Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program 2008 Annual Plan, 50603-50605 [E8-19846]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 167 / Wednesday, August 27, 2008 / Notices
Proposed Action
The Secretary proposes to continue to
use certain priorities for discretionary
grant competitions in FY 2009, as
appropriate. The Secretary intends that
these priorities, which were originally
established for use in FY 2007 and FY
2008, will allow the Department to
continue to focus limited Federal
resources on areas of greatest
educational need in FY 2009. The
Secretary recognizes that some of the
priorities will not be appropriate for
particular programs.
The priorities the Secretary proposes
to make available for use by the
Department in discretionary grant
competitions in FY 2009 are as follows:
Priority 1—Mathematics. Projects that
support activities to enable students to
achieve proficiency or advanced
proficiency in mathematics.
Priority 2—Science. Projects that
support activities to enable students to
achieve proficiency or advanced
proficiency in science.
Priority 3—Critical-Need Languages.
Projects that support activities to enable
students to achieve proficiency or
advanced proficiency in one or more of
the following less commonly taught
languages: Arabic, Chinese, Korean,
Japanese, Russian, and languages in the
Indic, Iranian, and Turkic language
families.
Priority 4—Secondary Schools.
Projects that support activities and
interventions aimed at improving the
academic achievement of secondary
school students who are at greatest risk
of not meeting challenging State
academic standards and not completing
high school.
Priority 5—Professional Development
for Secondary School Teachers. Projects
that support high-quality professional
development for secondary school
teachers to help these teachers improve
student academic achievement.
Priority 6—School Districts with
Schools in Need of Improvement,
Corrective Action, or Restructuring.
Projects that help school districts
implement academic and structural
interventions in schools that have been
identified for improvement, corrective
action, or restructuring under the
Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965, as amended by the No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Priority 7—Student Achievement
Data. Projects that collect pre- and postintervention test data to assess the effect
of the projects on the academic
achievement of student participants
relative to appropriate comparison or
control groups.
Priority 8—State Data Systems.
Projects that help educators use
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:52 Aug 26, 2008
Jkt 214001
information from State data systems to
improve student achievement or other
appropriate outcomes.
Executive Order 12866
This notice has been reviewed in
accordance with Executive Order 12866.
Under the terms of the order, we have
assessed the potential costs and benefits
of this regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with
this notice are those resulting from
statutory requirements and those we
have determined as necessary for
administering the Department’s
discretionary grant programs effectively
and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and
benefits—both quantitative and
qualitative—of this notice we have
determined that the benefits of the
proposed action justify the costs.
We have also determined that this
regulatory action does not unduly
interfere with State, local, and tribal
governments in the exercise of their
governmental functions.
Executive Order 12372
Some of the programs affected by this
notice are subject to Executive Order
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR
part 79. One of the objectives of the
Executive order is to foster an
intergovernmental partnership and a
strengthened federalism. The Executive
order relies on processes developed by
State and local governments for
coordination and review of proposed
Federal financial assistance.
This document provides early
notification of our specific plans and
actions for these programs.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well
as all other Department of Education
documents published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet
at the following site: https://www.ed.gov/
news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader, which is available free
at this site. If you have questions about
using PDF, call the U.S. Government
Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1–
888–293–6498; or in the Washington,
DC, area at (202) 512–1530.
Note: The official version of this document
is the document published in the Federal
Register. Free Internet access to the official
edition of the Federal Register and the Code
of Federal Regulations is available on GPO
Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/
index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Number does not apply.)
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
50603
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e–3; 20
U.S.C. 6301 et seq.
Dated: August 22, 2008.
Margaret Spellings,
Secretary of Education.
