81_FR_30251 81 FR 30157 - Energy Conservation Program: Exempt External Power Supplies Under the EPS Service Parts Act of 2014

81 FR 30157 - Energy Conservation Program: Exempt External Power Supplies Under the EPS Service Parts Act of 2014

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 94 (May 16, 2016)

Page Range30157-30163
FR Document2016-11469

On November 18, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to exempt certain types of external power supplies consistent with the EPS Service Parts Act of 2014. That proposal, which serves as the basis for this final rule, explained that the Act exempted certain EPSs made available by a manufacturer as a service or spare part from the energy conservation standards promulgated in a February 2014 final rule. The proposal sought to codify this exemption and certain related reporting requirements. This rule adopts the November 2015 proposal along with related provisions to require manufacturers to annually report the total units of exempt EPSs shipped as service and spare parts that fail to meet the appropriate energy conservation standards.

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 94 (Monday, May 16, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 94 (Monday, May 16, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 30157-30163]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11469]



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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and 
Regulations

[[Page 30157]]



DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Parts 429 and 430

[Docket No. EERE-2015-BT-CRT-0013]
RIN 1904-AD53


Energy Conservation Program: Exempt External Power Supplies Under 
the EPS Service Parts Act of 2014

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

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On November 18, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') 
issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to exempt certain types of 
external power supplies consistent with the EPS Service Parts Act of 
2014. That proposal, which serves as the basis for this final rule, 
explained that the Act exempted certain EPSs made available by a 
manufacturer as a service or spare part from the energy conservation 
standards promulgated in a February 2014 final rule. The proposal 
sought to codify this exemption and certain related reporting 
requirements. This rule adopts the November 2015 proposal along with 
related provisions to require manufacturers to annually report the 
total units of exempt EPSs shipped as service and spare parts that fail 
to meet the appropriate energy conservation standards.

DATES: The effective date of this rule is June 15, 2016.

ADDRESSES: The docket, which includes Federal Register notices, 
comments, and other supporting documents/materials, is available for 
review at regulations.gov. All documents in the docket are listed in 
the regulations.gov index. However, some documents listed in the index, 
such as those containing information that is exempt from public 
disclosure, may not be publicly available.
    A link to the docket Web page can be found at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/product.aspx?productid=23. This Web page will contain a link to the 
docket for this rulemaking on the regulations.gov site. The 
regulations.gov Web page will contain simple instructions on how to 
access all documents, including public comments, in the docket.
    For further information on how to review the docket, contact Ms. 
Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945 or by email: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional 
information may be sent to Mr. Jeremy Dommu, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies 
Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121. Telephone: (202) 586-9870. Email: 
[email protected].
    For legal issues, please contact Mr. Michael Kido, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-8145. 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Authority and Background
II. Synopsis of the Final Rule
III. Discussion
    A. Codifying the Exemption in the CFR
    B. Service or Spare Part EPSs
    C. Sales Reporting Requirements
IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory Review
    A. Review Under Executive Order 12866
    B. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act
    C. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
    D. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
    E. Review Under Executive Order 13132
    F. Review Under Executive Order 12988
    G. Review Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
    H. Review Under the Treasury and General Government 
Appropriations Act, 1999
    I. Review Under Executive Order 12630
    J. Review Under Treasury and General Government Appropriations 
Act, 2001
    K. Review Under Executive Order 13211
    L. Review Under Section 32 of the Federal Energy Administration 
Act of 1974
    M. Congressional Notification
V. Approval of the Office of the Secretary

I. Authority and Background

    Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (42 
U.S.C. 6291, et seq.; ``EPCA'' or, in context, ``the Act'') sets forth 
a variety of provisions designed to improve energy efficiency.\1\ Part 
B \2\ of Title III establishes the ``Energy Conservation Program for 
Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles.'' External power supplies are 
among the products affected by these provisions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ All references to EPCA refer to the statute as amended 
through the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act, Public Law 114-11 
(April 30, 2015).
    \2\ For editorial reasons, Part B was redesignated as Part A 
upon incorporation into the U.S. Code (42 U.S.C. 6291-6309, as 
codified).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under EPCA, the energy conservation program consists essentially of 
four parts: (1) Testing, (2) labeling, (3) Federal energy conservation 
standards, and (4) certification and enforcement procedures. The 
testing requirements consist of test procedures that manufacturers of 
covered products must use as the basis for (1) certifying to DOE that 
their products comply with the applicable energy conservation standards 
adopted under EPCA, and (2) making representations about the efficiency 
of those products. Similarly, DOE must use these test procedures to 
determine whether the products comply with any relevant standards 
promulgated under EPCA.

Background

    Section 301 of EISA 2007 established minimum energy conservation 
standards for Class A external power supplies (``EPSs'') manufactured 
on or after July 1, 2008. (42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(3)(A)). See 42 U.S.C. 
6291(36)(C)(i)-(ii). EISA 2007 exempts Class A EPSs from meeting these 
statutorily-prescribed standards if the devices were manufactured 
before July 1, 2015, and made available by the manufacturer as service 
parts or spare parts for end-use consumer products that were 
manufactured prior to July 1, 2008. (42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(3)(B)) Congress 
created this limited (and temporary) exemption as part of a broad range 
of amendments to EPCA under EISA 2007. The provision did not grant DOE 
with the authority to expand or extend the length of this exemption and 
Congress did not grant DOE with the general authority to exempt any 
already covered

[[Page 30158]]

product from the requirements set by Congress.
    After releasing a preliminary analysis and issuing a proposed set 
of energy conservation standards, DOE published a final rule 
prescribing new standards for non-Class A EPSs and amended standards 
for some Class A EPSs. See 79 FR 7846 (February 10, 2014). These new 
standards, commonly referred to as Level VI efficiency standards 
because EPSs subject to these standards are required to be marked with 
the Roman numeral VI according to the External Power Supply 
International Efficiency Marking Protocol, apply to products 
manufactured on or after February 10, 2016. When DOE published the 
rule, it did not have the authority to provide manufacturers with an 
exemption for EPSs manufactured after to the compliance date of these 
new standards if they were made available as service or spare parts to 
end-use consumer products. Accordingly, despite requests from some 
commenters who responded to DOE's proposed standards by asking for such 
an exemption, DOE could provide no such relief as part of that final 
rule.
    On December 18, 2014, Congress enacted the EPS Service Parts Act of 
2014 (``Service Parts Act''). That law exempted manufacturers of 
certain EPSs that are made available as service and spare parts for 
end-use products manufactured before February 10, 2016 from the energy 
conservation standards that DOE promulgated in its February 2014 rule. 
To be exempt under the Service Parts Act, an EPS must meet four 
separate criteria. Specifically, the EPS must be: (i) Manufactured 
during the period beginning on February 10, 2016, and ending on 
February 10, 2020; (ii) marked in accordance with the External Power 
Supply International Efficiency Marking Protocol; (iii) compliant, 
where applicable, with the standards for Class A EPSs and certified to 
DOE as meeting at least International Efficiency Level IV; and (iv) 
made available by the manufacturer as a service part or spare part for 
an end-use product manufactured before February 10, 2016.
    Additionally, the Service Parts Act permits DOE to require 
manufacturers of an EPS that is exempt from the 2016 standards to 
report to DOE the total number of such EPS units that are shipped 
annually as service and spare parts and that do not meet those 
standards. See 42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(5)(A)(ii). DOE may also limit the 
applicability of the exemption if the Secretary determines that the 
exemption is resulting in a significant reduction of the energy savings 
that would result in the absence of the exemption. See 42 U.S.C. 
6295(u)(5)(A)(iii). Finally, the statute authorizes DOE to provide a 
similar exemption for EPSs from future energy conservation standards.
    On November 18, 2015, DOE published a notice of proposed rulemaking 
(``NOPR'') proposing to codify the provisions of the EPS Service Parts 
Act of 2014 within the Code of Federal Regulations (``CFR'') and 
solicited comment from the public. 80 FR 71984. As part of the NOPR, 
DOE sought comment on a number of specific issues including: How 
manufacturers produce spare or service parts as compared to how 
manufacturers produce EPS units provided with a new product, the 
specific language that should be codified regarding the exemption of 
certain EPSs sold as service or spare parts, and the reporting 
timeframe for importers and domestic manufacturers to report the total 
number of units sold in the prior year. DOE analyzed all of the 
comments received from the list of commenters in Table I-1 in response 
to the 2015 NOPR and incorporated recommendations, where appropriate, 
into this final rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ DOE notes that ITI also filed supplemental comments after 
the comment period had closed. These comments, which re-emphasized 
various points ITI had already made in its timely-filed joint 
comments with AHAM, were not considered by DOE in finalizing this 
rule due to their untimely nature.

                      Table I-1--List of Commenters
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Organization                         Abbreviation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appliance Standards Awareness Project,   ASAP, et al.
 National Resources Defense Council,
 and American Council for an Energy
 Efficient Economy.
Association of Home Appliance            AHAM, et al.
 Manufacturers, Consumer Electronics
 Association, Information Technology
 Council, and National Electrical
 Manufacturers Association.
Information Technology Council \3\.....  ITI
California Investor Owned Utilities....  CA IOUs
------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. Synopsis of the Final Rule

    DOE is incorporating the statutory provisions described in this 
preamble into its regulations. DOE is also providing some clarification 
on the circumstances under which EPSs would be considered spare or 
service parts. Lastly, DOE is requiring manufacturers who manufacture 
1,000 or more exempt EPSs to annually report to DOE the total number of 
units of exempt EPSs shipped as service and spare parts that do not 
meet the 2016 standards.

III. Discussion

A. Codifying the Exemption in the CFR

    DOE is incorporating the provisions of the Service Parts Act into 
10 CFR 430.32 to ensure that the regulations reflect the statutory 
exemption and that interested parties are able to readily access the 
content of this new statutory provision. Additionally, since the 
exemption from the Class A (Level IV) standards for certain EPSs that 
are made available as service and spare parts expired on June 30, 2015, 
DOE is also removing the text related to this now-expired exemption 
from 10 CFR 4320.32(w)(2), and replacing it with the new provisions of 
the Service Parts Act that exempt certain EPSs from the new and amended 
direct operation (Level VI) standards.

B. Service or Spare Part EPSs

    In the NOPR, DOE explained that the Service Parts Act provides an 
exemption for certain EPSs that are made available by manufacturers as 
service or spare parts. DOE observed that most end-use products that 
use EPSs are sold with the EPS that is necessary to operate that 
product. DOE proposed that, in applying the statutory exemption, an EPS 
that is sold with an end-use product would not be considered to be a 
service or spare part. However, DOE noted that, in its view, any EPS 
sold separately from an end-use product, including an EPS made 
available as a replacement for, or in addition to, the EPS originally 
sold with an end-use product, would be considered an EPS made available 
as a service or spare part--which would make that EPS potentially 
eligible to be exempt from the 2016 standards under the Service Parts 
Act.
    To further clarify its application of this statutory exemption, DOE 
proposed that only those EPSs that are made available as service or 
spare parts for end-use products that were manufactured before February 
10, 2016 (the date that manufacturers must comply with the new and 
amended standards for direct operation EPSs) would qualify for the 
exemption. DOE proposed, accordingly, that if an EPS is made available 
as a service part or spare part for any end-use product that continues 
to be manufactured after February 10, 2016, or is sold with any end-use 
product manufactured after that date, that EPS would not be eligible 
for the exemption.

