14676 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 59 / Thursday, March 27, 1997 / Notices

Issued in Washington, D.C., March 20,

1997.

Wayne E. Peters,

Manager, Natural Gas Regulation, Office of

Natural Gas & Petroleum Import and Export

Activities, Office of Fossil Energy.

[FR Doc. 97–7792 Filed 3–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy

[Case No. F–088]

Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products: Decision and

Order Granting a Waiver From the

Furnace Test Procedure to Nordyne

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy, Department of

Energy.

ACTION: Decision and Order.

SUMMARY: Notice is given of the

Decision and Order (Case No. F–088)

granting a Waiver to Nordyne from the

existing Department of Energy (DOE or

Department) test procedure for furnaces.

The Department is granting Nordyne’s

Petition for Waiver regarding blower

time delay in calculation of Annual Fuel

Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) for its

G5RD and G5RL series furnaces.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Cyrus H. Nasseri, U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy, Mail Station EE–431,

Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585–

0121, (202) 586–9138 or Mr. Eugene

Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of General Counsel, Mail

Station GC–72, Forrestal Building, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585–0103, (202) 586–

9507.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

accordance with 10 CFR 430.27(j),

notice is hereby given of the issuance of

the Decision and Order as set out below.

In the Decision and Order, Nordyne has

been granted a Waiver for its G5RD and

G5RL series furnaces permitting the

company to use an alternate test method

in determining AFUE.

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 19,

1997.

Christine A. Ervin,

Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy.

Decision and Order—Department of

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy

In the Matter of: Nordyne (Case No. F–088).

Background

The Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products (other than

automobiles) was established pursuant

to the Energy Policy and Conservation

Act, Public Law 94–163, 89 Stat. 917, as

amended (EPCA), which requires DOE

to prescribe standardized test

procedures to measure the energy

consumption of certain consumer

products, including furnaces. The intent

of the test procedures is to provide a

comparable measure of energy

consumption that will assist consumers

in making purchasing decisions. These

test procedures appear at 10 CFR Part

430, Subpart B.

The Department amended the

prescribed test procedures by adding 10

CFR 430.27 to create a waiver process.

45 FR 64108, September 26, 1980.

Thereafter, DOE further amended its

appliance test procedure waiver process

to allow the Assistant Secretary for

Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Energy (Assistant Secretary) to grant an

Interim Waiver from test procedure

requirements to manufacturers that have

petitioned DOE for a waiver of such

prescribed test procedures. 51 FR 42823,

November 26, 1986.

The waiver process allows the

Assistant Secretary to waive temporarily

test procedures for a particular basic

model when a petitioner shows that the

basic model contains one or more

design characteristics which prevent

testing according to the prescribed test

procedures or when the prescribed test

procedures may evaluate the basic

model in a manner so unrepresentative

of its true energy consumption as to

provide materially inaccurate

comparative data. Waivers generally

remain in effect until final test

procedure amendments become

effective, resolving the problem that is

the subject of the waiver.

Nordyne filed a ‘‘Petition for Waiver,’’

dated September 6, 1996, in accordance

with section 430.27 of 10 CFR Part 430.

The Department published in the

Federal Register on October 22, 1996,

Nordyne’s Petition and solicited

comments, data and information

respecting the Petition. 61 FR 54783,

October 22, 1996. Nordyne also filed an

‘‘Application for Interim Waiver’’ under

section 430.27(b)(2), which DOE granted

on October 15, 1996. 61 FR 54783,

October 22, 1996.

No comments were received

concerning either the ‘‘Petition for

Waiver’’ or the ‘‘Application for Interim

Waiver.’’ The Department consulted

with The Federal Trade Commission

(FTC) concerning the Nordyne Petition.

The FTC did not have any objections to

the issuance of the waiver to Nordyne.

Assertions and Determinations

Nordyne’s Petition seeks a waiver

from the DOE test provisions that

require a 1.5-minute time delay between

the ignition of the burner and the

starting of the circulating air blower.

Nordyne requests the allowance to test

using a 30-second blower time delay

when testing its G5RD and G5RL series

furnaces. Nordyne states that since the

30-second delay is indicative of how

these models actually operate, and since

such a delay results in an improvement

in AFUE of approximately 2.0 percent,

the Petition should be granted.

Under specific circumstances, the

DOE test procedure contains exceptions

which allow testing with blower delay

times of less than the prescribed 1.5-

minute delay. Nordyne indicates that it

is unable to take advantage of any of

these exceptions for its G5RD and G5RL

series furnaces.

Since the blower controls

incorporated on the Nordyne furnaces

are designed to impose a 30-second

blower delay in every instance of start

up, and since the current test procedure

provisions do not specifically address

this type of control, DOE agrees that a

waiver should be granted to allow the

30-second blower time delay when

testing the Nordyne G5RD and G5RL

series furnaces. Accordingly, with

regard to testing the G5RD and G5RL

series furnaces, today’s Decision and

Order exempts Nordyne from the

existing test procedure provisions

regarding blower controls and allows

testing with the 30-second delay.

It is, therefore, ordered That:

(1) The ‘‘Petition for Waiver’’ filed by

Nordyne (Case No. F–088) is hereby

granted as set forth in paragraph (2)

below, subject to the provisions of

paragraphs (3), (4), and (5).

