Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Acquisition of a Natural Gas Pipeline and Natural Gas Utility Service at the Hanford Site, Richland, WA, and Notice of Floodplains and Wetlands Involvement (DOE/EIS-0467), 3255-3257 [2012-1139]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices
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 this program.
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or compact disc) on
request to the contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document:
The official version of this document is
the document published in the Federal
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Dated: January 18, 2012.
Michael Yudin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and
Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2012–1247 Filed 1–20–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of 229 Boundary Revision at the
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
Department of Energy (DOE).
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Notices concerning
unauthorized entry into or upon areas,
buildings, and other facilities of the
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant,
located in McCracken County, KY,
published at (30 FR 13287, October 19,
1965 and at 45 FR 30106, May 7, 1980)
are amended by substitution of the
following descriptive language for the
entirety of the former descriptions.
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:58 Jan 20, 2012
Jkt 226001
Notice is
hereby given, by the Department of
Energy, pursuant to Section 229 of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended,
and as implemented by 10 CFR Part 860,
and by Section 705(a) of the Department
of Energy Organization Act, that
unauthorized entry, as provided in 10
CFR 860.3, and the unauthorized
introduction of dangerous weapons,
explosives, or dangerous materials or
dangerous instruments likely to produce
substantial injury or damage to persons
or property, as provided in 10 CFR
860.4, into or upon this facility,
installation, or real property of the
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
located in McCracken County,
Kentucky, as more fully described
below, is prohibited by the United
States Department of Energy. The areas
subject to the above described
prohibitions are more particularly
described as follows:
1. The Department of Energy
installation known as the Paducah
Gaseous Diffusion Plant located in
McCracken County, KY, approximately
6,000 feet North of Woodville Road
(State Route 725) and approximately
6,300 feet West of Metropolis Lake
Road. The primary security interest
area, including a buffer area, totals
approximately 1,342 acres with
boundary coordinates as follows:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Longitude
1. 88.82566308
2. 88.81798343
3. 88.82655474
4. 88.82809126
5. 88.82809126
6. 88.82374798
7. 88.81993743
8. 88.80973832
9. 88.80839907
10. 88.80727527
11. 88.80472524
12. 88.79639904
13. 88.80358172
14. 88.80657162
15. 88.81123139
16. 88.82008684
17. 88.82436407
Latitude
37.08885001
37.10599209
37.10845764
37.11325409
37.11676083
37.11646865
37.12479987
37.12183780
37.12475971
37.12206995
37.12163638
37.11904332
37.10300759
37.09992874
37.09860962
37.09825329
37.08842103
2. The Department of Energy landfill
installation located North of Item 1
above and consisting of approximately
106 acres enclosed by a chain-link fence
with boundary coordinates as follows:
Longitude
1. 88.80235649
2. 88.79890091
3. 88.79333779
4. 88.79527431
5. 88.79601369
6. 88.79756107
7. 88.79855316
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 4703
Latitude
37.12538578
37.13329589
37.13168788
37.12805870
37.12826426
37.12494008
37.12421613
Sfmt 4703
3255
Issued in Paducah, Kentucky on January
12, 2012.
William E. Murphie,
Manager, Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office.
[FR Doc. 2012–1214 Filed 1–20–12; 8:45 a.m.]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Acquisition of a Natural Gas
Pipeline and Natural Gas Utility Service
at the Hanford Site, Richland, WA, and
Notice of Floodplains and Wetlands
Involvement (DOE/EIS–0467)
Department of Energy.
Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
and Notice of Floodplains and Wetlands
Involvement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Department of Energy
(DOE) announces its intent to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Acquisition of a Natural Gas
Pipeline and Natural Gas Utility Service
at the Hanford Site, Richland,
Washington (Natural Gas Pipeline or
NGP EIS), and initiate a 30-day public
scoping period. DOE will prepare the
NGP EIS in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations that
implement NEPA and DOE
implementing procedures. DOE is
inviting public comment on the
proposed scope of the NGP EIS,
including the alternatives and
environmental issues to be evaluated.
