Working 

Group for CO Combustion Sensors 

(AHWG). AHWG was tasked with 

developing test and work plans to 

evaluate the feasibility of using gas and 


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combustion sensing technologies for CO 

shutoff of furnaces and other vented gas 

heating appliances and, if warranted, 

begin development of an appropriate 

standard. 

CPSC staff worked with the AHWG 

from 2002 through 2004 to complete the 

test criterion. The Technical Committee 

met in September 2005, and decided not 

to pursue CO/combustion sensor testing, 

citing concerns that there were no 

commercially available sensors that 

were: 

(1) Durable enough to withstand the 

furnace operating environment, or 

(2) had the expected life span (e.g., 15 

years) of a furnace. 

In response to the Technical 

Committee’s decision not to pursue CO 

sensor testing, CPSC staff conducted a 

test program from 2007 through 2008 to 

evaluate the durability and longevity of 

sensors operating in a gas furnace 

environment. http://www.cpsc.gov/Page

Files/129834/CO_sensor_durability_

and_longevity_testing.pdf. The purpose 

of the test program was to address the 

concerns about sensor durability and 

longevity raised by the Technical 

Committee at their 2005 meeting. 

Therefore, the testing only included 

those portions of the test criteria 

developed by the AHWG relevant to 

durability and longevity. The test results 

demonstrated the availability of 

chemical sensors capable of 

withstanding the harsh operating 

environment of a furnace and 

potentially surviving throughout the life 

span of the furnace. Based on the results 

of this testing, CPSC staff concluded 

that the inclusion of a CO shutoff 

requirement in the voluntary standard 

was technologically feasible. CPSC staff 

shared the report on the test results with 

the Technical Committee, as well as the 

Technical Advisory Groups (TAG) for 

gas furnaces (ANSI Z21.47 TAG) and gas 

boilers (ANSI Z21.13 TAG). 

2. Gas Technology Institute Report 

In 2011, the Gas Technology Institute 

(GTI) (a research, development and 

training organization that develops 

technology-based solutions in the 

natural gas and energy fields for 

industry, government and consumers) 

prepared a report titled, ‘‘Technical 

Feasibility Study Carbon Monoxide 

Sensing Safety Systems for Appliances’’ 

(GTI Report). http://www.ari.org/App_

Content/ahri/files/RESEARCH/

Technical%20Results/AHRI-8001%20

Final%20Report.pdf. 

The purpose of the GTI Report was to 

‘‘establish a technical baseline for 

considering the practical feasibility of 

integrating CO sensors into gas 

appliances, and to identify critical areas 

needing further development or 

research.’’ According to the GTI Report, 

there are several factors that prevent CO 

sensors from functioning properly when 

used in a gas-fired appliance: 

• The temperature and humidity 

conditions in the flue or combustion 

chamber; 

• the presence of contaminants in the 

flue or combustion chamber; and 

• the short life span of CO sensors (6 

years) when compared to the life span 

of gas-fired appliances (20 years). 

The GTI Report concluded that 

‘‘extensive research is required before 

current designs of CO sensors would be 

able to operate in the combustion 

chamber or the flue of a gas-fired 

appliance for a length of time for use as 

a safety or combustion control device.’’ 

This conclusion is inconsistent with the 

results of CPSC staff’s sensor testing that 

in CPSC staff’s view demonstrated the 

availability of chemical sensors capable 

of withstanding the harsh operating 

environment of a furnace and 

potentially surviving throughout the life 

span of the furnace. 

II. Request for Information 

a. Purpose 

We request information to help CPSC 

staff gain a broader understanding of the 

availability and the state of the art of all 

sensor technologies that are capable of 

being used within the heat exchangers, 

flue passageways, and/or vent systems 

of vented gas heating appliances to shut 

down the appliance in response to 

dangerous levels of CO in these areas of 

the appliance or upon detection of 

incomplete combustion conditions that 

can lead to the production of dangerous 

levels of CO. 

CPSC is interested in information 

regarding sensor technologies that: 

• Determine CO concentration by 

directly measuring CO levels; 

• determine CO concentration 

indirectly by measuring other 

combustion gases, such as carbon 

dioxide, oxygen, or unburned natural 

gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LP-gas), 

or environmental conditions, such as 

temperature, humidity, or displacement; 

and 

• detect incomplete combustion 

conditions that could result in the 

production of dangerous levels of CO. 

We are also interested in sensor 

technologies at various stages of product 

life-cycle development, including: 

• full-scale production models 

• prototypes that are less than 2 years 

from full-scale production; and 

• prototypes between two and 5 years 

from full-scale production. 