[[Page 30159]]

    In the NOPR, DOE further recognized that many EPSs, like those that 
use an industry standard communication protocol, such as the universal 
serial bus (``USB''), may be capable of operating many different end-
use products. To apply the statutory exemption to the ``basic model'' 
concept used in its regulatory scheme, DOE proposed that the exemption 
would apply to an EPS basic model that a manufacturer makes available 
only as a service part or a spare part for an end-use product that was 
manufactured before February 10, 2016, and would not apply to an EPS 
basic model that a manufacturer makes available as a service part or 
spare part for end-use products that continue to be manufactured after 
February 10, 2016. Thus, an EPS basic model would be exempt from the 
2016 Level VI standard if, among other criteria, it is made available 
by the manufacturer only as a service part or a spare part for an end-
use product, and only if the end-use product was manufactured before 
February 10, 2016. DOE sought comment on this proposal from 
stakeholders and interested parties.
    ASAP, et al. supported DOE's efforts to construct a narrowly-
defined exemption for EPSs offered as service or spare parts to aid in 
limiting the sale of a larger number of EPSs than warranted by the 
intent of the law, stating that ``abuse of the exemption could 
significantly reduce energy savings from the EPS standards.'' (ASAP, et 
al., No. 2 at p.2) AHAM, et al. also expressed support for DOE's 
proposal in their comments noting that ``this is a sensible exemption 
that will allow manufacturers to maintain supplies of replacement parts 
for older equipment and will also allow warranty and contract 
compliance by manufacturers, as well as manufacturer compliance with 
state parts retention laws.'' (AHAM, et al., No. 3 at p.1)
    Similarly, ASAP, et al. strongly supported DOE's interpretation 
that the exemption should not apply to EPSs made available as spare or 
service parts that are sold with products manufactured after February 
10, 2016. ASAP, et al. asserted that the redesign of EPSs for products 
manufactured afterward is justified because an EPS that is sold with a 
product manufactured after February 10, 2016, would already be required 
to meet the new standards, and thus it does not create undue burden on 
industry to ensure that EPSs made available as spare or service parts 
for those same end-use products also comply with the new standards. 
(ASAP, et al., No. 2 at p.3) The CA IOUs agreed that any spare or 
service EPS for products manufactured after the compliance date should 
comply with the 2016 standards because redesigning an EPS or designing 
a substitute EPS to comply with the standards would not be a 
significant burden for manufacturers to meet. (CA IOUs, No. 5 at p.2) 
The CA IOUs also supported DOE's interpretation that the exemption 
would not apply to EPSs that are sold as spare or service parts but are 
capable of operating end-use products manufactured both before and 
after the compliance date. In their collective view, meeting the 2016 
standard would not be an undue burden for manufacturers to meet. (CA 
IOUs, No. 5 at p.2)
    ITI disagreed. In its view, the Service Parts Act exemption should 
apply to all EPSs made available as spare or service parts for end-use 
products manufactured prior to the 2016 compliance date. (ITI, No. 4 at 
p.1) It argued that DOE's proposed clarification would deny this 
exemption to many USBs and other EPSs capable of operating multiple 
end-use products contrary to the required exemption of the Service 
Parts Act. ITI further claimed that the apparent reduction in scope of 
the exemption provides insufficient notice to manufacturers as they 
were anticipating the exemption to reflect what they believed would be 
the clear language and scope of the enacted law. (ITI, No. 4 at p.2)
    In the NOPR, DOE misstated in one place that, if an EPS is capable 
of operating multiple end-use products, some of which were manufactured 
before February 10, 2016, and some of which were manufactured after 
February 10, 2016, then that EPS would not be eligible for the service 
and spare part exemption since the EPS can operate an end-use product 
manufactured after February 10, 2016. 80 FR at 71986. DOE understands 
that this statement in the preamble may have caused confusion. The 
exemption as DOE proposed in the NOPR, would apply to an EPS basic 
model that is ``made available by the manufacturer only as a service 
part or a spare part for an end-use product.'' Id. at 71990 (emphasis 
added). DOE clarifies, and this rule establishes, that an EPS that is 
capable of operating end-use products manufactured on or after February 
10, 2016, could be exempt, provided that the manufacturer makes the 
relevant basic model available only as a service part or spare part for 
end-use products manufactured before February 10, 2016.
    Given the nature of DOE's regulatory scheme, under which the non-
compliance of a product is determined on a basic model, not unit-by-
unit, basis, this final rule offers a reasonable approach in applying 
the Service Parts Act's exemption. See 10 CFR 429.114. Applied 
otherwise, a basic model of EPS would be wholly exempt (i.e., all units 
of the basic model) from the Level VI standard based solely on the fact 
that as few as one unit of the basic model was made available by the 
manufacturer as a service part or a spare part for an end-use product 
manufactured before February 10, 2016. DOE declines to adopt an 
interpretation of the statutory exemption that would offer a blanket 
exemption to such a basic model.
    Therefore, DOE is finalizing its proposal that this exemption would 
apply to an EPS basic model that a manufacturer makes available only as 
a service part or a spare part for an end-use product that was 
manufactured before February 10, 2016, and would not apply to an EPS 
basic model that a manufacturer makes available as a service part or 
spare part for end-use products that continue to be manufactured after 
February 10, 2016.

C. Sales Reporting Requirements

    The Service Parts Act permits DOE to require manufacturers of an 
EPS that is exempt from the 2016 standards to report to DOE the total 
number of such EPS units that are shipped annually as service and spare 
parts and that do not meet those standards. See 42 U.S.C. 
6295(u)(5)(A)(ii). DOE stated that it considered the ``shipments'' 
referred to in the statute to be those units sold by either the 
importer or the domestic manufacturer, and that because importers could 
have both incoming and outgoing shipments, DOE considered ``units 
sold'' to be clearer than ``units shipped.'' See 42 U.S.C. 6291(12) 
(under EPCA, ``manufacture'' means ``to manufacture, produce, assemble 
or import'').
    Accordingly, consistent with the Service Parts Act, DOE proposed 
that importers and domestic manufacturers of EPSs that are exempt under 
the Service Parts Act would be required to report annually to DOE the 
total number of exempt EPS units that were sold during the most recent 
12-calendar-month period ending on July 31 that do not meet the 2016 
standards. 80 FR at 71986. DOE received no comments specifically with 
regard to the use of the word ``sold'' as opposed to ``shipped'' in 
this context, and will use the word ``sold'' in its reporting 
requirement, as proposed in the NOPR.
    DOE explained in the NOPR that many of the EPSs sold as spare and 
service parts are Class A EPSs and they continue to be subject to the 
current Class A EPS standards (i.e. Level IV) set

[[Page 30160]]

forth in 10 CFR 430.32(w)(1)(i). As such, manufacturers of any basic 
model of a Class A EPS must already submit an annual certification 
report to DOE. See 10 CFR 429.12. Moreover, the Service Parts Act 
requires that an EPS must be certified to DOE as meeting Level IV 
standards in order to qualify for the exemption. Therefore, DOE 
proposed that each manufacturer of exempt Class A EPSs include in its 
annual report certifying compliance with Level IV standards the number 
of units of each individual model of such EPS it sold in the preceding 
year that do not meet the Level VI standards.
    Similarly, DOE proposed to require each importer or domestic 
manufacturer of non-Class A EPSs that are exempted by the Service Parts 
Act and do not meet the 2016 standards to submit an annual report of 
the corresponding number of units of each individual model of such EPS 
that the importer or domestic manufacturer sold in the prior year. 
These non-Class A EPSs include multiple-voltage EPSs, high-power EPSs, 
and some EPSs used to operate end-use products that are motor-driven. 
Under DOE's February 2014 final rule, non-Class A EPSs, unless exempt, 
are required to meet the Level VI standards starting in 2016. These 
non-class A EPSs would not be certified under the provisions of 10 CFR 
429.12 (General requirements applicable to certification reports), if 
they are exempt, but under DOE's proposal, manufacturers of these EPSs 
would be required to submit a report including the number of exempt 
EPSs sold.
    Separately, the Service Parts Act authorizes DOE to limit the 
applicability of the service and spare part exemption if DOE determines 
that the exemption is resulting in a significant reduction of the 
energy savings that would otherwise result from the final rule. See 42 
U.S.C. 6295(u)(5)(A)(iii). Having information regarding the number of 
exempt units sold would aid DOE in making this determination.
    ASAP, et al. noted that reporting is vital to DOE's ability to 
assess the impact of the EPS Service Parts Act of 2014 on the energy 
savings projected by the 2014 standards and supported DOE's proposal to 
extend the reporting requirements to non-Class A EPSs that are subject 
to federal efficiency standards. (ASAP, et al., No. 2 at p.3) The CA 
IOUs also supported DOE's proposals, noting that ensuring applicable 
EPS units that are subject to current efficiency requirements continue 
to meet these standards would prevent potential backsliding and an 
accompanying loss of energy savings. The CA IOUs also strongly 
supported having domestic manufacturers and importers report to DOE the 
total number of exempt EPS units sold on an annual basis to help ensure 
that energy savings from the 2014 standards are realized. (CA IOUs, No. 
5 at p.2)
    AHAM, et al., however, expressed concern over DOE's reporting 
requirement proposals. AHAM, et al. noted that most companies have low 
shipment volumes of spare and service parts for products manufactured 
prior to the compliance date and that the cost of reporting these data 
would outweigh the data collection efforts on a per model basis. 
Alternatively, AHAM, et al. recommended that DOE modify its reporting 
requirements to simplify the requirements to one report per 
manufacturer rather than one report per model and only require a report 
submission if the quantity of service and spare part EPSs exceeds 1,000 
units. (AHAM, et al., No. 3 at p.2) AHAM, et al. concluded by stating 
its belief that the reporting requirements proposed by DOE exceed the 
authority granted by the EPS Service Parts Act of 2014 and recommended 
that the reporting requirements be limited to unit shipment volumes as 
permitted under the Service Parts Act. (AHAM, et al., No. 3 at p.3)
    Reporting requirements in this instance serve a variety of 
important and useful roles, among which include helping DOE assess the 
impacts of the Service Parts Act's exemption on overall national energy 
savings. Notwithstanding this fact, DOE recognizes that reporting 
requirements may create a burden and has modified its proposal from the 
NOPR to allow manufacturers or domestic importers to report the total 
annual number of exempt EPSs sold as spare or service parts rather than 
requiring individual reporting on a per model basis, as suggested by 
AHAM. Under DOE's revised reporting methodology, manufacturers or 
importers would only need to track and report the total number of 
exempt EPSs sold.
    DOE also recognizes the reporting burdens for manufacturers that 
sell only a small number of exempt units. Accordingly, consistent with 
the authority provided to DOE by the Service Parts Act, DOE will adopt 
AHAM's suggestion and relieve manufacturers from the sales reporting 
requirements contained in this final rule provided that the quantity of 
exempt service and spare part EPSs sold by that manufacturer does not 
exceed 1,000 units annually. This 1,000 unit threshold will apply to 
the total number of exempt EPSs sold annually by that manufacturer 
(including importers) in aggregate and not on a per model basis. 
Consequently, a manufacturer would not be exempt from the reporting 
requirements if it sells more than one exempt model of EPS, each of 
which it sells less than 1,000 of annually, but, in aggregate, the 
total number of exempt EPSs sold by that manufacturer exceeds 1,000 
across all models. DOE is modifying the regulatory text in the CFR to 
reflect this approach.

IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory Review

A. Review Under Executive Order 12866

    The Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') has determined that 
certification rulemakings do not constitute ``significant regulatory 
actions'' under section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory 
Planning and Review, 58 FR 51735 (Oct. 4, 1993). Accordingly, this 
action was not subject to review under the Executive Order by the 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (``OIRA'') in the Office 
of Management and Budget.

B. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601, et seq.) requires 
preparation of an initial regulatory flexibility analysis (``IFRA'') 
for any rule that by law must be proposed for public comment, unless 
the agency certifies that the rule, if promulgated, will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
As required by Executive Order 13272, ``Proper Consideration of Small 
Entities in Agency Rulemaking,'' 67 FR 53461 (August 16, 2002), DOE 
published procedures and policies on February 19, 2003, to ensure that 
the potential impacts of its rules on small entities are properly 
considered during the DOE rulemaking process. 68 FR 7990. DOE has made 
its procedures and policies available on the Office of the General 
Counsel's Web site: http://energy.gov/gc/office-general-counsel.
    For manufacturers of EPSs, the Small Business Administration 
(``SBA'') has set a size threshold, which defines those entities 
classified as ``small businesses'' for the purposes of the statute. DOE 
used the SBA's small business size standards to determine whether any 
small entities would be subject to the requirements of the rule. 65 FR 
30836, 30848 (May 15, 2000), as amended at 65 FR 53533, 53544 
(September 5, 2000) and codified at 13 CFR part 121. The size standards 
are listed by North American Industry Classification System (``NAICS'') 
code and industry description and are available at http://

[[Page 30161]]

www.sba.gov/content/summary-size-standards-industry. EPS manufacturing 
is classified under NAICS 335999, ``All Other Miscellaneous Electrical 
Equipment and Component Manufacturing.'' The SBA sets a threshold of 
500 employees or less for an entity to be considered as a small 
business for this category. As a preliminary matter, DOE notes that 
there are no domestic manufacturers of EPSs. Consequently, there are no 
small business impacts to evaluate for purposes of the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act.
    Notwithstanding the absence of domestic EPS manufacturers, DOE 
reviewed this final rule under the provisions of the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act and the procedures and policies published on February 
19, 2003. This final rule would incorporate into DOE's regulations a 
statutorily-prescribed exemption affecting EPSs that manufacturers make 
available as service or spare parts. The exemption allows manufacturers 
to maintain and distribute supplies of replacement parts for older 
equipment without needing to meet the EPS energy conservation standards 
that have applied since February 10, 2016. This exemption provides 
manufacturers with flexibility in meeting their warranty and contract 
obligations in cases where service or spare parts require an EPS. It 
also relieves manufacturers of the burdens of redesigning and 
certifying EPSs used for end-use products that are no longer 
manufactured, which DOE anticipates will save these manufacturers from 
any significant expenses that would otherwise be used solely to support 
products that are no longer in production. As for the reporting 
requirements, DOE is, consistent with comments received from industry 
participants, adopting an approach that requires only manufacturers who 
sell 1,000 or more exempt EPSs to report its shipped units--an amount 
that will considerably lessen any small business-related impacts.
    Consistent with its prior incorporation of the previous statutory 
exemption added by Congress for Class A EPSs made available as service 
and spare parts, see 10 CFR 430.32(w)(2) (2015), DOE expects any 
potential impact from its requirement to be minimal. For these reasons, 
DOE certifies that the final rule would not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. Accordingly, DOE has 
not prepared a regulatory flexibility analysis for this rulemaking. DOE 
will transmit the certification and supporting statement of factual 
basis to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the SBA for review under 5 
U.S.C. 605(b).

C. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This rule revises an existing information collection. This 
information collection request contains:
    (1) OMB Control Number: 1910-1400.
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Certification Reports, 
Compliance Statements, Application for a Test Procedure Waiver, and 
Recordkeeping for Consumer Products and Commercial/Industrial Equipment 
Subject to Energy or Water Conservation Standards.
    (3) Type of Request: Revision of a Currently Approved Collection.
    (4) Purpose: This notice will require external power supply 
manufacturers to report the number of exempt EPS units sold as part of 
the annual certification report, which is already required. The annual 
certification report must be submitted via CCMS, an electronic system 
for recording and processing certification submissions.
    Manufacturers of EPSs must certify to DOE that their products 
comply with any applicable energy conservation standards. In certifying 
compliance, manufacturers must test their products according to the DOE 
test procedures for EPSs including any amendments adopted for those 
test procedures. DOE has established regulations for the certification 
and recordkeeping requirements for all covered consumer products and 
commercial equipment, including external power supplies. See 10 CFR 
part 429, subpart B. The collection-of-information requirement for 
certification and recordkeeping is subject to review and approval by 
OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA''). This requirement has 
been approved by OMB under OMB Control Number 1910-1400. Public 
reporting burden for the proposed certification requirement is 
estimated to average 30 hours per response, including the time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information.
    In this final rule, DOE is finalizing requirements for external 
power supply manufacturers to provide the total number of exempt EPS 
units sold as service and spare parts for which the manufacturer is 
claiming exemption from the current standards. The following are DOE's 
estimates, revised from the value originally proposed in the NOPR, of 
the time for manufacturers to collect, organize and store the data 
required by this final rule. As part of this final rule, manufacturers 
will not be required to provide the total number of exempt EPS units 
sold for each basic model, and instead will only provide the total 
number of exempt EPSs sold by that manufacturer. Additionally, 
manufacturers who sell under 1,000 exempt EPSs will be exempt from 
reporting requirements. Accordingly, DOE anticipates the impact in 
burden hours will be reduced from the estimates provided in the NOPR. 
DOE has increased the cost estimate for the NOPR to a fully burdened 
labor rate of $100 per hour, consistent with other certification 
requirements, to account for any skilled labor that may be required. 
DOE has revised its burden estimates to be consistent with the 
amendments being adopted in this final rule for reporting. DOE is 
showing the burden estimates for the individual amendments being 
adopted today and for the information collection as a whole.
    Affected Public with respect to this final rule: Manufacturers of 
external power supplies that are claiming the spare parts exemption.
    Estimated Number of Impacted Manufacturers: 228.
    Estimated Time per Record: 4 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 15.2 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Manufacturers: $1520.
    After adding the values for this final rule to the existing 
information collection requirements, the following totals reflect the 
information collection as a whole:
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 2000.
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 20,000.
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 68,015.2 hours.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 
$6,801,520.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty 
for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays 
a currently valid OMB Control Number.

D. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

    DOE has determined that this final rule, which would incorporate a 
recently-enacted exemption into the CFR for EPSs sold as spare or 
service parts, falls into a class of actions that are categorically 
excluded from review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et

[[Page 30162]]

seq.) and DOE's implementing regulations at 10 CFR part 1021. 
Specifically, this final rule would adopt changes to the manner in 
which certain covered equipment would be certified and/or reported, 
which would not affect the amount, quality or distribution of energy 
usage, and, therefore, would not result in any environmental impacts. 
Thus, this rulemaking is covered by Categorical Exclusion A6 
(Procedural Rulemaking) under 10 CFR part 1021, subpart D. Accordingly, 
neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact 
statement is required.

E. Review Under Executive Order 13132

    Executive Order 13132, ``Federalism,'' 64 FR 43255 (August 4, 1999) 
imposes certain requirements on agencies formulating and implementing 
policies or regulations that preempt State law or that have Federalism 
implications. The Executive Order requires agencies to examine the 
constitutional and statutory authority supporting any action that would 
limit the policymaking discretion of the States and to carefully assess 
the necessity for such actions. The Executive Order also requires 
agencies to have an accountable process to ensure meaningful and timely 
input by State and local officials in the development of regulatory 
policies that have Federalism implications. On March 14, 2000, DOE 
published a statement of policy describing the intergovernmental 
consultation process it will follow in the development of such 
regulations. 65 FR 13735. DOE has examined this final rule and has 
determined that it would not have a substantial direct effect on the 
States, on the relationship between the national government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
various levels of government. EPCA governs and prescribes Federal 
preemption of State regulations as to energy conservation for the 
products that are the subject of this final rule. States can petition 
DOE for exemption from such preemption to the extent, and based on 
criteria, set forth in EPCA. (42 U.S.C. 6297(d)) No further action is 
required by Executive Order 13132.

F. Review Under Executive Order 12988

    Regarding the review of existing regulations and the promulgation 
of new regulations, section 3(a) of Executive Order 12988, ``Civil 
Justice Reform,'' 61 FR 4729 (February 7, 1996), imposes on Federal 
agencies the general duty to adhere to the following requirements: (1) 
Eliminate drafting errors and ambiguity; (2) write regulations to 
minimize litigation; (3) provide a clear legal standard for affected 
conduct rather than a general standard; and (4) promote simplification 
and burden reduction. Section 3(b) of Executive Order 12988 
specifically requires that Executive agencies make every reasonable 
effort to ensure that the regulation: (1) Clearly specifies the 
preemptive effect, if any; (2) clearly specifies any effect on existing 
Federal law or regulation; (3) provides a clear legal standard for 
affected conduct while promoting simplification and burden reduction; 
(4) specifies the retroactive effect, if any; (5) adequately defines 
key terms; and (6) addresses other important issues affecting clarity 
and general draftsmanship under any guidelines issued by the Attorney 
General. Section 3(c) of Executive Order 12988 requires Executive 
agencies to review regulations in light of applicable standards in 
sections 3(a) and 3(b) to determine whether they are met or it is 
unreasonable to meet one or more of them. DOE has completed the 
required review and determined that, to the extent permitted by law, 
the final rule meets the relevant standards of Executive Order 12988.

G. Review Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

    Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (``UMRA'') 
requires each Federal agency to assess the effects of Federal 
regulatory actions on State, local, and Tribal governments and the 
private sector. Public Law 104-4, sec. 201 (codified at 2 U.S.C. 1531). 
For a regulatory action likely to result in a rule that may cause the 
expenditure by State, local, and Tribal governments, in the aggregate, 
or by the private sector of $100 million or more in any one year 
(adjusted annually for inflation), section 202 of UMRA requires a 
Federal agency to publish a written statement that estimates the 
resulting costs, benefits, and other effects on the national economy. 
(2 U.S.C. 1532(a), (b)) The UMRA also requires a Federal agency to 
develop an effective process to permit timely input by elected officers 
of State, local, and Tribal governments on a ``significant 
intergovernmental mandate,'' and requires an agency plan for giving 
notice and opportunity for timely input to potentially affected small 
governments before establishing any requirements that might 
significantly or uniquely affect them. On March 18, 1997, DOE published 
a statement of policy on its process for intergovernmental consultation 
under UMRA. 62 FR 12820. DOE's policy statement is also available at 
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/gcprod/documents/umra_97.pdf.
    DOE examined this final rule according to UMRA and its statement of 
policy and determined that the rule contains neither an 
intergovernmental mandate, nor a mandate that may result in the 
expenditure of $100 million or more in any year, so these requirements 
do not apply.

H. Review Under the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 
1999

    Section 654 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations 
Act, 1999 (Pub. L. 105-277) requires Federal agencies to issue a Family 
Policymaking Assessment for any rule that may affect family well-being. 
This rule would not have any impact on the autonomy or integrity of the 
family as an institution. Accordingly, DOE has concluded that it is not 
necessary to prepare a Family Policymaking Assessment.