[FR Doc. E8–19893 Filed 8–26–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional
Natural Gas and Other Petroleum
Resources Research and Development
Program 2008 Annual Plan
Office of Fossil Energy,
Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of Report Availability.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Office of Fossil Energy
announces the availability of the 2008
Annual Plan for the Ultra-Deepwater
and Unconventional Natural Gas and
Other Petroleum Resources Research
and Development Program on the DOE
Web site at https://
management.energy.gov/FOIA/1480.htm
or in print form (see ‘‘CONTACT’’
below). The 2008 Annual Plan is in
compliance with the Energy Policy Act
of 2005, Subtitle J, Section 999B(e)(3)
which requires the publication of this
plan and all written comments in the
Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elena Melchert, U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of Oil and Natural Gas,
Mail Stop FE–30, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585 or
phone: 202–586–5600 or e-mail to
UltraDeepwater@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Executive Summary [excerpted from
the 2008 Annual Plan p.3 ]
This document is the 2008 Annual
Plan for the Ultra-Deepwater and
Unconventional Natural Gas and Other
Petroleum Resources Research and
Development Program (Program),
established pursuant to Subtitle J,
Sections 999A through 999H, of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct).
The Department of Energy (DOE)
contracted with a consortium
(Consortium) to administer three
program elements, as identified in
EPAct, pursuant to an annual plan. The
three program elements administered by
the Consortium include: ultradeepwater architecture and technology,
unconventional natural gas and other
petroleum resources exploration and
production technology, and technology
challenges of small producers.
A fourth program element identified
in EPAct for complementary research is
E:\FR\FM\27AUN1.SGM
27AUN1
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
50604
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 167 / Wednesday, August 27, 2008 / Notices
being performed by the National Energy
Technology Laboratory (NETL). NETL is
also tasked with primary review and
oversight of the Consortium.
In 2006, NETL awarded a contract to
the Research Partnership to Secure
Energy for America (RPSEA) to function
as the Consortium. NETL worked
closely with RPSEA in the development
of its first Draft Annual Plan (DAP),
which framed the Consortium’s goals for
the first two years of the program.
RPSEA gathered extensive input
through industry workshops, road
mapping sessions, and expert opinion to
develop its first DAP, and identified
priority areas for the investment of $32
million per year on Consortium
awarded research and development
(R&D).
Pursuant to Section 999B(e)(2)(A) of
EPAct, the Consortium provided its
recommendations for the 2008 Annual
Plan in the form of a ‘‘draft annual
plan’’. These recommendations were the
basis for the Draft 2008 Annual Plan
which was presented to the UltraDeepwater Advisory Committee (UDAC)
and the Unconventional Resources
Technology Advisory Committee
(URTAC) for review and comments.
These comments were considered in the
final development of the 2008 Annual
Plan.
In order to accommodate a Section
999B(e)(3) requirement to publish all
written comments, the Advisory
Committee reports are appended to the
2008 Annual Plan. No other written
comments were received.
The first solicitations under the
Consortium Program were released in
mid-October 2007, with proposals
received in early December 2007 for a
Small Producer Program and an
Unconventional Natural Gas and Other
Petroleum Resource Program.
Additional solicitations were released in
November 2007, December 2007, and
February 2008.
In the 2008 Annual Plan, the UltraDeepwater Program Element is divided
into theme areas based on four generic
field types that represent the most
challenging field development scenarios
facing deepwater operators. In 2008, the
Consortium will solicit R&D projects
that seek to develop technologies that
will facilitate development of these field
types. Additionally, there are eight
crosscutting challenges that represent
the areas where new technologies are
needed to advance the pace of ultradeepwater development for all fields.
The Consortium will also solicit projects
that seek to advance technologies in
each of these areas as components of an
integrated system. Seventeen projects
were selected for award from thirteen
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:52 Aug 26, 2008
Jkt 214001
UDW RFPs. The selected projects are
listed in Table 2.5.
The Unconventional Natural Gas and
Other Petroleum Resource Program
Element is divided into three theme
areas that target gas shales, water
management for both coalbed methane
and gas shales, and tight sands. As in
the 2007 Annual Plan, the 2008 Annual
Plan focuses on unconventional natural
gas rather than ‘‘other petroleum
resources’’ (e.g. , shale oil, oil sands,
deep gas). This focus on natural gas
resources is consistent with a
recommendation of the Unconventional
Resources Technology Advisory
Committee. Unconventional oil
resources may become an additional
focus of Consortium R&D in the future;
however, they are currently being
addressed within NETL’s R&D portfolio.