CPSC staff is aware that CO/ 

combustion sensing technology is 

already in use with vented gas heating 

appliances in Japan and believes that 

actions such as including this 

technology in vented gas heating 

appliances in the United States could 

help reduce the risks of death and injury 

associated with CO exposure from these 

products. CPSC staff would like to learn 

more about Japan’s experience with this 

technology, and we expect that 

responses to the request for information 

will provide helpful information in this 

regard. CPSC will use information 

gained from responses to the RFI and 

from the forum to determine future 

work to reduce the risks of death and 

injury associated with CO exposure. 

b. Information Requested 

In preparing information or comments 

for the RFI and for consideration at the 

forum, commenters should be aware of 

the typical operating environment of a 

vented gas appliance and some basic 

operating requirements of a CO/ 

combustion sensor cited in the table 

below. Response range and maximum 

exposure limits for sensors that detect 

other target gases or environmental 

conditions will vary. 

Criteria Range 

Temperature .......................... ¥40 to 500 

degrees F 

Humidity ................................ 0 to 100% 

CO Sensor Response Range 0 to 400 ppm 

Maximum CO Sensor Exposure.3000 ppm 

Lifespan ................................. 5, 10,15, & 20 

years 

Accuracy ............................... 5% 

Supply voltage to sensor ...... 0 to 10 VDC; 

0 to 24 VAC 

CPSC staff is particularly interested in 

receiving the following information: 

• Detailed descriptions of gas or 

environmental condition sensors that 

the commenter currently manufactures 

or has developed or worked with, and 

that are used or capable of being used 

for an in-flue application, or similar 

environment, to shut off vented gas 

heating appliances reliably when 

dangerous levels of CO or incomplete 

combustion are detected. 

Æ Data from completed testing that 

demonstrates the capability of the 

sensors to operate within the flue 

passageways of vented gas heating 

appliances, or similar environments, 

and the expected life of sensors 

installed in these appliances or similar 

environments. 

Æ Quantitative Accelerated Life 

Testing (QALT) data that demonstrate 

the sensors’ ability to perform reliably 

when installed in gas heating 

appliances; and/or 


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Æ Mean Time Between Failure 

(MTBF) data and other sensor life data 

at normal and overstress use conditions. 

• Detailed descriptions of prototype 

gas or environmental condition sensors 

that the commenter has developed, 

worked with, or expects to be ready for 

full-scale production within 1 to 2 years 

and that are capable of being used for 

an in-flue application, or similar 

environment, to shut off vented gas 

heating appliances reliably when 

dangerous levels of CO or incomplete 

combustion are detected. 

Æ Preliminary or intermediate data of 

completed testing or testing the 

commenter expects to complete within 

the next 1 to 2 years that demonstrates 

the capability of the sensors to operate 

within the flue passageways of vented 

gas heating appliances, or similar 

environments, and the expected life of 

sensors installed in these appliances or 

similar environments should be 

provided. 

Æ QALT data that demonstrate the 

sensors’ ability to perform reliably when 

installed in vented gas heating 

appliances; and/or 

Æ MTBF data and other sensor life 

data at normal and overstress use 

conditions. 

• Plans for testing or development 

that the commenter intends to pursue 

during the next 1 to 2 years that may 

demonstrate that a gas or environmental 

condition sensor is capable of being 

used for an in-flue application, or 

similar environment, to shut off gas 

heating appliances reliably when 

dangerous levels of CO or incomplete 

combustion are detected. 

Æ Plans to conduct QALT to 

substantiate the sensor’s ability to 

perform properly when installed in a 

vented gas heating appliance, or similar 

environment, and to measure MTBF and 

other sensor life data at normal and 

overstress conditions. 

• Past, present, or future (i.e., within 

the next 1 to 2 years) efforts to market 

the above-described gas or 

environmental condition sensors to the 

gas appliance industry or other 

industries with similar operating 

environments (e.g., automotive 

industry). 

• The current or estimated wholesale 

cost of gas or environmental condition 

sensors supplied to an appliance 

manufacturer or an end user with a 

similar operating environment for fullscale production (if available). 

III. Carbon Monoxide/Combustion 

Sensor Forum 

The forum will take place on June 3, 

2014. The forum will be comprised of a 

plenary session and technological 

solutions sessions (detailed in section 

III. b.) The first session will discuss 

hazard patterns that lead to CO 

exposure, available mechanisms that 

exist to address the hazards, and efforts 

over the years to address the hazards. 

This session will serve as background 

and provide the context for the 

afternoon sessions. 

The subsequent sessions will focus on 

possible technological solutions to 

address the hazard, barriers to further 

development of technologies for an influe shutoff application (i.e., a sensor 

located within the heat exchanger or 

flue passageways of a gas heating 

appliance that will shut off the 

appliance when elevated levels of CO 

are detected), and cooperation among 

stakeholders. Each session will provide 

interested parties the opportunity to 

present their research, developments, or 

expert knowledge on the topic area. 