I. Review Under Executive Order 12630

    DOE has determined, under Executive Order 12630, ``Governmental 
Actions and Interference with Constitutionally Protected Property 
Rights'' 53 FR 8859 (March 18, 1988), that this rule would not result 
in any takings that might require compensation under the Fifth 
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

J. Review Under Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 
2001

    Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations 
Act, 2001 (44 U.S.C. 3516 note) provides for agencies to review most 
disseminations of information to the public under guidelines 
established by each agency pursuant to general guidelines issued by 
OMB. OMB's guidelines were published at 67 FR 8452 (February 22, 2002), 
and DOE's guidelines were published at 67 FR 62446 (October 7, 2002). 
DOE has reviewed this final rule under the OMB and DOE guidelines and 
has concluded that it is consistent with applicable policies in those 
guidelines.

K. Review Under Executive Order 13211

    Executive Order 13211, ``Actions Concerning Regulations That 
Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use,'' 66 FR 28355 
(May 22, 2001), requires Federal agencies to prepare and submit to OIRA 
at OMB, a Statement of Energy Effects for any significant energy 
action. A ``significant energy action'' is defined as any action by an 
agency that promulgates or is expected to lead to promulgation of a 
final rule, and that: (1) Is a significant

[[Page 30163]]

regulatory action under Executive Order 12866, or any successor order; 
and (2) is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the supply, 
distribution, or use of energy, or (3) is designated by the 
Administrator of OIRA as a significant energy action. For any 
significant energy action, the agency must give a detailed statement of 
any adverse effects on energy supply, distribution, or use should the 
proposal be implemented, and of reasonable alternatives to the action 
and their expected benefits on energy supply, distribution, and use.
    This regulatory action to amend the existing certification 
requirements for EPSs sold as spare parts is not a significant 
regulatory action under Executive Order 12866. Moreover, it would not 
have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use 
of energy, nor has it been designated as a significant energy action by 
the Administrator of OIRA. Therefore, it is not a significant energy 
action, and, accordingly, DOE has not prepared a Statement of Energy 
Effects.

L. Review Under Section 32 of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 
1974

    Under section 301 of the Department of Energy Organization Act 
(Public Law 95-91; 42 U.S.C. 7101), DOE must comply with section 32 of 
the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, as amended by the 
Federal Energy Administration Authorization Act of 1977. (15 U.S.C. 
788; FEAA) Section 32 essentially provides in relevant part that, where 
a proposed rule authorizes or requires use of commercial standards, the 
notice of proposed rulemaking must inform the public of the use and 
background of such standards. In addition, section 32(c) requires DOE 
to consult with the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal 
Trade Commission (``FTC'') concerning the impact of the commercial or 
industry standards on competition. This proposal to amend the 
certification requirements for all covered consumer products does not 
propose the use of any commercial standards.

M. Congressional Notification

    As required by 5 U.S.C. 801, DOE will report to Congress on the 
promulgation of this rule before its effective date. The report will 
state that it has been determined that the rule is not a ``major rule'' 
as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

V. Approval of the Office of the Secretary

    The Secretary of Energy has approved publication of this final 
rule.

List of Subjects

10 CFR Part 429

    Administrative practice and procedure, Confidential business 
information, Energy conservation, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements.

10 CFR Part 430

    Administrative practice and procedure, Confidential business 
information, Energy conservation, Household appliances, Imports, 
Intergovernmental relations, Small businesses.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2016.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, DOE amends parts 429 and 
430 of chapter II of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations as set forth 
below:

PART 429--CERTIFICATION, COMPLIANCE, AND ENFORCEMENT FOR CONSUMER 
PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT

0
1. The authority citation for part 429 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6291-6317.

0
2. Section 429.37 is amended by adding paragraphs (b)(3) and (c) to 
read as follows:


Sec.  429.37  External power supplies.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (3) Pursuant to Sec.  429.12(b)(13), a certification report for 
external power supplies that are exempt from the energy conservation 
standards at Sec.  430.32(w)(1)(ii) pursuant to Sec.  430.32(w)(2) of 
this chapter must include the following additional information if, in 
aggregate, the total number of exempt EPSs sold as spare and service 
parts by the certifier exceeds 1,000 units across all models: The total 
number of units of exempt external power supplies sold during the most 
recent 12-calendar-month period ending on July 31, starting with the 
annual report due on September 1, 2017.
    (c) Exempt external power supplies. (1) For external power supplies 
that are exempt from energy conservation standards pursuant to Sec.  
430.32(w)(2) of this chapter and are not required to be certified 
pursuant to Sec.  429.12(a) as compliant with an applicable standard, 
the importer or domestic manufacturer must, no later than September 1, 
2017, and annually by each September 1st thereafter, submit a report 
providing the following information if, in aggregate, the total number 
of exempt EPSs sold as spare and service parts by the importer or 
manufacturer exceeds 1,000 units across all models:
    (i) The importer or domestic manufacturer's name and address;
    (ii) The brand name; and
    (iii) The number of units sold during the most recent 12-calendar-
month period ending on July 31.
    (2) The report must be submitted to DOE in accordance with the 
submission procedures set forth in Sec.  429.12(h).

PART 430--ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS

0
3. The authority citation for part 430 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6291-6309; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note.

0
4. Section 430.32 is amended by revising paragraph (w)(2) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  430.32  Energy and water conservation standards and their 
compliance dates.

* * * * *
    (w) * * *
    (2) A basic model of external power supply is not subject to the 
energy conservation standards of paragraph (w)(1)(ii) of this section 
if the external power supply--
    (i) Is manufactured during the period beginning on February 10, 
2016, and ending on February 10, 2020;
    (ii) Is marked in accordance with the External Power Supply 
International Efficiency Marking Protocol, as in effect on February 10, 
2016;
    (iii) Meets, where applicable, the standards under paragraph 
(w)(1)(i) of this section, and has been certified to the Secretary as 
meeting those standards; and
    (iv) Is made available by the manufacturer only as a service part 
or a spare part for an end-use product that--
    (A) Constitutes the primary load; and
    (B) Was manufactured before February 10, 2016.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2016-11469 Filed 5-13-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P



                                                                                                                                                                                                    30157

                                           Rules and Regulations                                                                                         Federal Register
                                                                                                                                                         Vol. 81, No. 94

                                                                                                                                                         Monday, May 16, 2016



                                           This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER                       A link to the docket Web page can be               I. Authority and Background
                                           contains regulatory documents having general            found at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/                   Title III of the Energy Policy and
                                           applicability and legal effect, most of which           buildings/appliance_standards/
                                           are keyed to and codified in the Code of                                                                      Conservation Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C.
                                                                                                   product.aspx?productid=23. This Web                   6291, et seq.; ‘‘EPCA’’ or, in context,
                                           Federal Regulations, which is published under           page will contain a link to the docket for
                                           50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.                                                                         ‘‘the Act’’) sets forth a variety of
                                                                                                   this rulemaking on the regulations.gov                provisions designed to improve energy
                                           The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by              site. The regulations.gov Web page will               efficiency.1 Part B 2 of Title III
                                           the Superintendent of Documents. Prices of              contain simple instructions on how to                 establishes the ‘‘Energy Conservation
                                           new books are listed in the first FEDERAL               access all documents, including public                Program for Consumer Products Other
                                           REGISTER issue of each week.                            comments, in the docket.                              Than Automobiles.’’ External power
                                                                                                      For further information on how to                  supplies are among the products
                                                                                                   review the docket, contact Ms. Brenda                 affected by these provisions.
                                           DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY                                    Edwards at (202) 586–2945 or by email:                   Under EPCA, the energy conservation
                                                                                                   Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov.                            program consists essentially of four
                                           10 CFR Parts 429 and 430
                                                                                                   FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:                      parts: (1) Testing, (2) labeling, (3)
                                           [Docket No. EERE–2015–BT–CRT–0013]                      Direct requests for additional                        Federal energy conservation standards,
                                           RIN 1904–AD53                                           information may be sent to Mr. Jeremy                 and (4) certification and enforcement
                                                                                                   Dommu, U.S. Department of Energy,                     procedures. The testing requirements
                                           Energy Conservation Program: Exempt                     Office of Energy Efficiency and                       consist of test procedures that
                                           External Power Supplies Under the                       Renewable Energy, Building                            manufacturers of covered products must
                                           EPS Service Parts Act of 2014                           Technologies Program, EE–2J, 1000                     use as the basis for (1) certifying to DOE
                                                                                                   Independence Avenue SW.,                              that their products comply with the
                                           AGENCY:  Office of Energy Efficiency and
                                                                                                   Washington, DC 20585–0121.                            applicable energy conservation
                                           Renewable Energy, Department of
                                                                                                   Telephone: (202) 586–9870. Email:                     standards adopted under EPCA, and (2)
                                           Energy.
                                                                                                   battery_chargers_and_external_power_                  making representations about the
                                           ACTION: Final rule.
                                                                                                   supplies@EE.Doe.Gov.                                  efficiency of those products. Similarly,
                                           SUMMARY:    On November 18, 2015, the                      For legal issues, please contact Mr.               DOE must use these test procedures to
                                           U.S. Department of Energy (‘‘DOE’’)                     Michael Kido, U.S. Department of                      determine whether the products comply
                                           issued a notice of proposed rulemaking                  Energy, Office of the General Counsel,                with any relevant standards
                                           to exempt certain types of external                     GC–33, 1000 Independence Avenue                       promulgated under EPCA.
                                           power supplies consistent with the EPS                  SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121.                       Background
                                           Service Parts Act of 2014. That                         Telephone: (202) 586–8145. Email:
                                           proposal, which serves as the basis for                 Michael.Kido@hq.doe.gov.                                 Section 301 of EISA 2007 established
                                           this final rule, explained that the Act                                                                       minimum energy conservation
                                                                                                   SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:                            standards for Class A external power
                                           exempted certain EPSs made available
                                           by a manufacturer as a service or spare                 Table of Contents                                     supplies (‘‘EPSs’’) manufactured on or
                                           part from the energy conservation                                                                             after July 1, 2008. (42 U.S.C.
                                                                                                   I. Authority and Background
                                           standards promulgated in a February                                                                           6295(u)(3)(A)). See 42 U.S.C.
                                                                                                   II. Synopsis of the Final Rule
                                           2014 final rule. The proposal sought to                 III. Discussion                                       6291(36)(C)(i)–(ii). EISA 2007 exempts
                                           codify this exemption and certain                          A. Codifying the Exemption in the CFR              Class A EPSs from meeting these
                                           related reporting requirements. This                       B. Service or Spare Part EPSs                      statutorily-prescribed standards if the
                                           rule adopts the November 2015 proposal                     C. Sales Reporting Requirements                    devices were manufactured before July
                                           along with related provisions to require
                                                                                                   IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory Review           1, 2015, and made available by the
                                                                                                      A. Review Under Executive Order 12866              manufacturer as service parts or spare
                                           manufacturers to annually report the                       B. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility
                                           total units of exempt EPSs shipped as                                                                         parts for end-use consumer products
                                                                                                         Act                                             that were manufactured prior to July 1,
                                           service and spare parts that fail to meet                  C. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction
                                           the appropriate energy conservation                                                                           2008. (42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(3)(B)) Congress
                                                                                                         Act of 1995
                                           standards.                                                 D. Review Under the National                       created this limited (and temporary)
                                                                                                         Environmental Policy Act of 1969                exemption as part of a broad range of
                                           DATES: The effective date of this rule is                                                                     amendments to EPCA under EISA 2007.
                                                                                                      E. Review Under Executive Order 13132
                                           June 15, 2016.                                             F. Review Under Executive Order 12988              The provision did not grant DOE with
                                           ADDRESSES: The docket, which includes                      G. Review Under the Unfunded Mandates              the authority to expand or extend the
                                           Federal Register notices, comments,                           Reform Act of 1995                              length of this exemption and Congress
                                           and other supporting documents/                            H. Review Under the Treasury and General           did not grant DOE with the general
                                           materials, is available for review at                         Government Appropriations Act, 1999             authority to exempt any already covered
                                           regulations.gov. All documents in the                      I. Review Under Executive Order 12630
Lhorne on DSK30JT082PROD with RULES




                                           docket are listed in the regulations.gov                   J. Review Under Treasury and General                 1 All references to EPCA refer to the statute as
                                                                                                         Government Appropriations Act, 2001
                                           index. However, some documents listed                      K. Review Under Executive Order 13211
                                                                                                                                                         amended through the Energy Efficiency
                                           in the index, such as those containing                                                                        Improvement Act, Public Law 114–11 (April 30,
                                                                                                      L. Review Under Section 32 of the Federal          2015).
                                           information that is exempt from public                        Energy Administration Act of 1974                 2 For editorial reasons, Part B was redesignated as
                                           disclosure, may not be publicly                            M. Congressional Notification                      Part A upon incorporation into the U.S. Code (42
                                           available.                                              V. Approval of the Office of the Secretary            U.S.C. 6291–6309, as codified).