To date, nineteen projects have been
selected for award under the
Unconventional Resources Program.
The selected projects are listed in Table
2.9.
The Small Producers Program
Element targets advancing technologies
for mature fields, which primarily
covers the technology challenges of
managing water production, improving
recovery, and reducing costs. Mature
fields are the domain of small
producers, and they face challenges in
these three areas on a daily basis. To
date, seven projects have been selected
for award under the Small Producers
Program. The selected projects
mentioned above are listed in Table
2.11.
For each of the program elements, a
number of ‘‘themes’’ have been
developed to help guide the Consortium
through the solicitation process. These
themes and the prioritization process
are described in greater detail in
Sections 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 of the 2008
Annual Plan.
The solicitation process that is being
followed to generate the portfolio of
R&D projects to address these themes is
described in Section 2.4.
Frequent communication between
NETL and RPSEA ensures that research
being conducted at the NETL remains
complementary and supportive of the
Consortium-administered program
elements, and that duplication of effort
is avoided. The technical committee
established pursuant to EPAct 2005
Section 999H(d)(4) to further ensure that
the R&D efforts remain complementary,
conducted its first assessment on June
11, 2008 and determined that the
complementary R&D program being
carried out by NETL was not duplicative
of the consortium-based program and is
in fact complementary in nature.
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The 2008 Annual Plan focuses
primarily upon the release of
solicitations and the establishment of
R&D projects. The R&D projects selected
to date are expected to be awarded
beginning in May 2008, with all awards
anticipated completed by September
2008. Technology transfer is also a key
focus for 2008 as it is an important
aspect of successful R&D and will be
carried out in a manner such that R&D
results are disseminated to the widest
possible audience.
Technology transfer for this program
is a continually evolving function.
Section 999C(d) of EPAct 2005 requires
that 2.5% of the amount of each award
is to be designated for technology
transfer. The funds will target
technology transfer at both the project
and the program level. Expenditures of
these funds will initially be proposed by
the awardees.
RPSEA and the awardees will then
coordinate to develop an appropriate
approach which fulfills both the project
and program technology transfer
requirements. In the broader context,
NETL and RPSEA are continuing to
coordinate in the development of a
technology transfer plan that provides a
systematic approach for development of
an integrated technology transfer
program with the understanding that
this will be a continually evolving
function.
Section 999 H (a) of EPAct provides
that the Ultra-Deepwater and
Unconventional Natural Gas and Other
Petroleum Research Fund will be
funded at $50-million-per-year, with
funds generated from Federal lease
royalties, rents, and bonuses paid by oil
and gas companies. The Consortium
receives 75 percent of those funds. After
allocations for program management by
NETL and R&D administration by
RPSEA, the amounts to be invested in
Consortium R&D total $32.06 million
per year.
Under the Stage/Gate approach,
described below in Section 2.5, all
projects will be fully funded to the
completion of the appropriate decision
point identified in each contract, which
may include multiple stages. If a
decision is made to move to the next
stage or decision point or to gather
additional data, additional funding will
be provided from available funds.
The NETL Strategic Center for Natural
Gas and Oil is responsible for primary
review and oversight of the Consortium.
Complementary R&D is being carried
out by NETL’s Office of Research and
Development. Planning and analysis
related to the program, including
benefits assessment and technology
impacts analysis, is being carried out by
E:\FR\FM\27AUN1.SGM
27AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 167 / Wednesday, August 27, 2008 / Notices
NETL’s Office of Systems, Analysis, and
Planning.
Section 999F of EPAct contains a
general sunset provision for Subtitle J of
September 30, 2014.
Dated: August 7, 2008.
Guido DeHoratiis,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of
Oil and Natural Gas, Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. E8–19846 Filed 8–26–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8–19810 Filed 8–26–08; 8:45 am]
[Project No. 13247–000]
Natural Currents Energy Services,
LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit
Application Accepted for Filing and
Soliciting Comments, Motions to
Intervene, and Competing Applications
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
August 20, 2008.
