Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee, 57298-57299 [E9-26691]

Download as PDF erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES 57298 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 213 / Thursday, November 5, 2009 / Notices Environmental Review Requirements (10 CFR part 1022). DOE analyzed two main alternatives in the Draft EIS—the Proposed Action (with or without additional mitigation) and the No Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, DOE would provide a total of $294 million in costshared funding under the CCPI program to the proposed project. DOE has already provided a portion of the total funding ($24.4 million) to Southern Company for DOE’s share of the preliminary design and project definition. In addition, DOE may issue a loan guarantee pursuant to section 1703 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to the project. Under the No Action Alternative, DOE would not provide continued funding under the CCPI Program or issue a loan guarantee to the project. In the absence of DOE funding, Mississippi Power could pursue two options. First, the facility and supporting infrastructure could be built as proposed without DOE funding or a loan guarantee. The connected actions would remain unchanged. The potential environmental impacts of this option would be essentially the same as the proposed action. Second, Mississippi Power could choose to cancel the IGCC project, and none of the connected actions would likely be built. This option would not contribute to the goal of the CCPI program, which is to accelerate commercial deployment of advanced coal technologies that provide the United States with clean, reliable, and affordable energy. Similarly, the No Action Alternative would not contribute to the loan guarantee program’s goal of supporting energy projects that ‘‘avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; and employ new or significantly improved technologies.’’ For purposes of this Draft EIS, DOE assumes that the project would not be built under the No Action Alternative. DOE has developed an overall strategy for compliance with NEPA for the CCPI program consistent with CEQ regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508) and DOE regulations (10 CFR part 1021). This strategy has two principal elements. The first element involved an open solicitation and competitive selection process to obtain a set of projects that best meets program needs. The applications that meet the mandatory eligibility requirements constitute the range of reasonable alternatives available to DOE to meet the program’s purpose and needs. Following reviews by technical, environmental, and financial panels and a comprehensive assessment by a merit VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:38 Nov 04, 2009 Jkt 220001 review board, DOE officials selected those projects that they concluded best met the program’s purposes and needs. By broadly soliciting proposals to meet the programmatic purposes and needs for DOE action and by evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with each proposal before selecting projects that would go forward to the second step in the NEPA process, DOE considered a reasonable range of alternatives for implementing CCPI. The second step in the NEPA process consists of preparing more detailed NEPA analyses for each selected project. For this project, DOE determined that providing financial assistance or a loan guarantee (or both) to the proposed project would constitute a major federal action that may significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Therefore, DOE has prepared this EIS to assess the potential impacts on the human environment of the proposed action and reasonable alternatives. Alternatives considered by Mississippi Power in developing the proposed project are presented in the EIS, including alternative sources of water supply, alternative routes for linear facilities (a natural gas pipeline, a reclaimed water supply pipeline, a CO2 pipeline, and new and upgraded transmission lines), and alternative levels of CO2 capture. The draft EIS analyzes the environmental consequences that may result from the proposed action, with or without additional mitigation, and the no action alternative. The environmental consequences of connected actions are also analyzed, including: Development and operation of the adjacent lignite mine and construction and operation of linear facilities. Potential impacts identified during the scoping process and analyzed in the draft EIS relate to the following: Atmospheric resources, including climate change and options for CO2 capture, transport, and beneficial use and geologic storage; groundwater and surface water resources, including impacts on Lake Okatibbee operations; infrastructure and land use; solid wastes; visual impacts; floodplains; wetlands and streams; ecological resources; safety and health; construction-related impacts; community impacts; cultural and archaeological resources; and cumulative impacts. Copies of the draft EIS have been distributed to Members of Congress; Native American tribal governments; Federal, state, and local officials; and agencies, organizations, and individuals who may be interested or affected. The draft EIS will be available on the PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Internet at https://www.gc.doe.gov/ nepa/. Copies of the draft EIS are available for public review at the following locations: DeKalb Public Library, Bell St. and Main St., DeKalb, Mississippi; Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library, 2517 Seventh St., Meridian, Mississippi; Quitman Public Library, 116 Water St., Quitman, Mississippi; Bay Springs Municipal Library, 815 S. Court St., Bay Springs, Mississippi. Additional copies also can be requested (see ADDRESSES). Dated: October 30, 2009. Carl O. Bauer, Director, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Office of Fossil Energy. [FR Doc. E9–26693 Filed 11–4–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee under Section 9008(d) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that agencies publish these notices in the Federal Register to allow for public participation. This notice announces the meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. DATES AND TIMES: December 1, 2009 at 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; December 2, 2009 at 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ADDRESSES: Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura McCann (formerly Neal), Designated Federal Official for the Committee, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586– 7766; E-mail: laura.neal@ee.doe.gov or T.J. Heibel at (410) 997–7778 ext. 223; E-mail: theibel@bcs-hq.com. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Meeting: To provide advice and guidance that promotes research and development leading to the production of biobased fuels and biobased products. Tentative Agenda: • Update on USDA Biomass R&D Activities. E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM 05NON1 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 213 / Thursday, November 5, 2009 / Notices • Update on DOE Biomass R&D Activities. • Presentation from the Biomass R&D Board. • Panel Discussion on the ‘‘Valley of Death.’’ • Presentation from the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). • Subcommittee Report-Outs discussing Committee’s 2009 recommendations. • Committee Discussion on 2010 Work Plan. Public Participation: In keeping with procedures, members of the public are welcome to observe the business of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. To attend the meeting and/or to make oral statements regarding any of the items on the agenda, you should contact Laura McCann (formerly Neal) at 202–586– 7766; E-mail: laura.neal@ee.doe.gov or T.J. Heibel at (410) 997–7778 ext. 223; E-mail: theibel@bcs-hq.com. You must make your request for an oral statement at least 5 business days before the meeting. Members of the public will be heard in the order in which they sign up at the beginning of the meeting. Reasonable provision will be made to include the scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The Chair of the Committee will make every effort to hear the views of all interested parties. If you would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you may do so either before or after the meeting. The Chair will conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting will be available for public review and copying at https:// www.brdisolutions.com/publications/ default.aspx#meetings. Issued at Washington, DC on October 29, 2009. Rachel Samuel, Deputy Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. E9–26691 Filed 11–4–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES [Project No. 12576–004] CRD Hydroelectric, LLC; Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments October 29, 2009. Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection: VerDate Nov<24>2008 14:57 Nov 04, 2009 Jkt 220001 a. Type of Application: Original Major License. b. Project No.: P–12576–004. c. Date filed: February 24, 2009. d. Applicant: CRD Hydroelectric, LLC. e. Name of Project: Red Rock Hydroelectric Project. f. Location: On the Des Moines River, in Marion County, Iowa. The project would be located at U.S. Army Corps of Engineer facilities. g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r). h. Applicant Contact: Douglas A. Spaulding, Nelson Energy LLC, 8441 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 101, Golden Valley, MN 55426; (952) 544–8133. i. FERC Contact: Timothy Konnert, Timothy.Konnert@ferc.gov, (202) 502– 6359. j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: November 30, 2009. All documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission’s Web site (https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ ferconline.asp) under the ‘‘eFiling’’ link. For a simpler method of submitting text only comments, click on ‘‘Quick Comment.’’ For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov; call tollfree at (866) 208–3676; or, for TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and eight copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. The Commission’s Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency. k. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time. The proposed Red Rock Hydroelectric Project would be located at the existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Red Rock dam, which was constructed by the Corps in 1969 for flood control. The existing Corps facilities consist of: (1) A 110-foot-high, 6,260-foot-long earth-fill dam with a 241-foot-long gated ogee spillway equipped with five 45foot-high tainter gates; and (2) a 15,253acre reservoir with a normal conservation pool water surface PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 57299 elevation of 742.0 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929. The proposed project would utilize the head created by the existing Corps dam and consist of: (1) A new 127-footlong by 19-foot-wide intake structure connected to; (2) three new 19-footdiameter, 211-foot-long penstocks passing through the left side of the spillway leading to; (3) a new 59-footlong by 132-foot-wide powerhouse located directly downstream of the existing spillway structure containing three new 12.13-megawatt (MW) generating units with a total generating capacity of 36.4 MW; (4) a new 8.4-milelong, 69-kilovolt transmission line; and (5) appurtenant facilities. The estimated average annual generation would be 158,000 megawatt-hours. The project would be operated in runof-river mode and use flows released by the Corps in accordance with its present operations. l. A copy of the application is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission’s Web site at https://www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to addess the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. A copy is available for inspection and reproduction at the address in Item h above. m. You may also register online at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. n. Scoping Process The Commission staff intends to prepare a single Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Red Rock Hydroelectric Project in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The EA will consider both sitespecific and cumulative environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. Commission staff does not propose to conduct any on-site scoping meetings at this time. Instead, we are soliciting comments, recommendations, and information, on the Scoping Document (SD) issued on October 29, 2009. Copies of the SD outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the EA were distributed to the parties on the Commission’s mailing list and the applicant’s distribution list. Copies of the SD may be viewed on the Web at https://www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM 05NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 213 (Thursday, November 5, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57298-57299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-26691]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces an open meeting of the Biomass Research 
and Development Technical Advisory Committee under Section 9008(d) of 
the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that agencies 
publish these notices in the Federal Register to allow for public 
participation. This notice announces the meeting of the Biomass 
Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee.