                                      VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:36 May 13, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00001   Fmt 4700   Sfmt 4700   E:\FR\FM\16MYR1.SGM   16MYR1


                                           30158               Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and Regulations

                                           product from the requirements set by                    the absence of the exemption. See 42                    EPSs to annually report to DOE the total
                                           Congress.                                               U.S.C. 6295(u)(5)(A)(iii). Finally, the                 number of units of exempt EPSs
                                              After releasing a preliminary analysis               statute authorizes DOE to provide a                     shipped as service and spare parts that
                                           and issuing a proposed set of energy                    similar exemption for EPSs from future                  do not meet the 2016 standards.
                                           conservation standards, DOE published                   energy conservation standards.
                                           a final rule prescribing new standards                                                                          III. Discussion
                                                                                                      On November 18, 2015, DOE
                                           for non-Class A EPSs and amended                        published a notice of proposed                          A. Codifying the Exemption in the CFR
                                           standards for some Class A EPSs. See 79                 rulemaking (‘‘NOPR’’) proposing to
                                           FR 7846 (February 10, 2014). These new                  codify the provisions of the EPS Service                   DOE is incorporating the provisions of
                                           standards, commonly referred to as                      Parts Act of 2014 within the Code of                    the Service Parts Act into 10 CFR 430.32
                                           Level VI efficiency standards because                   Federal Regulations (‘‘CFR’’) and                       to ensure that the regulations reflect the
                                           EPSs subject to these standards are                     solicited comment from the public. 80                   statutory exemption and that interested
                                           required to be marked with the Roman                    FR 71984. As part of the NOPR, DOE                      parties are able to readily access the
                                           numeral VI according to the External                    sought comment on a number of specific                  content of this new statutory provision.
                                           Power Supply International Efficiency                   issues including: How manufacturers                     Additionally, since the exemption from
                                           Marking Protocol, apply to products                     produce spare or service parts as                       the Class A (Level IV) standards for
                                           manufactured on or after February 10,                   compared to how manufacturers                           certain EPSs that are made available as
                                           2016. When DOE published the rule, it                   produce EPS units provided with a new                   service and spare parts expired on June
                                           did not have the authority to provide                   product, the specific language that                     30, 2015, DOE is also removing the text
                                           manufacturers with an exemption for                     should be codified regarding the                        related to this now-expired exemption
                                           EPSs manufactured after to the                          exemption of certain EPSs sold as                       from 10 CFR 4320.32(w)(2), and
                                           compliance date of these new standards                  service or spare parts, and the reporting               replacing it with the new provisions of
                                           if they were made available as service or               timeframe for importers and domestic                    the Service Parts Act that exempt
                                           spare parts to end-use consumer                         manufacturers to report the total                       certain EPSs from the new and amended
                                           products. Accordingly, despite requests                 number of units sold in the prior year.                 direct operation (Level VI) standards.
                                           from some commenters who responded                      DOE analyzed all of the comments                        B. Service or Spare Part EPSs
                                           to DOE’s proposed standards by asking                   received from the list of commenters in
                                           for such an exemption, DOE could                        Table I–1 in response to the 2015 NOPR                     In the NOPR, DOE explained that the
                                           provide no such relief as part of that                  and incorporated recommendations,                       Service Parts Act provides an exemption
                                           final rule.                                             where appropriate, into this final rule.                for certain EPSs that are made available
                                              On December 18, 2014, Congress                                                                               by manufacturers as service or spare
                                           enacted the EPS Service Parts Act of                                                                            parts. DOE observed that most end-use
                                                                                                      TABLE I–1—LIST OF COMMENTERS
                                           2014 (‘‘Service Parts Act’’). That law                                                                          products that use EPSs are sold with the
                                           exempted manufacturers of certain EPSs                          Organization                Abbreviation        EPS that is necessary to operate that
                                           that are made available as service and                                                                          product. DOE proposed that, in
                                           spare parts for end-use products                        Appliance Standards              ASAP, et al.           applying the statutory exemption, an
                                           manufactured before February 10, 2016                      Awareness Project, Na-                               EPS that is sold with an end-use
                                           from the energy conservation standards                     tional Resources De-
                                                                                                                                                           product would not be considered to be
                                           that DOE promulgated in its February                       fense Council, and
                                                                                                      American Council for an                              a service or spare part. However, DOE
                                           2014 rule. To be exempt under the                                                                               noted that, in its view, any EPS sold
                                           Service Parts Act, an EPS must meet                        Energy Efficient Econ-
                                                                                                      omy.                                                 separately from an end-use product,
                                           four separate criteria. Specifically, the                                                                       including an EPS made available as a
                                                                                                   Association of Home Ap-          AHAM, et al.
                                           EPS must be: (i) Manufactured during                       pliance Manufacturers,                               replacement for, or in addition to, the
                                           the period beginning on February 10,                       Consumer Electronics                                 EPS originally sold with an end-use
                                           2016, and ending on February 10, 2020;                     Association, Information                             product, would be considered an EPS
                                           (ii) marked in accordance with the                         Technology Council, and                              made available as a service or spare
                                           External Power Supply International                        National Electrical Man-
                                                                                                                                                           part—which would make that EPS
                                           Efficiency Marking Protocol; (iii)                         ufacturers Association.
                                                                                                   Information Technology           ITI                    potentially eligible to be exempt from
                                           compliant, where applicable, with the
                                                                                                      Council 3.                                           the 2016 standards under the Service
                                           standards for Class A EPSs and certified
                                                                                                   California Investor Owned        CA IOUs                Parts Act.
                                           to DOE as meeting at least International
                                                                                                      Utilities.                                              To further clarify its application of
                                           Efficiency Level IV; and (iv) made
                                           available by the manufacturer as a                                                                              this statutory exemption, DOE proposed
                                           service part or spare part for an end-use               II. Synopsis of the Final Rule                          that only those EPSs that are made
                                           product manufactured before February                      DOE is incorporating the statutory                    available as service or spare parts for
                                           10, 2016.                                               provisions described in this preamble                   end-use products that were
                                              Additionally, the Service Parts Act                  into its regulations. DOE is also                       manufactured before February 10, 2016
                                           permits DOE to require manufacturers of                 providing some clarification on the                     (the date that manufacturers must
                                           an EPS that is exempt from the 2016                     circumstances under which EPSs would                    comply with the new and amended
                                           standards to report to DOE the total                    be considered spare or service parts.                   standards for direct operation EPSs)
                                           number of such EPS units that are                       Lastly, DOE is requiring manufacturers                  would qualify for the exemption. DOE
                                           shipped annually as service and spare                   who manufacture 1,000 or more exempt                    proposed, accordingly, that if an EPS is
                                           parts and that do not meet those                                                                                made available as a service part or spare
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                                           standards. See 42 U.S.C.                                  3 DOE notes that ITI also filed supplemental          part for any end-use product that
                                           6295(u)(5)(A)(ii). DOE may also limit                   comments after the comment period had closed.           continues to be manufactured after
                                           the applicability of the exemption if the               These comments, which re-emphasized various             February 10, 2016, or is sold with any
                                                                                                   points ITI had already made in its timely-filed joint
                                           Secretary determines that the exemption                 comments with AHAM, were not considered by
                                                                                                                                                           end-use product manufactured after that
                                           is resulting in a significant reduction of              DOE in finalizing this rule due to their untimely       date, that EPS would not be eligible for
                                           the energy savings that would result in                 nature.                                                 the exemption.


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                                                               Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and Regulations                                           30159