(2) Notwithstanding any contrary

provisions of Appendix N of 10 CFR

Part 430, Subpart B, Nordyne shall be

permitted to test its G5RD and G5RL

series furnaces on the basis of the test

procedure specified in 10 CFR Part 430,

with modifications set forth below:

(I) Section 3.0 of Appendix N is

deleted and replaced with the following

paragraph:

3.0 Test Procedure. Testing and

measurements shall be as specified in

section 9 in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard

103–82 with the exception of sections

9.2.2, 9.3.1, and 9.3.2, and the inclusion

of the following additional procedures:

(ii) Add a new paragraph 3.10 to

Appendix N as follows:

3.10 Gas-and Oil-Fueled Central

Furnaces. The following paragraph is in
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 59 / Thursday, March 27, 1997 / Notices 14677

lieu of the requirement specified in

section 9.3.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE

Standard 103–82. After equilibrium

conditions are achieved following the

cool-down test and the required

measurements performed, turn on the

furnace and measure the flue gas

temperature, using the thermocouple

grid described above, at 0.5 and 2.5

minutes after the main burner(s) comes

on. After the burner start-up, delay the

blower start-up by 1.5 minutes (t-),

unless: (1) the furnace employs a single

motor to drive the power burner and the

indoor air circulating blower, in which

case the burner and blower shall be

started together; or (2) the furnace is

designed to operate using an unvarying

delay time that is other than 1.5

minutes, in which case the fan control

shall be permitted to start the blower; or

(3) the delay time results in the

activation of a temperature safety device

which shuts off the burner, in which

case the fan control shall be permitted

to start the blower. In the latter case, if

the fan control is adjustable, set it to

start the blower at the highest

temperature. If the fan control is

permitted to start the blower, measure

time delay, (t-), using a stopwatch.

Record the measured temperatures.

During the heat-up test for oil-fueled

furnaces, maintain the draft in the flue

pipe within ±0.01 inch of water column

of the manufacturer’s recommended onperiod draft.

(iii) With the exception of the

modifications set forth above, Nordyne

shall comply in all respects with the test

procedures specified in Appendix N of

10 CFR Part 430, Subpart B.

(3) The Waiver shall remain in effect

from the date of issuance of this Order

until DOE prescribes final test

procedures appropriate to the G5RD and

G5RL series furnaces manufactured by

Nordyne.

(4) This Waiver is based upon the

presumed validity of statements,

allegations, and documentary materials

submitted by the petitioner. This Waiver

may be revoked or modified at any time

upon a determination that the factual

basis underlying the Petition is

incorrect.

(5) Effective March 19, 1997, this

Waiver supersedes the Interim Waiver

granted Nordyne on October 15, 1996.

61 FR 54783, October 22, 1996 (Case No.

F–088).

Issued in Washington, DC, on March

19,1997.

Christine A. Ervin,

Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy.

[FR Doc. 97–7794 Filed 3–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP97–289–000]

Freeport Interstate Pipeline Company;

Notice of Petition for Waiver

March 21, 1997.

Take notice that on March 11, 1997,

Freeport Interstate Pipeline Company

(Freeport) filed with the Commission a

request for waiver for filing a FERC

Form 2–A for the year 1996.

Freeport states that it has no

throughput of any kind and performed

no services of any kind for 1996 and has

remained dormant since March 1994

and because Freeport had previously

been exempted from the Commission’s

electronic-posting requirements, it

would be a undue burden and hardship

for Freeport to file a FERC Form 2–A for

the year 1996, particularly under the

Commission’s new regulations for such

filings.

Freeport respectfully requests that the

Commission waive any requirement

under 18 CFR 260.2 or otherwise for

Freeport to file a FERC Form 2–A for the

year 1996.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426

in accordance with Sections 385.214

and 385.211 of the Commission’s Rules

and Regulations. All such motions or

protest must be filed on or before March

28, 1997. Protests will be considered by

the Commission in determining the

appropriate action to be taken, but will

not serve to make protestants parties to

the proceeding. Any person wishing to

become a party must file a motion to

intervene. Copies of this filing are on

file with the Commission and are

available for public inspection in the

Public Reference Room.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–7760 Filed 3–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. RP97–174–001]

Gulf States Transmission, Corporation;

Notice of Petition for Waiver of GISB

Standards and Proposed Changes in

FERC Gas Tariff

March 21, 1997.

Take notice that on March 18, 1997,

Gulf States Transmission Corporation

(GSTC) tendered for filing a petition for

waiver of certain Gas Industry

Standards Board (GISB) standards, first

and foremost those associated with

electronic data interchange and

electronic delivery mechanism (EDI/

EDM) and also capacity release. GSTC

also tendered for filing as part of its

FERC Gas Tariff, Original Volume No. 1,

certain tariff sheets to be effective June

1, 1997.

GSTC states that the purpose of the

filing is to comply with the

Commission’s compliance order issued

March 5, 1997 in Docket No. RP97–174–

000.

GSTC has modified its tariff to (i)

incorporate certain Standards by

reference to number and version of such

Standards, (ii) insert, verbatim, language

from certain other GISB Standards, (iii)

change each of Mcf to Dekatherms as

required by GISB Standard 1.2.2.

GSTC states that copies of the filing

are being mailed to its jurisdictional

customers and interested state

regulatory agencies.

Any person desiring to protest this

filing should file a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426, in accordance with Section

385.211 of the Commission’s Rules and

Regulations. All such protest must be

filed as provided in Section 154.210 of

the Commission’s Regulations. Protests

will be considered by the Commission

in determining the appropriate action to

be taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceeding.

Copies of this filing are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection in the Public Reference

Room.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–7762 Filed 3–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. OA97–503–000]

Intermountain Rural Electric

Association; Notice of Filing

March 21, 1997.

Take notice that on January 23, 1997,

Intermountain Rural Electric

Association tendered for filing requests

for waivers and conditional notice of

withdrawal of tariff.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426,

in accordance with Rules 211 and 214

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 18

CFR 385.214). All such motions or

protests should be filed on or before

March 31, 1997. Protests will be

considered by the Commission in