On June 27, 2008 and supplemented
on August 12, 2008, Natural Currents
Energy Services, LLC filed an
application, pursuant to section 4(f) of
the Federal Power Act, proposing to
study the feasibility of the Kingsbridge
Marina Tidal Energy Project, located on
the Manasquan River in Ocean County,
New Jersey. The project uses no dam or
impoundment.
The proposed project would consist
of: (1) 2 Tidal In-Stream Energy
Conversion (TISEC) generating units,
with a total installed capacity of 40kilowatts, (2) an underwater cable
approximately 100 foot in length, and
(3) appurtenant facilities. The project is
estimated to have an annual generation
of 300-megawatt-hours, which would be
sold to the Kingsbridge Financial Group,
Inc.
Applicant Contact: Mr. Roger Bason,
Natural Currents Energy Services, LLC,
24 Roxanne Boulevard, Highland, New
York 12561, (845) 691–4009.
FERC Contact: Kelly Houff (202) 502–
6393.
Deadline for filing comments, motions
to intervene, competing applications
(without notices of intent), or notices of
intent to file competing applications: 60
days from the issuance of this notice.
Comments, motions to intervene,
notices of intent, and competing
applications may be filed electronically
via the Internet. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission’s Web site under the
‘‘e-Filing’’ link. If unable to be filed
electronically, documents may be paperfiled. To paper-file, an original and eight
copies should be mailed to: Kimberly D.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:52 Aug 26, 2008
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. For
more information on how to submit
these types of filings please go to the
Commission’s Web site located at https://
www.ferc.gov/filing-comments.asp.
More information about this project can
be viewed or printed on the ‘‘eLibrary’’
link of Commission’s Web site at https://
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp.
Enter the docket number (P–13247) in
the docket number field to access the
document. For assistance, call toll-free
1–866–208–3372.
Jkt 214001
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
50605
via the Internet. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission’s Web site under the
‘‘e-Filing’’ link. If unable to be filed
electronically, documents may be paperfiled. To paper-file, an original and eight
copies should be mailed to: Kimberly D.
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. For
more information on how to submit
these types of filings please go to the
Commission’s Web site located at
https://www.ferc.gov/filingcomments.asp. More information about
this project can be viewed or printed on
the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link of Commission’s
Web site at https://www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/elibrary.asp. Enter the docket
number (P–13246) in the docket number
field to access the document. For
assistance, call toll-free 1–866–208–
3372.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8–19813 Filed 8–26–08; 8:45 am]
[Project No. 13246–000]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
Natural Currents Energy Services,
LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit
Application Accepted for Filing and
Soliciting Comments, Motions To
Intervene, and Competing Applications
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
August 20, 2008.
On June 23, 2008 and supplemented
on August 12, 2008, Natural Currents
Energy Services, LLC filed an
application, pursuant to section 4(f) of
the Federal Power Act, proposing to
study the feasibility of the Wiscasset
Tidal Energy Project, located on the
Sheepscot River in Lincoln County,
Maine. The project uses no dam or
impoundment.
The proposed project would consist
of: (1) 6 Tidal In-Stream Energy
Conversion (TISEC) generating units,
with a total installed capacity of 10megawatts, (2) an underwater cable
approximately 0.5 to 1 km in length,
and (3) appurtenant facilities. The
project is estimated to have an annual
generation of 4.38-gigawatt-hours,
which would be sold to a local utility.
Applicant Contact: Mr. Roger Bason,
Natural Currents Energy Services, LLC,
24 Roxanne Boulevard, Highland, New
York 12561, (845) 691–4009.
FERC Contact: Kelly Houff (202) 502–
6393.
Deadline for filing comments, motions
to intervene, competing applications
(without notices of intent), or notices of
intent to file competing applications: 60
days from the issuance of this notice.
Comments, motions to intervene,
notices of intent, and competing
applications may be filed electronically
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Combined Notice of Filings # 1
August 19, 2008.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric rate
filings:
Docket Numbers: ER01–989–006.
Applicants: Green Mountain Power
Corporation.