                                              In the NOPR, DOE further recognized                  or service EPS for products                           basis, this final rule offers a reasonable
                                           that many EPSs, like those that use an                  manufactured after the compliance date                approach in applying the Service Parts
                                           industry standard communication                         should comply with the 2016 standards                 Act’s exemption. See 10 CFR 429.114.
                                           protocol, such as the universal serial                  because redesigning an EPS or designing               Applied otherwise, a basic model of EPS
                                           bus (‘‘USB’’), may be capable of                        a substitute EPS to comply with the                   would be wholly exempt (i.e., all units
                                           operating many different end-use                        standards would not be a significant                  of the basic model) from the Level VI
                                           products. To apply the statutory                        burden for manufacturers to meet. (CA                 standard based solely on the fact that as
                                           exemption to the ‘‘basic model’’ concept                IOUs, No. 5 at p.2) The CA IOUs also                  few as one unit of the basic model was
                                           used in its regulatory scheme, DOE                      supported DOE’s interpretation that the               made available by the manufacturer as
                                           proposed that the exemption would                       exemption would not apply to EPSs that                a service part or a spare part for an end-
                                           apply to an EPS basic model that a                      are sold as spare or service parts but are            use product manufactured before
                                           manufacturer makes available only as a                  capable of operating end-use products                 February 10, 2016. DOE declines to
                                           service part or a spare part for an end-                manufactured both before and after the                adopt an interpretation of the statutory
                                           use product that was manufactured                       compliance date. In their collective                  exemption that would offer a blanket
                                           before February 10, 2016, and would not                 view, meeting the 2016 standard would                 exemption to such a basic model.
                                           apply to an EPS basic model that a                      not be an undue burden for                               Therefore, DOE is finalizing its
                                           manufacturer makes available as a                       manufacturers to meet. (CA IOUs, No. 5                proposal that this exemption would
                                           service part or spare part for end-use                  at p.2)                                               apply to an EPS basic model that a
                                           products that continue to be                               ITI disagreed. In its view, the Service            manufacturer makes available only as a
                                           manufactured after February 10, 2016.                   Parts Act exemption should apply to all               service part or a spare part for an end-
                                           Thus, an EPS basic model would be                       EPSs made available as spare or service               use product that was manufactured
                                           exempt from the 2016 Level VI standard                  parts for end-use products                            before February 10, 2016, and would not
                                           if, among other criteria, it is made                    manufactured prior to the 2016                        apply to an EPS basic model that a
                                           available by the manufacturer only as a                 compliance date. (ITI, No. 4 at p.1) It               manufacturer makes available as a
                                           service part or a spare part for an end-                argued that DOE’s proposed clarification              service part or spare part for end-use
                                           use product, and only if the end-use                    would deny this exemption to many                     products that continue to be
                                           product was manufactured before                         USBs and other EPSs capable of                        manufactured after February 10, 2016.
                                           February 10, 2016. DOE sought                           operating multiple end-use products
                                                                                                                                                         C. Sales Reporting Requirements
                                           comment on this proposal from                           contrary to the required exemption of
                                           stakeholders and interested parties.                    the Service Parts Act. ITI further                       The Service Parts Act permits DOE to
                                              ASAP, et al. supported DOE’s efforts                 claimed that the apparent reduction in                require manufacturers of an EPS that is
                                           to construct a narrowly-defined                         scope of the exemption provides                       exempt from the 2016 standards to
                                           exemption for EPSs offered as service or                insufficient notice to manufacturers as               report to DOE the total number of such
                                           spare parts to aid in limiting the sale of              they were anticipating the exemption to               EPS units that are shipped annually as
                                           a larger number of EPSs than warranted                  reflect what they believed would be the               service and spare parts and that do not
                                           by the intent of the law, stating that                  clear language and scope of the enacted               meet those standards. See 42 U.S.C.
                                           ‘‘abuse of the exemption could                          law. (ITI, No. 4 at p.2)                              6295(u)(5)(A)(ii). DOE stated that it
                                           significantly reduce energy savings from                   In the NOPR, DOE misstated in one                  considered the ‘‘shipments’’ referred to
                                           the EPS standards.’’ (ASAP, et al., No.                 place that, if an EPS is capable of                   in the statute to be those units sold by
                                           2 at p.2) AHAM, et al. also expressed                   operating multiple end-use products,                  either the importer or the domestic
                                           support for DOE’s proposal in their                     some of which were manufactured                       manufacturer, and that because
                                           comments noting that ‘‘this is a sensible               before February 10, 2016, and some of                 importers could have both incoming
                                           exemption that will allow                               which were manufactured after                         and outgoing shipments, DOE
                                           manufacturers to maintain supplies of                   February 10, 2016, then that EPS would                considered ‘‘units sold’’ to be clearer
                                           replacement parts for older equipment                   not be eligible for the service and spare             than ‘‘units shipped.’’ See 42 U.S.C.
                                           and will also allow warranty and                        part exemption since the EPS can                      6291(12) (under EPCA, ‘‘manufacture’’
                                           contract compliance by manufacturers,                   operate an end-use product                            means ‘‘to manufacture, produce,
                                           as well as manufacturer compliance                      manufactured after February 10, 2016.                 assemble or import’’).
                                           with state parts retention laws.’’                      80 FR at 71986. DOE understands that                     Accordingly, consistent with the
                                           (AHAM, et al., No. 3 at p.1)                            this statement in the preamble may have               Service Parts Act, DOE proposed that
                                              Similarly, ASAP, et al. strongly                     caused confusion. The exemption as                    importers and domestic manufacturers
                                           supported DOE’s interpretation that the                 DOE proposed in the NOPR, would                       of EPSs that are exempt under the
                                           exemption should not apply to EPSs                      apply to an EPS basic model that is                   Service Parts Act would be required to
                                           made available as spare or service parts                ‘‘made available by the manufacturer                  report annually to DOE the total number
                                           that are sold with products                             only as a service part or a spare part for            of exempt EPS units that were sold
                                           manufactured after February 10, 2016.                   an end-use product.’’ Id. at 71990                    during the most recent 12-calendar-
                                           ASAP, et al. asserted that the redesign                 (emphasis added). DOE clarifies, and                  month period ending on July 31 that do
                                           of EPSs for products manufactured                       this rule establishes, that an EPS that is            not meet the 2016 standards. 80 FR at
                                           afterward is justified because an EPS                   capable of operating end-use products                 71986. DOE received no comments
                                           that is sold with a product                             manufactured on or after February 10,                 specifically with regard to the use of the
                                           manufactured after February 10, 2016,                   2016, could be exempt, provided that                  word ‘‘sold’’ as opposed to ‘‘shipped’’ in
                                           would already be required to meet the                   the manufacturer makes the relevant                   this context, and will use the word
                                           new standards, and thus it does not                     basic model available only as a service               ‘‘sold’’ in its reporting requirement, as
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                                           create undue burden on industry to                      part or spare part for end-use products               proposed in the NOPR.
                                           ensure that EPSs made available as                      manufactured before February 10, 2016.                   DOE explained in the NOPR that
                                           spare or service parts for those same                      Given the nature of DOE’s regulatory               many of the EPSs sold as spare and
                                           end-use products also comply with the                   scheme, under which the non-                          service parts are Class A EPSs and they
                                           new standards. (ASAP, et al., No. 2 at                  compliance of a product is determined                 continue to be subject to the current
                                           p.3) The CA IOUs agreed that any spare                  on a basic model, not unit-by-unit,                   Class A EPS standards (i.e. Level IV) set


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                                           30160               Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and Regulations

                                           forth in 10 CFR 430.32(w)(1)(i). As such,               having domestic manufacturers and                     aggregate and not on a per model basis.
                                           manufacturers of any basic model of a                   importers report to DOE the total                     Consequently, a manufacturer would
                                           Class A EPS must already submit an                      number of exempt EPS units sold on an                 not be exempt from the reporting
                                           annual certification report to DOE. See                 annual basis to help ensure that energy               requirements if it sells more than one
                                           10 CFR 429.12. Moreover, the Service                    savings from the 2014 standards are                   exempt model of EPS, each of which it
                                           Parts Act requires that an EPS must be                  realized. (CA IOUs, No. 5 at p.2)                     sells less than 1,000 of annually, but, in
                                           certified to DOE as meeting Level IV                       AHAM, et al., however, expressed                   aggregate, the total number of exempt
                                           standards in order to qualify for the                   concern over DOE’s reporting                          EPSs sold by that manufacturer exceeds
                                           exemption. Therefore, DOE proposed                      requirement proposals. AHAM, et al.                   1,000 across all models. DOE is
                                           that each manufacturer of exempt Class                  noted that most companies have low                    modifying the regulatory text in the CFR
                                           A EPSs include in its annual report                     shipment volumes of spare and service                 to reflect this approach.
                                           certifying compliance with Level IV                     parts for products manufactured prior to
                                           standards the number of units of each                   the compliance date and that the cost of              IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory
                                           individual model of such EPS it sold in                 reporting these data would outweigh the               Review
                                           the preceding year that do not meet the                 data collection efforts on a per model                A. Review Under Executive Order 12866
                                           Level VI standards.                                     basis. Alternatively, AHAM, et al.
                                              Similarly, DOE proposed to require                   recommended that DOE modify its                          The Office of Management and Budget
                                           each importer or domestic manufacturer                  reporting requirements to simplify the                (‘‘OMB’’) has determined that
                                           of non-Class A EPSs that are exempted                   requirements to one report per                        certification rulemakings do not
                                           by the Service Parts Act and do not meet                manufacturer rather than one report per               constitute ‘‘significant regulatory
                                           the 2016 standards to submit an annual                  model and only require a report                       actions’’ under section 3(f) of Executive
                                           report of the corresponding number of                   submission if the quantity of service and             Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and
                                           units of each individual model of such                  spare part EPSs exceeds 1,000 units.                  Review, 58 FR 51735 (Oct. 4, 1993).
                                           EPS that the importer or domestic                       (AHAM, et al., No. 3 at p.2) AHAM, et                 Accordingly, this action was not subject
                                           manufacturer sold in the prior year.                    al. concluded by stating its belief that              to review under the Executive Order by
                                           These non-Class A EPSs include                          the reporting requirements proposed by                the Office of Information and Regulatory
                                           multiple-voltage EPSs, high-power                       DOE exceed the authority granted by the               Affairs (‘‘OIRA’’) in the Office of
                                           EPSs, and some EPSs used to operate                     EPS Service Parts Act of 2014 and                     Management and Budget.
                                           end-use products that are motor-driven.                 recommended that the reporting                        B. Review Under the Regulatory
                                           Under DOE’s February 2014 final rule,                   requirements be limited to unit                       Flexibility Act
                                           non-Class A EPSs, unless exempt, are                    shipment volumes as permitted under
                                           required to meet the Level VI standards                 the Service Parts Act. (AHAM, et al., No.                The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5
                                           starting in 2016. These non-class A EPSs                3 at p.3)                                             U.S.C. 601, et seq.) requires preparation
                                           would not be certified under the                           Reporting requirements in this                     of an initial regulatory flexibility
                                           provisions of 10 CFR 429.12 (General                    instance serve a variety of important                 analysis (‘‘IFRA’’) for any rule that by
                                           requirements applicable to certification                and useful roles, among which include                 law must be proposed for public
                                           reports), if they are exempt, but under                 helping DOE assess the impacts of the                 comment, unless the agency certifies
                                           DOE’s proposal, manufacturers of these                  Service Parts Act’s exemption on overall              that the rule, if promulgated, will not
                                           EPSs would be required to submit a                      national energy savings.                              have a significant economic impact on
                                           report including the number of exempt                   Notwithstanding this fact, DOE                        a substantial number of small entities.
                                           EPSs sold.                                              recognizes that reporting requirements                As required by Executive Order 13272,
                                              Separately, the Service Parts Act                    may create a burden and has modified                  ‘‘Proper Consideration of Small Entities
                                           authorizes DOE to limit the applicability               its proposal from the NOPR to allow                   in Agency Rulemaking,’’ 67 FR 53461
                                           of the service and spare part exemption                 manufacturers or domestic importers to                (August 16, 2002), DOE published
                                           if DOE determines that the exemption is                 report the total annual number of                     procedures and policies on February 19,
                                           resulting in a significant reduction of                 exempt EPSs sold as spare or service                  2003, to ensure that the potential
                                           the energy savings that would otherwise                 parts rather than requiring individual                impacts of its rules on small entities are
                                           result from the final rule. See 42 U.S.C.               reporting on a per model basis, as                    properly considered during the DOE
                                           6295(u)(5)(A)(iii). Having information                  suggested by AHAM. Under DOE’s                        rulemaking process. 68 FR 7990. DOE
                                           regarding the number of exempt units                    revised reporting methodology,                        has made its procedures and policies
                                           sold would aid DOE in making this                       manufacturers or importers would only                 available on the Office of the General
                                           determination.                                          need to track and report the total                    Counsel’s Web site: http://energy.gov/
                                              ASAP, et al. noted that reporting is                 number of exempt EPSs sold.                           gc/office-general-counsel.
                                           vital to DOE’s ability to assess the                       DOE also recognizes the reporting                     For manufacturers of EPSs, the Small
                                           impact of the EPS Service Parts Act of                  burdens for manufacturers that sell only              Business Administration (‘‘SBA’’) has
                                           2014 on the energy savings projected by                 a small number of exempt units.                       set a size threshold, which defines those
                                           the 2014 standards and supported                        Accordingly, consistent with the                      entities classified as ‘‘small businesses’’
                                           DOE’s proposal to extend the reporting                  authority provided to DOE by the                      for the purposes of the statute. DOE
                                           requirements to non-Class A EPSs that                   Service Parts Act, DOE will adopt                     used the SBA’s small business size
                                           are subject to federal efficiency                       AHAM’s suggestion and relieve                         standards to determine whether any
                                           standards. (ASAP, et al., No. 2 at p.3)                 manufacturers from the sales reporting                small entities would be subject to the
                                           The CA IOUs also supported DOE’s                        requirements contained in this final rule             requirements of the rule. 65 FR 30836,
                                           proposals, noting that ensuring                         provided that the quantity of exempt                  30848 (May 15, 2000), as amended at 65
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                                           applicable EPS units that are subject to                service and spare part EPSs sold by that              FR 53533, 53544 (September 5, 2000)
                                           current efficiency requirements                         manufacturer does not exceed 1,000                    and codified at 13 CFR part 121. The
                                           continue to meet these standards would                  units annually. This 1,000 unit                       size standards are listed by North
                                           prevent potential backsliding and an                    threshold will apply to the total number              American Industry Classification
                                           accompanying loss of energy savings.                    of exempt EPSs sold annually by that                  System (‘‘NAICS’’) code and industry
                                           The CA IOUs also strongly supported                     manufacturer (including importers) in                 description and are available at http://