DOE proposes to make natural gas
available to facilities located on the
Central Plateau of its Hanford Site near
Richland, Washington, to help meet its
objectives to reduce fuel costs,
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and
dependence on foreign fuel sources.
Because natural gas is not currently
available on the Central Plateau of the
Site, this action would involve entering
into a contract with a licensed natural
gas utility supplier to construct, operate,
and maintain a natural gas pipeline and
deliver natural gas utility service to
DOE.
The proposed pipeline would begin
from a new interconnect tap on the
existing Williams Northwest Pipe
transmission line in Franklin County,
north of the Pasco, Washington, airport,
and then run westerly across non-DOE
lands and under the Columbia River
onto the Hanford Site 300 Area, before
turning northwest and paralleling Route
4S. The pipeline would terminate at
facilities in the 200 East Area of the
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\23JAN1.SGM
23JAN1
3256
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Central Plateau. The length of the
proposed pipeline is estimated at about
30 miles.
DATES: DOE invites public comment on
the scope of the NGP EIS during a 30day public scoping period beginning
January 23, 2012 and ending on
February 22, 2012. DOE will consider
all comments received or postmarked by
the end of the scoping period, and will
consider comments received or
postmarked after the ending date to the
extent practicable.
DOE will hold a public scoping
meeting on February 9, 2012, from 7
p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel and
Conference Center, Pasco, Washington.
Further information about the public
scoping meeting is provided under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: Scoping comments may be
submitted by regular mail as follows:
Mr. Douglas Chapin, NEPA Document
Manager, U.S. Department of Energy,
Richland Operations Office, P.O. Box
550, MSIN A5–11, Richland, WA 99352.
Scoping comments may also be
submitted by email to
naturalgaseis@rl.gov.
To be placed on the distribution list
for the Draft NGP EIS, use either of the
methods listed above. In requesting a
copy of the Draft NGP EIS, please
specify preference for a printed copy of
the entire Draft NGP EIS, a printed copy
of the Summary only, the Draft NGP EIS
and Summary on a computer CD, or any
combination thereof.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information on DOE’s proposed action,
contact Mr. Chapin by one of the
methods listed in ADDRESSES above, or
at (509) 373–9396.
For general information concerning
DOE’s NEPA process, contact: Ms. Carol
M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA
Policy and Compliance (GC–54), U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585–0119,
Telephone (202) 586–4600, Fax (202)
586–7031, Voice mail message 1–(800)
472–2756, Email asknepa@hq.doe.gov.
Additional information regarding
DOE’s NEPA activities is available on
the DOE NEPA Web site at https://
energy.gov/nepa.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Situated along the Columbia River in
southeastern Washington, DOE’s 586square-mile Hanford Site is undergoing
extensive efforts to clean up
contamination resulting from past
nuclear defense research and
development activities dating back to
World War II. To this end, DOE is
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:58 Jan 20, 2012
Jkt 226001
constructing the Waste Treatment Plant
(WTP) on the Site’s Central Plateau (200
East Area). Once operational, the WTP
will treat radioactive waste presently
stored in underground storage tanks on
the Central Plateau to prepare it for
disposal.
The WTP is planned to be a chemical
and radioactive waste processing facility
capable of separating radioactive liquid
waste stored underground in the
Hanford Site’s 200 East Area waste
storage tanks into high-level radioactive
waste (HLW) and low-activity waste
fractions, and then blending the waste
with molten glass (vitrification) to turn
it into a stable form for safe disposal.
The 242–A Evaporator, also located in
the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site,
receives liquid wastes pumped through
underground pipes from the doubleshell waste storage tanks (DSTs) and
processes the waste to reduce its
volume.
