New regs for Wednesday: Efficiency, air pollution, immigration

Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new immigration rules, efficiency standards for dehumidifiers and ceiling fans, and emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants.

Here’s what is happening:

Dehumidifiers: The Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing new energy conservation standards for residential dehumidifiers.

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is pushing the rules as part of an overhaul to efficiency standards for household appliances.

The DOE estimates the regulations for dehumidifiers will cost manufacturers nearly $35 million to comply with, but potentially save consumers more than $2 billion in energy costs.

The public has 60 days to comment.

Ceiling fans: The Department of Energy is proposing to regulate small ceiling fans.

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy proposed new test procedures for ceiling fans last October, but said Tuesday it plans to expand those rules to include smaller ceiling fans which were previously excluded from the rulemaking.

“All ceiling fans larger than seven feet in diameter would still be tested according to a test procedure…but all ceiling fans less than seven feet in diameter would [also] be tested,” the agency clarified.

The public has 75 days to comment.

Emissions: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with new emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.

The emissions standards target seven hazardous air pollutants.

The rule goes into effect immediately.

Immigration: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is expanding the number of immigration board members who hear appeals to deportation cases.

After hiring more immigration judges last year to chip away at the backlog of cases, the DOJ is anticipating more appeals from people who are set to  be deported.

So it is hiring two more board members to hear those appeals.

The interim rule goes into effect immediately, but the public will have 60 days to comment.