Subject: Finding of No Significant Impact: Energy Conservation
  
[Federal Register: May 23, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 100)]
[Notices]
[Page 36409]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23my02-161]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
 
Finding of No Significant Impact: Energy Conservation Program for 
Consumer Products

AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Finding of no significant impact for amended energy 
conservation standard for residential central air conditioners and heat 
pumps.

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SUMMARY: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended by the 
National Energy Conservation Policy Act and the National Appliance 
Energy Conservation Act, and the National Appliance Energy Conservation 
Amendments, prescribes energy conservation standards for certain major 
household appliances, and requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to 
administer an energy conservation program for these products. Based on 
an Environmental Assessment (EA), DOE/EA-1352, and revisions to the EA 
as documented in Appendix M of the Residential Central Air Conditioner 
and Heat Pump Technical Support Document (TSD), DOE has determined that 
the adoption of energy efficiency Trial Standard Level (TSL) 2 for 
residential central air conditioners and heat pumps, as adopted by the 
Final Rule entitled the "Energy Conservation Program for Consumer 
Products: Residential Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps Energy 
Conservation Standards," would not be a major Federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the 
meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). 
Therefore, an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required, and 
the Department is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI).

ADDRESSES: Public Availability: Copies of the EA and the TSD are 
available from: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency 
and Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE-41, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-9127.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Raymond, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Forrestal 
Building, Mail Station EE-41, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-9611.
    For further information regarding the DOE NEPA process contact: 
Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-
42), 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0119, (202) 
586-4600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Description of the Proposed Action: The 
proposed action is the establishment of a revised energy conservation 
standard (TSL 2) for residential central air conditioners and heat 
pumps.
    Environmental Impacts: The EA and TSD evaluate the environmental 
impacts of a range of new energy conservation standards for residential 
central air conditioners and heat pumps. The results are presented for 
each potential trial standard level. Each potential trial standard 
level is an alternative action, and the environmental impacts of each 
alternative are compared to what would be expected to happen if no new 
standard were adopted, i.e., the "no action" alternative.
    The main environmental impact is decreased emissions from fossil-
fueled electricity generation. All of the minimum efficiency levels 
considered for this appliance product category would result in 
decreased electricity use and, therefore, a reduction in power plant 
emissions. The proposed efficiency standard would generally decrease 
air pollution by decreasing future energy demand. The environmental 
analysis considers two pollutants, nitrogen oxides (NO<SUB>X</SUB>) and 
sulfur dioxide (SO<SUB>2</SUB>), and one emission, carbon. The results 
of the analysis show an estimated cumulative reduction of 24.2 million 
tons of carbon equivalent emissions and 83.2 thousand tons 
NO<SUB>X</SUB> for TSL 2 through the year 2020. This would be a 
national reduction of 0.17% of carbon equivalent emissions, and 0.08% 
of NO<SUB>X</SUB>. Because emissions of SO<SUB>2</SUB> from power 
plants are capped by clean air legislation, physical emissions of this 
pollutant from electricity generation will be only minimally affected 
by residential central air conditioners and heat pumps standards. The 
maximum SO<SUB>2</SUB> allowed by law will most likely still be 
produced, but because SO<SUB>2</SUB> emissions are traded, and if 
SO<SUB>2</SUB> emissions are lowered due to less power generation, then 
the cost of SO<SUB>2</SUB> emission credits may decrease slightly. 
Therefore, the EA did not consider changes in power sector 
SO<SUB>2</SUB> emissions because they will be negligible.

Determination

    Based upon the EA, DOE has determined that the adoption of the 
proposed energy efficiency standard for residential central air 
conditioners and heat pumps would not constitute a major Federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, within 
the meaning of NEPA. Therefore, an EIS is not required, and the 
Department is issuing this FONSI.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 14, 2002.
David K. Garman,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 02-12681 Filed 5-22-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P