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                                                               Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and Regulations                                             30161

                                           www.sba.gov/content/summary-size-                       Advocacy of the SBA for review under                  this final rule, manufacturers will not be
                                           standards-industry. EPS manufacturing                   5 U.S.C. 605(b).                                      required to provide the total number of
                                           is classified under NAICS 335999, ‘‘All                                                                       exempt EPS units sold for each basic
                                                                                                   C. Review Under the Paperwork
                                           Other Miscellaneous Electrical                                                                                model, and instead will only provide
                                                                                                   Reduction Act of 1995
                                           Equipment and Component                                                                                       the total number of exempt EPSs sold by
                                           Manufacturing.’’ The SBA sets a                            This rule revises an existing                      that manufacturer. Additionally,
                                           threshold of 500 employees or less for                  information collection. This information              manufacturers who sell under 1,000
                                           an entity to be considered as a small                   collection request contains:                          exempt EPSs will be exempt from
                                           business for this category. As a                           (1) OMB Control Number: 1910–1400.                 reporting requirements. Accordingly,
                                           preliminary matter, DOE notes that                         (2) Information Collection Request                 DOE anticipates the impact in burden
                                           there are no domestic manufacturers of                  Title: Certification Reports, Compliance              hours will be reduced from the
                                           EPSs. Consequently, there are no small                  Statements, Application for a Test                    estimates provided in the NOPR. DOE
                                           business impacts to evaluate for                        Procedure Waiver, and Recordkeeping                   has increased the cost estimate for the
                                           purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility                  for Consumer Products and                             NOPR to a fully burdened labor rate of
                                           Act.                                                    Commercial/Industrial Equipment                       $100 per hour, consistent with other
                                              Notwithstanding the absence of                       Subject to Energy or Water Conservation
                                                                                                                                                         certification requirements, to account
                                           domestic EPS manufacturers, DOE                         Standards.
                                                                                                                                                         for any skilled labor that may be
                                           reviewed this final rule under the                         (3) Type of Request: Revision of a
                                                                                                   Currently Approved Collection.                        required. DOE has revised its burden
                                           provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility                                                                      estimates to be consistent with the
                                           Act and the procedures and policies                        (4) Purpose: This notice will require
                                                                                                   external power supply manufacturers to                amendments being adopted in this final
                                           published on February 19, 2003. This                                                                          rule for reporting. DOE is showing the
                                           final rule would incorporate into DOE’s                 report the number of exempt EPS units
                                                                                                   sold as part of the annual certification              burden estimates for the individual
                                           regulations a statutorily-prescribed                                                                          amendments being adopted today and
                                           exemption affecting EPSs that                           report, which is already required. The
                                                                                                   annual certification report must be                   for the information collection as a
                                           manufacturers make available as service                                                                       whole.
                                           or spare parts. The exemption allows                    submitted via CCMS, an electronic
                                                                                                   system for recording and processing                      Affected Public with respect to this
                                           manufacturers to maintain and                                                                                 final rule: Manufacturers of external
                                           distribute supplies of replacement parts                certification submissions.
                                                                                                      Manufacturers of EPSs must certify to              power supplies that are claiming the
                                           for older equipment without needing to                                                                        spare parts exemption.
                                           meet the EPS energy conservation                        DOE that their products comply with
                                                                                                   any applicable energy conservation                       Estimated Number of Impacted
                                           standards that have applied since                                                                             Manufacturers: 228.
                                           February 10, 2016. This exemption                       standards. In certifying compliance,
                                                                                                                                                            Estimated Time per Record: 4
                                           provides manufacturers with flexibility                 manufacturers must test their products
                                                                                                                                                         minutes.
                                           in meeting their warranty and contract                  according to the DOE test procedures for
                                                                                                                                                            Estimated Total Annual Burden
                                           obligations in cases where service or                   EPSs including any amendments
                                                                                                                                                         Hours: 15.2 hours.
                                           spare parts require an EPS. It also                     adopted for those test procedures. DOE                   Estimated Total Annual Cost to
                                           relieves manufacturers of the burdens of                has established regulations for the                   Manufacturers: $1520.
                                           redesigning and certifying EPSs used for                certification and recordkeeping                          After adding the values for this final
                                           end-use products that are no longer                     requirements for all covered consumer                 rule to the existing information
                                           manufactured, which DOE anticipates                     products and commercial equipment,                    collection requirements, the following
                                           will save these manufacturers from any                  including external power supplies. See                totals reflect the information collection
                                           significant expenses that would                         10 CFR part 429, subpart B. The                       as a whole:
                                           otherwise be used solely to support                     collection-of-information requirement                    (5) Annual Estimated Number of
                                           products that are no longer in                          for certification and recordkeeping is                Respondents: 2000.
                                           production. As for the reporting                        subject to review and approval by OMB                    (6) Annual Estimated Number of
                                           requirements, DOE is, consistent with                   under the Paperwork Reduction Act                     Total Responses: 20,000.
                                           comments received from industry                         (‘‘PRA’’). This requirement has been                     (7) Annual Estimated Number of
                                           participants, adopting an approach that                 approved by OMB under OMB Control                     Burden Hours: 68,015.2 hours.
                                           requires only manufacturers who sell                    Number 1910–1400. Public reporting                       (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and
                                           1,000 or more exempt EPSs to report its                 burden for the proposed certification                 Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $6,801,520.
                                           shipped units—an amount that will                       requirement is estimated to average 30                   Notwithstanding any other provision
                                           considerably lessen any small business-                 hours per response, including the time                of the law, no person is required to
                                           related impacts.                                        for reviewing instructions, searching                 respond to, nor shall any person be
                                              Consistent with its prior                            existing data sources, gathering and                  subject to a penalty for failure to comply
                                           incorporation of the previous statutory                 maintaining the data needed, and                      with, a collection of information subject
                                           exemption added by Congress for Class                   completing and reviewing the collection               to the requirements of the PRA, unless
                                           A EPSs made available as service and                    of information.                                       that collection of information displays a
                                           spare parts, see 10 CFR 430.32(w)(2)                       In this final rule, DOE is finalizing              currently valid OMB Control Number.
                                           (2015), DOE expects any potential                       requirements for external power supply
                                           impact from its requirement to be                       manufacturers to provide the total                    D. Review Under the National
                                           minimal. For these reasons, DOE                         number of exempt EPS units sold as                    Environmental Policy Act of 1969
                                           certifies that the final rule would not                 service and spare parts for which the                   DOE has determined that this final
                                           have a significant economic impact on                   manufacturer is claiming exemption                    rule, which would incorporate a
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                                           a substantial number of small entities.                 from the current standards. The                       recently-enacted exemption into the
                                           Accordingly, DOE has not prepared a                     following are DOE’s estimates, revised                CFR for EPSs sold as spare or service
                                           regulatory flexibility analysis for this                from the value originally proposed in                 parts, falls into a class of actions that are
                                           rulemaking. DOE will transmit the                       the NOPR, of the time for manufacturers               categorically excluded from review
                                           certification and supporting statement                  to collect, organize and store the data               under the National Environmental
                                           of factual basis to the Chief Counsel for               required by this final rule. As part of               Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et


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                                           30162               Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and Regulations