Description: Green Mountain Power
Corporation submits Change-in-Status
Report resulting from the merger of Gas
de France, which holds an indirect
12.78% interest in GMP, and SUEZ SA
to form GDF SUEZ.
Filed Date: 08/12/2008.
Accession Number: 20080813–0298.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Tuesday, September 2, 2008.
Docket Numbers: ER02–553–010.
Applicants: Rolling Hills Generating
L.L.C.
Description: Updated Market Power
Analysis re Rolling Hills Generating,
LLC.
Filed Date: 08/18/2008.
Accession Number: 20080818–5139.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Monday, September 8, 2008.
Docket Numbers: ER02–1947–009.
Applicants: Occidental Power
Services, Inc.
Description: Occidental Power
Marketing, LP et. al. submits an updated
E:\FR\FM\27AUN1.SGM
27AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 27, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50603-50605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-19846]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other
Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program 2008 Annual Plan
AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of Report Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of Fossil Energy announces the availability of the
2008 Annual Plan for the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas
and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program on the
DOE Web site at https://management.energy.gov/FOIA/1480.htm or in print
form (see ``CONTACT'' below). The 2008 Annual Plan is in compliance
with the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Subtitle J, Section 999B(e)(3)
which requires the publication of this plan and all written comments in
the Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elena Melchert, U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of Oil and Natural Gas, Mail Stop FE-30, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585 or phone: 202-586-5600
or e-mail to UltraDeepwater@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Executive Summary [excerpted from the 2008 Annual Plan p.3 ]
This document is the 2008 Annual Plan for the Ultra-Deepwater and
Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and
Development Program (Program), established pursuant to Subtitle J,
Sections 999A through 999H, of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct).
The Department of Energy (DOE) contracted with a consortium
(Consortium) to administer three program elements, as identified in
EPAct, pursuant to an annual plan. The three program elements
administered by the Consortium include: ultra-deepwater architecture
and technology, unconventional natural gas and other petroleum
resources exploration and production technology, and technology
challenges of small producers.
A fourth program element identified in EPAct for complementary
research is
[[Page 50604]]
being performed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
NETL is also tasked with primary review and oversight of the
Consortium.
In 2006, NETL awarded a contract to the Research Partnership to
Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) to function as the Consortium. NETL
worked closely with RPSEA in the development of its first Draft Annual
Plan (DAP), which framed the Consortium's goals for the first two years
of the program. RPSEA gathered extensive input through industry
workshops, road mapping sessions, and expert opinion to develop its
first DAP, and identified priority areas for the investment of $32
million per year on Consortium awarded research and development (R&D).
Pursuant to Section 999B(e)(2)(A) of EPAct, the Consortium provided
its recommendations for the 2008 Annual Plan in the form of a ``draft
annual plan''. These recommendations were the basis for the Draft 2008
Annual Plan which was presented to the Ultra-Deepwater Advisory
Committee (UDAC) and the Unconventional Resources Technology Advisory
Committee (URTAC) for review and comments. These comments were
considered in the final development of the 2008 Annual Plan.
In order to accommodate a Section 999B(e)(3) requirement to publish
all written comments, the Advisory Committee reports are appended to
the 2008 Annual Plan. No other written comments were received.
The first solicitations under the Consortium Program were released
in mid-October 2007, with proposals received in early December 2007 for
a Small Producer Program and an Unconventional Natural Gas and Other
Petroleum Resource Program. Additional solicitations were released in
November 2007, December 2007, and February 2008.
In the 2008 Annual Plan, the Ultra-Deepwater Program Element is
divided into theme areas based on four generic field types that
represent the most challenging field development scenarios facing
deepwater operators. In 2008, the Consortium will solicit R&D projects
that seek to develop technologies that will facilitate development of
these field types. Additionally, there are eight crosscutting
challenges that represent the areas where new technologies are needed
to advance the pace of ultra-deepwater development for all fields. The
Consortium will also solicit projects that seek to advance technologies
in each of these areas as components of an integrated system. Seventeen
projects were selected for award from thirteen UDW RFPs. The selected
projects are listed in Table 2.5.
The Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resource Program
Element is divided into three theme areas that target gas shales, water
management for both coalbed methane and gas shales, and tight sands. As
in the 2007 Annual Plan, the 2008 Annual Plan focuses on unconventional
natural gas rather than ``other petroleum resources'' (e.g. , shale
oil, oil sands, deep gas). This focus on natural gas resources is
consistent with a recommendation of the Unconventional Resources
Technology Advisory Committee. Unconventional oil resources may become
an additional focus of Consortium R&D in the future; however, they are
currently being addressed within NETL's R&D portfolio. To date,
nineteen projects have been selected for award under the Unconventional
Resources Program. The selected projects are listed in Table 2.9.
The Small Producers Program Element targets advancing technologies
for mature fields, which primarily covers the technology challenges of
managing water production, improving recovery, and reducing costs.
Mature fields are the domain of small producers, and they face
challenges in these three areas on a daily basis. To date, seven
projects have been selected for award under the Small Producers
Program. The selected projects mentioned above are listed in Table
2.11.
For each of the program elements, a number of ``themes'' have been
developed to help guide the Consortium through the solicitation
process. These themes and the prioritization process are described in
greater detail in Sections 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 of the 2008 Annual Plan.
The solicitation process that is being followed to generate the
portfolio of R&D projects to address these themes is described in
Section 2.4.
Frequent communication between NETL and RPSEA ensures that research
being conducted at the NETL remains complementary and supportive of the
Consortium-administered program elements, and that duplication of
effort is avoided. The technical committee established pursuant to
EPAct 2005 Section 999H(d)(4) to further ensure that the R&D efforts
remain complementary, conducted its first assessment on June 11, 2008
and determined that the complementary R&D program being carried out by
NETL was not duplicative of the consortium-based program and is in fact
complementary in nature.
The 2008 Annual Plan focuses primarily upon the release of
solicitations and the establishment of R&D projects. The R&D projects
selected to date are expected to be awarded beginning in May 2008, with
all awards anticipated completed by September 2008. Technology transfer
is also a key focus for 2008 as it is an important aspect of successful
R&D and will be carried out in a manner such that R&D results are
disseminated to the widest possible audience.
Technology transfer for this program is a continually evolving
function. Section 999C(d) of EPAct 2005 requires that 2.5% of the
amount of each award is to be designated for technology transfer. The
funds will target technology transfer at both the project and the
program level. Expenditures of these funds will initially be proposed
by the awardees.
RPSEA and the awardees will then coordinate to develop an
appropriate approach which fulfills both the project and program
technology transfer requirements. In the broader context, NETL and
RPSEA are continuing to coordinate in the development of a technology
transfer plan that provides a systematic approach for development of an
integrated technology transfer program with the understanding that this
will be a continually evolving function.
Section 999 H (a) of EPAct provides that the Ultra-Deepwater and
Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Research Fund will be
funded at $50-million-per-year, with funds generated from Federal lease
royalties, rents, and bonuses paid by oil and gas companies. The
Consortium receives 75 percent of those funds. After allocations for
program management by NETL and R&D administration by RPSEA, the amounts
to be invested in Consortium R&D total $32.06 million per year.
Under the Stage/Gate approach, described below in Section 2.5, all
projects will be fully funded to the completion of the appropriate
decision point identified in each contract, which may include multiple
stages. If a decision is made to move to the next stage or decision
point or to gather additional data, additional funding will be provided
from available funds.
The NETL Strategic Center for Natural Gas and Oil is responsible
for primary review and oversight of the Consortium. Complementary R&D
is being carried out by NETL's Office of Research and Development.
Planning and analysis related to the program, including benefits
assessment and technology impacts analysis, is being carried out by
[[Page 50605]]
NETL's Office of Systems, Analysis, and Planning.
Section 999F of EPAct contains a general sunset provision for
Subtitle J of September 30, 2014.
Dated: August 7, 2008.
Guido DeHoratiis,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Oil and Natural Gas,
Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. E8-19846 Filed 8-26-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
