The Appliances and Equipment Standards program maintains a multi-year rulemaking schedule. The currently scheduled rulemaking activities are described in the program's semi-annual implementation report to Congress.

The program will also issue other plans and schedules when needed. The most recent draft 5-year plan for test procedures and energy conservation standards can be found here.  

Preliminary list of EERE actions being considered pursuant to section 2(a) of Executive Order 13990

At the direction of the Acting Secretary of Energy, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) reviewed relevant documents and provides this preliminary list of EERE actions being considered pursuant to section 2(a) of Executive Order 13990.

Expedited Rulemakings

In November 2010, the Department of Energy (DOE) adopted new procedures that enable certain rulemakings to be expedited or improve the efficiency of the rulemaking process:

  • In appropriate cases, a rulemaking may begin with the publication in the Federal Register of a proposed rule for public comment. In some rulemakings a framework document and a preliminary analysis are not necessary because there are more efficient ways to gather and analyze the data.
  • The analytical information in the technical support documents or elsewhere in the docket is no longer summarized in the Federal Register publication. Instead, references are provided to the analytical information in the notices or final rule. This shortens the Federal Register publications, allows the review process to proceed more efficiently because summaries no longer need to undergo extensive review, and allows the public to focus on the policy choices made in the rulemaking.
  • DOE now uses negotiated rulemakings as a means to engage the public, gather data and information, and attempt to reach consensus among interested parties in order to advance the rulemaking process. In appropriate cases, DOE consults with all interested parties and attempts to develop a consensus proposal before issuing a proposed rule. This allows DOE to address comments from interested parties when it issues a proposed rule. Negotiated rulemaking can yield better and faster decisions.

Full Fuel Cycle Analyses for Use in Energy Conservation Analyses

In response to several National Academy of Sciences recommendations, DOE issued a Policy Statement on the use of full-fuel-cycle (FFC) measures of energy and emissions, rather than primary energy measures, in the national impact analyses and environmental assessments included in future energy conservation standards rulemakings. 76 FR 51281 (Aug. 18, 2011). On August 17, 2012, DOE issued a notice of policy amendment stating that it had determined the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) developed by DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) is the most appropriate tool to calculate FFC measures of energy use and greenhouse gas and other emissions. 77 FR 49701.

Public Meetings & Comment Deadlines >>