DOE O 1300.2, Department of Energy Standards Program

u.s. Department of Energy Waslington, D.C. SUBJECT: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY STANDARDS PROGRAM ORDER DOE 1300.2 12-18-80 1. PURPOSE. This Order establishes general policy guidelines, authorities and responsibilities for Department of Energy (DOE) standards programs and guidelines for participation in private sector standards organizations. 2. SCOPE. The provisions of this Order apply to all Departmental elements, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and to all DOE con­ tracts which require adherence to Departmental Directives. 3. EXCLUSIONS. This Order does not apply to Federal interagency standards development, such as automatic data processing and data communication standards, or to the internal Directives system of the Department. 4. REFERENCES a. Federal Ener~ Administration Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 761) as amended by Pu lic Law 95-70 of 7-21-77 which added Section 32, "Use of Commercial Standards." Section 32 sets forth requirements for the Secretary as a condition in using non-Federal commercial standards 1n carrying out DOE's regulatory responsibilities formerly assigned the Federal Energy Administration. This Act applies only to those DOE functions that originated in the Federa 1 Energy Admi ni strat ion. b. Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Vo1untar~ Standards, Office of Management and Budget Circular A-119 of 1-17-80 which establishes policies to be followed by executive branch agencies in working with organizations which plan, develop, produce, and coordinate voluntary standards. It also establishes policies to be followed by executive branch agencies in adopting and using standards for procurement purposes. 5. DEFINITIONS. a. Standard. A prescri bed set of ru 1 es. condi t ions. or requi rements concerned with classification of components; delineation of pro­ cedures; specifications of .materia1s, performance, design, or operations; the definition of terms or measurements of quality and quantity in describing materials, products, systems, services or pract ices. DISTRIBUTION: INITIATED BY: All Departmental Elements Office of Environment Federal Energy Regulatory Commission we 2 b. c. DOE 1300.2 12~18~80 Vol untar* Standards (commercial standards). Those standards that are establis ed generally by private sector bodies and are available for use by any person or organization, private or governmental. Voluntary standards are also. referred to as "industry standards" as well as "consensus standa rds" (standards developed under due process procedures) but do not include professional standards of personal conduct, private standards of individual firms, standards mandated by law, or standards of individual organizations for their internal use. Government Standards. Federal agency standards and specifications including proposed or recommmended standards developed by Federal agency personnel, outside groups under agency regulations, or by organizations or committees made up solely of Government agency representatives. d. Voluntary Standards Bodies. Nongovernmental bodies which are broadly based, mUltimembered, domestic and multinational organizations, industry associations, and professional or technical societies which develop, establish, or coordinate voluntary standards activities. e. f. g. Standards~deve10Pina Groups. Committees, subcommittees, boards or other principal sub ivisions of voluntary standards bodies, estab~ 1ished by such bodies for the purpose of developing, revising, or reviewing standards, and which are bound by the procedures of those bodi es.

DOE Representative. An employee approved by the DOE Designating Official: (1) to work on standards committee assignments by reason of individual professional or technical expertise to further technical programmatic objectives of the Department or (2) to serve as an official spokesperson for the Department on boards of directors governing as po1icy~deve10ping bodies, including, for example, management boards of standards developing organizations. Interagency Committee on Standards P01iCt. A committee established under the auspices of the Department of ommerce to coordinate and provide policy guidance to the heads of Federal agencies on stand~ ards. It is comprised of representatives from the major Federal departments and agencies which have an interest in standards. The Committee is chaired by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Product Standards, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Productivity, Technology and Innovation, U. S. Department of Commerce. DOE 1300.2 12-18-80 3 6. POLICY AND OBJECTIVE. a. Policy (1) General. The policy of DOE in its procurement, regulatory, and other program activities is to: (a) Recognize that standards and their use are integral to its mission. (b) Ensure the development of appropriate standards for regulatory, operational, and commercialization activ­ ities; give preference to developing standards through the consensus process (standards developed under due process procedures). (c) Rely on domestic or international voluntary standards when such voluntary standards are adequate and appro­ priate for the intended application, except when a mandatory government standard applies. (d) Conduct stanaards activities consistent with Federal statutes and policies taking into account, for example, laws and regulations relating to antitrust, national security, small business, product safety, the environ­ ment, and conflict of interest. (2) Participation. The Department encourages participation in the activities of voluntary standards developing bodies consistent with Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-119, guidance provi ded by the Department of Commerce and Chapter 1 of thi s Order. Participation may extend to chairing committees; serving as a DOE Representat ive on standards corrnni ttees, writ ing groups or task forces. PartiCipation may also extend to voting in committee activities consistent with Federal guidance. Participants may not vote when specifically instructed by the DOE Designating Official, or if working on DOE program functions formerly assigned to the Federal Energy Administration. This latter prohibition is in conformance with the Federal Energy Administration Act, Section 32. In order to maintain the private nature of non~Government organizations, DOE representatives will refrain from decis;on­ making involvement in the day-to~day management of such organiza­ tions (e.g., selection of salaried officers and employees, and establishment of staff salaries). DOE 1300.2 12-18-80 b. Objective. It is the objective of this Order to briny uniformity to the Department's standards act i vities through coor'di nated involvement in standards development and to ensure tll;lt appropriate attention is given to standards use and development in fulfilling DOE's mission. I. ReSPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITIES. d. The Assistant Secretary for Environment shall: (l) Develop pol icies, implementating procedures and !JIJidelines with respect to the Department's standards program activities, interpret this Order, and make recommendations for changes as appropriate.