Each session will conclude with time 

for open discussion and questions and 

answers led by CPSC staff moderators. 

a. What do we hope the forum will 

accomplish? 

Current voluntary standards do not 

address all failure mechanisms that are 

known to result in CO exposure from 

vented gas heating appliances. CPSC 

staff successfully demonstrated the 

concept of using CO shutoff sensors in 

a gas furnace in 2001and 2004 (http:// 

www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/98232/

Furnace_combustion_sensor_test_

results.pdf; http://www.cpsc.gov/Page

Files/103897/Combustion_sensor_test_

results.pdf), and the durability of some 

sensors to operate in the harsh 

environment of a gas furnace, possibly 

for the life of the appliance in 2012 

(http://www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/129834/

CO_sensor_durability_and_longevity_

testing.pdf). 

Based on the results of this testing, 

CPSC staff believes that CO and other 

gas/environmental condition sensors are 

technically feasible solutions that could 

address risks and related deaths and 

injuries associated with vented gas 

heating appliances. However, CPSC staff 

would like to obtain additional 

information to build a broader 

understanding of sensor technologies 

currently available and under 

development, as well as any barriers to 

using these technologies in a vented gas 

heating appliance. CPSC staff invites 

sensor manufacturers, appliance 

manufacturers, standards organization 

representatives, consumer groups, and 

other stakeholders to participate in the 

Carbon Monoxide/Combustion Sensor 

Forum. 

The goals of the forum are: 

1. To inform forum attendees of the 

hazards identified by CPSC staff and 

efforts made so far to address the 

hazards of CO poisoning from vented 

gas heating appliances; 

2. To gain a broader understanding of 

the scope, state of the art, and 

availability of sensor technologies being 

used in, or capable of being used in, an 

in-flue shut off application or similar 

harsh environments; 

3. To gain a better understanding of 

the scope, state of development, and 

availability of prototype gas or 

combustion sensors that may be 

commercially available within 1 to 5 

years and that are capable of being used 

in an in-flue shut off application or 

similar harsh environments; 

4. To gain a better understanding of 

potential barriers to further 

development and commercialization of 

sensors used in, or capable of being 

used in, an in-flue shut off application 

or similar harsh environments; 

5. To gain a better understanding of 

potential failure modes likely to be 

encountered in using gas sensors in an 

in-flue shut off application or similar 

harsh environments and strategies to 

mitigate those failure modes; 

6. To gain a better understanding of 

the expected life of sensors used in an 

in-flue shut off application or similar 

harsh environments; and 

7. To encourage development of 

technological solutions to the stated 

problem among forum attendees and to 

foster cooperative relationships among 

forum attendees to achieve those 

solutions. 

b. What topics will be addressed at the 

forum? 

The forum will focus on various 

technological means of reducing the risk 

of CO exposure from vented gas heating 

appliances under a variety of 

conditions. We recommend that all 

potential panelists consider this general 

theme when preparing for the forum. 

We list suggested topics below. CPSC 

staff reserves the right to include or 

decline topics based on whether staff 

believes the topics will aid the forum 

objectives or fit within the time 

constraints of a 1-day event. 

Forum Topic Areas 

1. CPSC and stakeholder efforts to 

address CO hazards resulting from 

malfunctioning gas heating appliances. 

• Suggested topics: 

Æ Results of testing of CO sensing 

technology for functionality, longevity, 

and durability; 

Æ exploration of CO sensor testing 

being performed by gas heating 

appliance manufacturers; 


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Æ U.S. and international voluntary 

standard development organization 

activity addressing CO exposure 

hazards. 

2. Use of sensor technology for safe 

shutdown of a gas heating appliance 

when incomplete combustion or 

dangerous levels of CO are detected. 

• Suggested topics: 

Æ Operating environment of sensors, 

types of gases and environmental 

parameters to monitor; 

Æ operating ranges and expected life 

of sensors; 

Æ scope, state of the art, and 

availability of sensor technologies 

currently being used to shut off gas 

heating appliances when incomplete 

combustion or dangerous levels of CO 

are detected or that are used in similar, 

harsh environments; 

Æ scope, state of the art, and 

availability of prototype gas sensors that 

may be commercially available for this 

purpose within 1 to 5 years; barriers to 

development and commercialization of 

sensors capable of being used in the influe shut off application or similar harsh 

environments; 

Æ potential cooperative relationships 

to bring existing technologies to market 

and further develop near term 

technologies. 

We may combine, expand, or 

eliminate panel sessions depending on 

the level of interest. We will announce 

the final agenda on the CPSC Web site 

by May 28, 2014. 

c. Details Regarding the Forum 

1. When and where will the forum be 

held? 