                                           seq.) and DOE’s implementing                            regulations to minimize litigation; (3)               energy.gov/sites/prod/files/gcprod/
                                           regulations at 10 CFR part 1021.                        provide a clear legal standard for                    documents/umra_97.pdf.
                                           Specifically, this final rule would adopt               affected conduct rather than a general                  DOE examined this final rule
                                           changes to the manner in which certain                  standard; and (4) promote simplification              according to UMRA and its statement of
                                           covered equipment would be certified                    and burden reduction. Section 3(b) of                 policy and determined that the rule
                                           and/or reported, which would not affect                 Executive Order 12988 specifically                    contains neither an intergovernmental
                                           the amount, quality or distribution of                  requires that Executive agencies make                 mandate, nor a mandate that may result
                                           energy usage, and, therefore, would not                 every reasonable effort to ensure that the            in the expenditure of $100 million or
                                           result in any environmental impacts.                    regulation: (1) Clearly specifies the                 more in any year, so these requirements
                                           Thus, this rulemaking is covered by                     preemptive effect, if any; (2) clearly                do not apply.
                                           Categorical Exclusion A6 (Procedural                    specifies any effect on existing Federal              H. Review Under the Treasury and
                                           Rulemaking) under 10 CFR part 1021,                     law or regulation; (3) provides a clear               General Government Appropriations
                                           subpart D. Accordingly, neither an                      legal standard for affected conduct                   Act, 1999
                                           environmental assessment nor an                         while promoting simplification and
                                           environmental impact statement is                       burden reduction; (4) specifies the                     Section 654 of the Treasury and
                                           required.                                               retroactive effect, if any; (5) adequately            General Government Appropriations
                                                                                                   defines key terms; and (6) addresses                  Act, 1999 (Pub. L. 105–277) requires
                                           E. Review Under Executive Order 13132                                                                         Federal agencies to issue a Family
                                                                                                   other important issues affecting clarity
                                              Executive Order 13132, ‘‘Federalism,’’               and general draftsmanship under any                   Policymaking Assessment for any rule
                                           64 FR 43255 (August 4, 1999) imposes                    guidelines issued by the Attorney                     that may affect family well-being. This
                                           certain requirements on agencies                        General. Section 3(c) of Executive Order              rule would not have any impact on the
                                           formulating and implementing policies                   12988 requires Executive agencies to                  autonomy or integrity of the family as
                                           or regulations that preempt State law or                review regulations in light of applicable             an institution. Accordingly, DOE has
                                           that have Federalism implications. The                  standards in sections 3(a) and 3(b) to                concluded that it is not necessary to
                                           Executive Order requires agencies to                    determine whether they are met or it is               prepare a Family Policymaking
                                           examine the constitutional and statutory                unreasonable to meet one or more of                   Assessment.
                                           authority supporting any action that                    them. DOE has completed the required
                                           would limit the policymaking discretion                                                                       I. Review Under Executive Order 12630
                                                                                                   review and determined that, to the
                                           of the States and to carefully assess the               extent permitted by law, the final rule                  DOE has determined, under Executive
                                           necessity for such actions. The                                                                               Order 12630, ‘‘Governmental Actions
                                                                                                   meets the relevant standards of
                                           Executive Order also requires agencies                                                                        and Interference with Constitutionally
                                                                                                   Executive Order 12988.
                                           to have an accountable process to                                                                             Protected Property Rights’’ 53 FR 8859
                                           ensure meaningful and timely input by                   G. Review Under the Unfunded                          (March 18, 1988), that this rule would
                                           State and local officials in the                        Mandates Reform Act of 1995                           not result in any takings that might
                                           development of regulatory policies that                                                                       require compensation under the Fifth
                                           have Federalism implications. On                           Title II of the Unfunded Mandates                  Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
                                           March 14, 2000, DOE published a                         Reform Act of 1995 (‘‘UMRA’’) requires
                                           statement of policy describing the                      each Federal agency to assess the effects             J. Review Under Treasury and General
                                           intergovernmental consultation process                  of Federal regulatory actions on State,               Government Appropriations Act, 2001
                                           it will follow in the development of                    local, and Tribal governments and the                    Section 515 of the Treasury and
                                           such regulations. 65 FR 13735. DOE has                  private sector. Public Law 104–4, sec.                General Government Appropriations
                                           examined this final rule and has                        201 (codified at 2 U.S.C. 1531). For a                Act, 2001 (44 U.S.C. 3516 note) provides
                                           determined that it would not have a                     regulatory action likely to result in a               for agencies to review most
                                           substantial direct effect on the States, on             rule that may cause the expenditure by                disseminations of information to the
                                           the relationship between the national                   State, local, and Tribal governments, in              public under guidelines established by
                                           government and the States, or on the                    the aggregate, or by the private sector of            each agency pursuant to general
                                           distribution of power and                               $100 million or more in any one year                  guidelines issued by OMB. OMB’s
                                           responsibilities among the various                      (adjusted annually for inflation), section            guidelines were published at 67 FR
                                           levels of government. EPCA governs and                  202 of UMRA requires a Federal agency                 8452 (February 22, 2002), and DOE’s
                                           prescribes Federal preemption of State                  to publish a written statement that                   guidelines were published at 67 FR
                                           regulations as to energy conservation for               estimates the resulting costs, benefits,              62446 (October 7, 2002). DOE has
                                           the products that are the subject of this               and other effects on the national                     reviewed this final rule under the OMB
                                           final rule. States can petition DOE for                 economy. (2 U.S.C. 1532(a), (b)) The                  and DOE guidelines and has concluded
                                           exemption from such preemption to the                   UMRA also requires a Federal agency to                that it is consistent with applicable
                                           extent, and based on criteria, set forth in             develop an effective process to permit                policies in those guidelines.
                                           EPCA. (42 U.S.C. 6297(d)) No further                    timely input by elected officers of State,
                                                                                                   local, and Tribal governments on a                    K. Review Under Executive Order 13211
                                           action is required by Executive Order
                                           13132.                                                  ‘‘significant intergovernmental                          Executive Order 13211, ‘‘Actions
                                                                                                   mandate,’’ and requires an agency plan                Concerning Regulations That
                                           F. Review Under Executive Order 12988                   for giving notice and opportunity for                 Significantly Affect Energy Supply,
                                             Regarding the review of existing                      timely input to potentially affected                  Distribution, or Use,’’ 66 FR 28355 (May
                                           regulations and the promulgation of                     small governments before establishing                 22, 2001), requires Federal agencies to
                                           new regulations, section 3(a) of                        any requirements that might                           prepare and submit to OIRA at OMB, a
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                                           Executive Order 12988, ‘‘Civil Justice                  significantly or uniquely affect them. On             Statement of Energy Effects for any
                                           Reform,’’ 61 FR 4729 (February 7, 1996),                March 18, 1997, DOE published a                       significant energy action. A ‘‘significant
                                           imposes on Federal agencies the general                 statement of policy on its process for                energy action’’ is defined as any action
                                           duty to adhere to the following                         intergovernmental consultation under                  by an agency that promulgates or is
                                           requirements: (1) Eliminate drafting                    UMRA. 62 FR 12820. DOE’s policy                       expected to lead to promulgation of a
                                           errors and ambiguity; (2) write                         statement is also available at http://                final rule, and that: (1) Is a significant


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                                                               Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and Regulations                                                 30163

                                           regulatory action under Executive Order                 List of Subjects                                      thereafter, submit a report providing the
                                           12866, or any successor order; and (2)                                                                        following information if, in aggregate,
                                                                                                   10 CFR Part 429
                                           is likely to have a significant adverse                                                                       the total number of exempt EPSs sold as
                                           effect on the supply, distribution, or use                Administrative practice and                         spare and service parts by the importer
                                           of energy, or (3) is designated by the                  procedure, Confidential business                      or manufacturer exceeds 1,000 units
                                           Administrator of OIRA as a significant                  information, Energy conservation,                     across all models:
                                           energy action. For any significant energy               Reporting and recordkeeping
                                                                                                   requirements.                                           (i) The importer or domestic
                                           action, the agency must give a detailed
                                           statement of any adverse effects on                                                                           manufacturer’s name and address;
                                                                                                   10 CFR Part 430
                                           energy supply, distribution, or use                                                                             (ii) The brand name; and
                                           should the proposal be implemented,                       Administrative practice and
                                                                                                                                                           (iii) The number of units sold during
                                           and of reasonable alternatives to the                   procedure, Confidential business
                                                                                                                                                         the most recent 12-calendar-month
                                           action and their expected benefits on                   information, Energy conservation,
                                                                                                   Household appliances, Imports,                        period ending on July 31.
                                           energy supply, distribution, and use.
                                                                                                   Intergovernmental relations, Small                      (2) The report must be submitted to
                                              This regulatory action to amend the
                                                                                                   businesses.                                           DOE in accordance with the submission
                                           existing certification requirements for
                                           EPSs sold as spare parts is not a                         Issued in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2016.           procedures set forth in § 429.12(h).
                                           significant regulatory action under                     Kathleen B. Hogan,
                                                                                                                                                         PART 430—ENERGY CONSERVATION
                                           Executive Order 12866. Moreover, it                     Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy
                                                                                                                                                         PROGRAM FOR CONSUMER
                                           would not have a significant adverse                    Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable
                                                                                                   Energy.                                               PRODUCTS
                                           effect on the supply, distribution, or use
                                           of energy, nor has it been designated as                  For the reasons stated in the
                                           a significant energy action by the                                                                            ■ 3. The authority citation for part 430
                                                                                                   preamble, DOE amends parts 429 and
                                           Administrator of OIRA. Therefore, it is                                                                       continues to read as follows:
                                                                                                   430 of chapter II of title 10, Code of
                                           not a significant energy action, and,                   Federal Regulations as set forth below:                 Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6291–6309; 28 U.S.C.
                                           accordingly, DOE has not prepared a                                                                           2461 note.
                                           Statement of Energy Effects.                            PART 429—CERTIFICATION,
                                                                                                   COMPLIANCE, AND ENFORCEMENT                           ■ 4. Section 430.32 is amended by
                                           L. Review Under Section 32 of the                                                                             revising paragraph (w)(2) to read as
                                                                                                   FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND
                                           Federal Energy Administration Act of                                                                          follows:
                                                                                                   COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL
                                           1974
                                                                                                   EQUIPMENT
                                                                                                                                                         § 430.32 Energy and water conservation
                                             Under section 301 of the Department                                                                         standards and their compliance dates.
                                           of Energy Organization Act (Public Law                  ■ 1. The authority citation for part 429
                                           95–91; 42 U.S.C. 7101), DOE must                        continues to read as follows:                         *      *     *     *     *
                                           comply with section 32 of the Federal                       Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6291–6317.                     (w) * * *
                                           Energy Administration Act of 1974, as                   ■ 2. Section 429.37 is amended by                       (2) A basic model of external power
                                           amended by the Federal Energy                           adding paragraphs (b)(3) and (c) to read              supply is not subject to the energy
                                           Administration Authorization Act of                     as follows:                                           conservation standards of paragraph
                                           1977. (15 U.S.C. 788; FEAA) Section 32
                                                                                                                                                         (w)(1)(ii) of this section if the external
                                           essentially provides in relevant part                   § 429.37   External power supplies.
                                                                                                                                                         power supply—
                                           that, where a proposed rule authorizes                  *     *     *     *     *
                                           or requires use of commercial standards,                  (b) * * *                                             (i) Is manufactured during the period
                                           the notice of proposed rulemaking must                    (3) Pursuant to § 429.12(b)(13), a                  beginning on February 10, 2016, and
                                           inform the public of the use and                        certification report for external power               ending on February 10, 2020;
                                           background of such standards. In                        supplies that are exempt from the                       (ii) Is marked in accordance with the
                                           addition, section 32(c) requires DOE to                 energy conservation standards at                      External Power Supply International
                                           consult with the Attorney General and                   § 430.32(w)(1)(ii) pursuant to                        Efficiency Marking Protocol, as in effect
                                           the Chairman of the Federal Trade                       § 430.32(w)(2) of this chapter must                   on February 10, 2016;
                                           Commission (‘‘FTC’’) concerning the                     include the following additional
                                           impact of the commercial or industry                    information if, in aggregate, the total                 (iii) Meets, where applicable, the
                                           standards on competition. This proposal                 number of exempt EPSs sold as spare                   standards under paragraph (w)(1)(i) of
                                           to amend the certification requirements                 and service parts by the certifier exceeds            this section, and has been certified to
                                           for all covered consumer products does                  1,000 units across all models: The total              the Secretary as meeting those
                                           not propose the use of any commercial                   number of units of exempt external                    standards; and
                                           standards.                                              power supplies sold during the most                     (iv) Is made available by the
                                           M. Congressional Notification                           recent 12-calendar-month period ending                manufacturer only as a service part or a
                                                                                                   on July 31, starting with the annual                  spare part for an end-use product that—
                                             As required by 5 U.S.C. 801, DOE will                 report due on September 1, 2017.
                                                                                                                                                           (A) Constitutes the primary load; and
                                           report to Congress on the promulgation                    (c) Exempt external power supplies.
                                           of this rule before its effective date. The             (1) For external power supplies that are                (B) Was manufactured before
                                           report will state that it has been                      exempt from energy conservation                       February 10, 2016.
                                           determined that the rule is not a ‘‘major               standards pursuant to § 430.32(w)(2) of               *      *     *     *     *
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                                           rule’’ as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).                   this chapter and are not required to be               [FR Doc. 2016–11469 Filed 5–13–16; 8:45 am]
                                                                                                   certified pursuant to § 429.12(a) as                  BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
                                           V. Approval of the Office of the
                                                                                                   compliant with an applicable standard,
                                           Secretary
                                                                                                   the importer or domestic manufacturer
                                             The Secretary of Energy has approved                  must, no later than September 1, 2017,
                                           publication of this final rule.                         and annually by each September 1st


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Document Created: 2016-05-14 01:16:33
Document Modified: 2016-05-14 01:16:33
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionRules and Regulations
ActionFinal rule.
DatesThe effective date of this rule is June 15, 2016.
ContactDirect requests for additional information may be sent to Mr. Jeremy Dommu, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585- 0121. Telephone: (202) 586-9870. Email: [email protected]
FR Citation81 FR 30157 
RIN Number1904-AD53
CFR Citation10 CFR 429
10 CFR 430
CFR AssociatedAdministrative Practice and Procedure; Confidential Business Information; Energy Conservation; Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements; Household Appliances; Imports; Intergovernmental Relations and Small Businesses

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