Dates and Times: December 1, 2009 at 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; December 2, 
2009 at 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura McCann (formerly Neal), 
Designated Federal Official for the Committee, Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586-7766; E-mail: 
laura.neal@ee.doe.gov or T.J. Heibel at (410) 997-7778 ext. 223; E-
mail: hq.com">theibel@bcs-hq.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Purpose of the Meeting: To provide advice and guidance that 
promotes research and development leading to the production of biobased 
fuels and biobased products.
    Tentative Agenda:
     Update on USDA Biomass R&D Activities.

[[Page 57299]]

     Update on DOE Biomass R&D Activities.
     Presentation from the Biomass R&D Board.
     Panel Discussion on the ``Valley of Death.''
     Presentation from the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).
     Subcommittee Report-Outs discussing Committee's 2009 
recommendations.
     Committee Discussion on 2010 Work Plan.
    Public Participation: In keeping with procedures, members of the 
public are welcome to observe the business of the Biomass Research and 
Development Technical Advisory Committee. To attend the meeting and/or 
to make oral statements regarding any of the items on the agenda, you 
should contact Laura McCann (formerly Neal) at 202-586-7766; E-mail: 
laura.neal@ee.doe.gov or T.J. Heibel at (410) 997-7778 ext. 223; E-
mail: hq.com">theibel@bcs-hq.com. You must make your request for an oral 
statement at least 5 business days before the meeting. Members of the 
public will be heard in the order in which they sign up at the 
beginning of the meeting. Reasonable provision will be made to include 
the scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The Chair of the Committee 
will make every effort to hear the views of all interested parties. If 
you would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you may 
do so either before or after the meeting. The Chair will conduct the 
meeting to facilitate the orderly conduct of business.
    Minutes: The minutes of the meeting will be available for public 
review and copying at https://www.brdisolutions.com/publications/default.aspx#meetings.

    Issued at Washington, DC on October 29, 2009.
Rachel Samuel,
Deputy Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-26691 Filed 11-4-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.