The forum will be held from 9:00 a.m. 

to 4:00 p.m. on June 3, 2014, at the 

CPSC’s National Product Testing and 

Evaluation Center, 5 Research Place, 

Rockville, MD 20850. The forum will 

also be available through a webcast, but 

viewers will not be able to interact with 

the panelists. 

2. How do you register for the forum? 

Panelists. If you would like to be 

considered as a panel member for a 

specific topic or topics at the forum, you 

should register on or before May 9, 

2014. (See the ADDRESSES section of this 

document for the Web site link and 

instructions on where to register.) We 

ask that you indicate the panel or panels 

on which you would like to serve and 

each topic for which you wish to be 

considered. We ask that each potential 

panelist submit a brief (less than 200 

word) abstract of the panelist’s area of 

expertise and proposed topic, and a 

draft presentation or outline at the time 

of registration to Mr. Ronald Jordan, 

Division of Combustion and Fire 

Sciences, Directorate for Engineering 

Sciences, rjordan@cpsc.gov. 

Although we will make an effort to 

accommodate all persons who wish to 

be panelists, we expect to limit each 

panel session to no more than five 

panelists. We will select panelists based 

on considerations such as the 

individual’s demonstrated familiarity or 

expertise with the topic to be discussed, 

the practical utility of the information to 

be presented, and the individual’s 

viewpoint, expertise, or ability to 

represent certain interests (such as 

appliance manufacturers, sensor 

manufacturers, consumer organizations, 

and standards organizations). We 

recommend that individuals and 

organizations with common interests 

consolidate or coordinate their 

presentations. 

For the panel discussion focusing on 

technological solutions, CPSC staff is 

seeking sensor manufacturing 

representatives, appliance 

manufacturing representatives (with 

demonstrated experience working with 

sensors in this application), and 

regulatory or standards development 

organization representatives (who have 

worked on or developed standards for 

sensor or other similar technologies for 

this or similar applications). 

We will notify selected panelists on or 

before May 23, 2014. If you are selected 

as a panelist and want to make copies 

of your presentation or other handouts 

available, you should bring copies for 

dissemination to the forum. Please 

inform Mr. Ronald Jordan, rjordan@

cpsc.gov, 301–987–2219, if you need 

any special equipment to make a 

presentation. 

Other participants. If you wish to 

attend and participate in the forum but 

do not wish to be a panelist, you should 

register on or before May 23, 2014, and 

identify your affiliation. Every effort 

will be made to accommodate each 

person’s request; however, we may need 

to limit registration to meet the 

occupant capacity of our meeting room. 

If you need special accommodations 

because of a disability, please contact 

Mr. Ronald Jordan, rjordan@cpsc.gov, 

301–987–2219, at least 10 business days 

before the forum. 

The forum will be available through a 

webcast, but you will not be able to 

interact with the panelists. You do not 

need to register for the webcast. The 

forum will also be taped and made 

available for viewing on the CPSC Web 

site. 

Written comments. If you wish to 

submit written comments, you may do 

so before or after the forum by any of the 

methods stated in the ADDRESSES

portion of this notice. These comments 

will be accepted until July 7, 2014, and 

should be restricted to topics covered by 

the forum, as described in this 

Announcement. 

3. What will be the format of the forum? 

The forum will open with a plenary 

session that includes a brief overview of 

the Commission’s past activities 

addressing CO exposure resulting from 

malfunctioning or improperly installed/ 

maintained gas heating appliances. 

Following that, a series of panels will 

address one or more of the topics listed 

above, depending on registrations. Panel 

sessions are expected to consist of 

stakeholders and members of the public 

and will be moderated by CPSC staff. 

We expect potential panelists to speak 

for no more than 10 minutes each about 

their topic area. At the conclusion of 

each of the panel’s presentations, there 

will be a question, answer, and 

discussion session among the panelists 

and the audience, centering on the 

topics discussed by the panelists. Each 

panel session is expected to last 

approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. 

All attendees will be given the 

opportunity to ask questions and make 

comments during the question, answer 

and discussion session following each 

panel. 

4. What happens if no one registers for 

the forum? 

If no one registers for the forum, we 

will cancel the forum. If we decide to 

cancel the forum for this or any other 

reason, we will post a cancellation 

notice on the registration Web page for 

the forum and send an email to all 

registered participants who provide 

their email address when they register. 

If the forum is cancelled, written 

comments that are submitted as set forth 

in this Announcement will be accepted. 

Dated: April 9, 2014. 

Todd A. Stevenson, 

Secretariat, Consumer Product Safety 

Commission. 

[FR Doc. 2014–08607 Filed 4–15–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6355–01–P 

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND 

COMMUNITY SERVICE 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Corporation for National and 

Community Service. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Corporation for National 

and Community Service (CNCS), as part 

of its continuing effort to reduce 


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