(2) Provide a focal point for the coordination of internal and external matters relating to the Department's standards policy and generic program. Such coordination shall include liaison with other Federal agencies; participation as a member of the Interagency Committee on Standards Policy; and coordi- nation with voluntary standards bodies, recognizing that standards deve I oprnent and thei r coordi nat i on is the respons i bil i ty of the Department's organizational elements. (3) Maintain an overview of DOE standards activities to identify generic issues, problems, and proposals for consideration of OOE management and develop the supporting information necessary for such consideration. (4) Be responsible for ensuring the implementation of Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-.1l9 by the Department of Energy. Interface with the Secretary of Commerce in the deve I op­ ment of the procedures required by the Circular. (5) Serve as the DOE Designating Official for the purpose of designating DOE Representatives to voluntary standdrds committees and international voluntary standards development activities. Such designations shall be based on the coordinated recommenda- tions of the appropriate DOE oryanizational elell,lents. (See 7b(5).) (6) Coordinate contracts and grants to voluntary standards bodies. to preclude duplication. DOE 1300.2 12-18-80 5 (7) Maintain central data base of infonnation on: (a) Standards program and activities. (b) Personnel participating in private sector standards development activities. (c) Listing of externally developed voluntary standards adopted or endorsed for use by the Department. (d) Listing of eXisting Departmental standards and those under development to sati sfy Department needs. (e) Resources applied to standards utilizing input from the Offices of the Controller and Administration. (8) Assist Departmental elements in establishing appropriate standards activities, as requested. (9) Develop an annual report on standards activities to advise management on the extent and type of involvement with private sector standards activities, and other reports as necessary in carrying out these responsibilities. b. Heads of Departmental Elements and the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shall; (1) Establish and implement appropriate standards programs and provide necessary resources in their areas of responsibility in accordance with this Order to assure that standards are used and developed as necessary in their assigned areas. When appropriate, these activities should extend to the development of a "Standards Program Plan" which describes strategies for the identification and development, needed resources and allocations and other selected activities to assure that adequate standards will be available and used when needed to accomplish mission objectives. The organi­ zational standards program plans and revisions should be provided to the Assistant Secretary for Environment for evaluation and comment to reduce overlap. redundancy. and conflict in program approaches and activities. 6DOE 1300.2 12-18-80 (2) Observe the following principles in planning, developing and impl ement i ngstandards activiti es: tal Work with voluntary standards bodies and qualified technical experts, including those from small business and the general public in developing plans·for satis­ fyi ng program standards needs.

(bl Assure utilization of voluntary standa.rds promulgated by private sector standards bodies, when such standards are applicabl e and adequate for the intended use except when a mandatory Government standard applies, and further assure that standards adopted for regul atory app I i cat i on in carrying out responsibiJ ities fOn)1erly assigned to the Federal Energy Admi Iii strat i on conform to the requi rements established in the Federal Energy Administration Act, Sect ion 32. . {cl Provide general support wh.ere appropriate to volun­ tary standards bodies, including direct financial support, indirect or administrative aide. and technical support. (dl Develop interim Departmental or program specific stan­ dards only when mandatory Government or voluntary standards or adequate commonly accepted commerci al standard practices are not available or cannot be prepared in a useable form on a timely basis. (e) Utilize the talents and benefits available from nat.ional and. international standards organizations. (f) Encourage the development of a.ppropri ate performance standards recognizing the need for prescriptive or design standards in some applications. (3) Develop external relationships to work with other Federal agencies, voluntary standards bodies, or standards setting bQdi esof other nations in the development of standards that meet specific program objectives. (4) Encourage and support participation of DOE staff members asrepresentat i ves in vol untary standards or i nternati anal standards bodies when it serves the best interest of DOE and the Federal Government. DOE 1300 .2 12-18-80 (5) (6) (7) (8) 7 (and 8) Nominate to the Assistant Secretary for Environment repre­ sentatives to voluntary standards bodies. (See 7a(5).) Report to the Assistant Secretary for Environment, upon request, data necessary to fulfill the reporting requirements of Office of Management and Budget Circular A·ll9 and Department of Commerce implementing guidance, concerning program resources applied to standards activities. Coordinate with the Assistant Secretary for Environment contracts and grants to voluntary standards bodies to preclude duplication. Designate a person to serve as organizational representa­ tive with the Assistant Secretary for Environment in carrying out liaison and coordination activities. William S. Heffelfinger Director of Administration