Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Compressors

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY <CFR>10 CFR Part 431</CFR> <DEPDOC>[EERE-2022-BT-TP-0019]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 1904-AF08</RIN> <SUBJECT>Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Compressors</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy (DOE). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule; delay of effective date. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> This document delays the effective date of a recently published final rule amending the test procedures for compressors. DOE also seeks comment on any further delay of the effective date, including the impacts of such delay, as well as comment on the legal, factual, or policy issues raised by the rule. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> As of March 7, 2025, the effective date of the rule amending 10 CFR part 431 published at 90 FR 5538 on January 17, 2025, is delayed until May 20, 2025. The incorporation by reference approval published at 90 FR 5538 on January 17, 2025, is delayed to May 20, 2025. Written comments and information will be accepted on or before March 28, 2025. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at <E T="03">www.regulations.gov,</E> under docket number EERE-2017-BT-STD-0007. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Alternatively, interested persons may submit comments, identified by docket number EERE-2022-BT-TP-0019, by any of the following methods: <E T="03">Email: Compressors2022TP0019@ee.doe.gov.</E> Include the docket number EERE-2022-BT-TP-0019 in the subject line of the message. <E T="03">Postal Mail:</E> Appliance and Equipment Standards Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 287-1445. If possible, please submit all items on a compact disc (“CD”), in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies. <E T="03">Hand Delivery/Courier:</E> Appliance and Equipment Standards Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 287-1445. If possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies. No telefacsimiles (“faxes”) will be accepted. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional information on this process, see the public participation section of this document. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Mr. Jeremy Dommu, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Office, EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-9870. Email: <E T="03">ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov</E> . Ms. Ani Esenyan, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-4798. Email: <E T="03">ani.esenyan@hq.doe.gov</E> . </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued the “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” memorandum, published in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> on January 28, 2025 (90 FR 8249). This Presidential action ordered all executive departments and agencies to consider postponing for 60 days the effective date of certain rules published in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> for the purpose of reviewing any questions of fact, law, and policy that the rules may raise. Additionally, executive departments and agencies were to consider opening a comment period to allow interested parties to provide comments about issues of fact, law, and policy raised by the rules postponed under the memorandum. In implementation of one of the measures directed by that memorandum, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) hereby temporarily postpones the effective date of its final rule amending the test procedures for compressors published in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> on January 17, 2025 (90 FR 5538). The January 17, 2025, rule amends the test procedures for measuring the energy efficiency of compressors by correcting an error and to ensure that pressure ratio is expressed in terms of absolute pressure. DOE is also correcting the formula for isentropic efficiency and specific energy consumption of the packaged compressor by incorporating a K <E T="52">6</E> correction factor to correct for differences in pressure ratio when testing at differing elevations. Finally, DOE is amending the definition of “air compressor” to include a minor clarification and revise a typographical error. Consistent with the Presidential memorandum of January 20, 2025, DOE is temporarily postponing the effective date of the final rule to May 20, 2025. The temporary delay in effective date is necessary to give DOE officials the opportunity for further review and consideration of new regulations, consistent with the Presidential memorandum of January 20, 2025. To the extent that 5 U.S.C. 553 applies to this action, it is exempt from notice and comment because it constitutes a rule of procedure under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A) and for which no notice of hearing is required by statute. The delay of the effective date to May 20, 2025, does not affect the compliance date for this rule, which remains July 16, 2025. DOE is, however, seeking comment on any further delay of the effective date, including the impacts of such delay, as well as comment on the legal, factual, or policy issues raised by the rule. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Public Participation</HD> DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this document no later than the date provided in the <E T="02">DATES</E> section at the beginning of this document. Interested parties may submit comments, data, and other information using any of the methods described in the <E T="02">ADDRESSES</E> section at the beginning of this document. <E T="03">Submitting comments via www.regulations.gov.</E> The <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> web page will require you to provide your name and contact information. Your contact information will be viewable to DOE Building Technologies staff only. Your contact information will not be publicly viewable except for your first and last names, organization name (if any), and submitter representative name (if any). If your comment is not processed properly because of technical difficulties, DOE will use this information to contact you. If DOE cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, DOE may not be able to consider your comment. However, your contact information will be publicly viewable if you include it in the comment itself or in any documents attached to your comment. Any information that you do not want to be publicly viewable should not be included in your comment, nor in any document attached to your comment. Otherwise, persons viewing comments will see only first and last names, organization names, correspondence containing comments, and any documents submitted with the comments. Do not submit to <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> information for which disclosure is restricted by statute, such as trade secrets and commercial or financial information (hereinafter referred to as Confidential Business Information (“CBI”)). Comments submitted through <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> cannot be claimed as CBI. Comments received through the website will waive any CBI claims for the information submitted. For information on submitting CBI, see the Confidential Business Information section. DOE processes submissions made through <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> before posting. Normally, comments will be posted within a few days of being submitted. However, if large volumes of comments are being processed simultaneously, your comment may not be viewable for up to several weeks. Please keep the comment tracking number that <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> provides after you have successfully uploaded your comment. <E T="03">Submitting comments via email, hand delivery/courier, or postal mail.</E> Comments and documents submitted via email, hand delivery/courier, or postal mail also will be posted to <E T="03">www.regulations.gov.</E> If you do not want your personal contact information to be publicly viewable, do not include it in your comment or any accompanying documents. Instead, provide your contact information in a cover letter. Include your first and last names, email address, telephone number, and optional mailing address. The cover letter will not be publicly viewable as long as it does not include any comments. Include contact information each time you submit comments, data, documents, and other information to DOE. If you submit via postal mail or hand delivery/courier, please provide all items on a CD, if feasible, in which case it is not necessary to submit printed copies. No telefacsimiles (“faxes”) will be accepted. Comments, data, and other information submitted to DOE electronically should be provided in PDF (preferred), Microsoft Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or text (ASCII) file format. Provide documents that are not secured, that are written in English, and that are free of any defects or viruses. Documents should not contain special characters or any form of encryption and, if possible, they should carry the electronic signature of the author. <E T="03">Campaign form letters.</E> Please submit campaign form letters by the originating organization in batches of between 50 to 500 form letters per PDF or as one form letter with a list of supporters' names compiled into one or more PDFs. 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