The 242–A Evaporator currently uses
diesel fuel, and the WTP is planned to
use diesel fuel as well. DOE has
identified a number of potential
advantages, including substantial cost
savings, to replacing the use of diesel
fuel with natural gas, supplementing
with diesel fuel as necessary.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
DOE needs to comply with Federal
policy and legal responsibilities to
reduce costs, GHGs, and dependence on
foreign fuel sources, in accordance with
the goals and objectives of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), Executive
Order (EO) 13423, and EO 13514. The
EPAct, enacted into law in August 2005,
provides a long-term strategy to confront
the energy challenges posed by
increasing prices and growing
dependence on foreign oil in a
comprehensive, economic, and
environmentally sensitive way. The
EPAct establishes important national
energy policy goals and directs DOE to
increase energy security through
diversification of energy sources,
increased energy efficiency, and
conservation.
EO 13423, Strengthening Federal
Environmental, Energy, and
Transportation Management (January
2007), specified goals in the areas of
energy efficiency, renewable energy,
toxic chemical reduction, recycling,
sustainable buildings, electronics
stewardship, fleets, and water
conservation. EO 13514, Federal
Leadership in Environmental, Energy,
and Economic Performance (October
2009), established sustainability goals
for Federal agencies and focused on
improving their environmental, energy
and economic performance. EO 13514
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
requires Federal agencies to set a 2020
GHG emissions reduction target;
increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet
petroleum consumption; conserve
water; reduce waste; support sustainable
communities; and leverage Federal
purchasing power to promote
environmentally-responsible products
and technologies. Replacing diesel fuel
with natural gas would support these
goals. However, natural gas is not
currently available on the Central
Plateau of the Hanford Site.
Accordingly, DOE would need to
acquire a supply of natural gas to the
WTP and 242–A Evaporator in the 200
East Area of the Hanford Site.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
DOE proposes to enter into a contract
with a licensed natural gas utility
supplier to provide natural gas to
support WTP and the 242–A Evaporator
operations in the 200 East Area of the
Hanford Site. The proposed action
would include, among other things, the
construction, operation, and
maintenance of a natural gas utility
delivery system via a natural gas
pipeline. Construction of the proposed
natural gas pipeline would originate at
a new interconnect tap on the existing
Williams Northwest Pipe transmission
line in Franklin County, north of the
Pasco, Washington, airport. The
pipeline would run westerly across nonDOE lands and under the Columbia
River onto the Hanford Site 300 Area,
before turning northwest and paralleling
Route 4S, terminating at facilities in the
200 East Area of the Central Plateau.
The total length of the proposed
pipeline is estimated at about 30 miles.
As required by CEQ and DOE NEPA
implementing regulations (40 Code of
Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500–
1508 and 10 CFR Part 1021), DOE will
evaluate the Proposed Action and No
Action alternative for the acquisition of
natural gas utility service at the WTP
and the 242–A Evaporator, as well as
alternative pipeline routing alignments
and alternative pipeline diameters of
approximately 12, 15, and 20 inches as
a representative sampling of potential
options. At this time, DOE does not plan
to evaluate other sources of energy
supply, or other means to supply
natural gas, to the WTP and 242–A
Evaporator. In addition, DOE has no
other intended or planned uses for the
proposed natural gas utility service on
the Hanford Site at this time, and is not
aware of any proposals by others for use
of the natural gas.
Under the No Action alternative, DOE
would not contract for acquisition of
natural gas utility service, and thus, the
pipeline would not be constructed. DOE
E:\FR\FM\23JAN1.SGM
23JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices
would continue to use diesel fuel to
power the 242–A Evaporator and would
use diesel fuel to power the WTP, as
currently planned.
Because all reasonable alternative
pipeline routing alignments involve
crossing the Columbia River, portions of
the proposed action may affect
floodplains and wetlands. This NOI
serves as a notice of proposed
floodplain or wetland action in
accordance with DOE floodplain and
wetland environmental review
requirements (10 CFR part 1022). As
appropriate and in accordance with 10
CFR part 1022, the NGP Draft EIS will
include a floodplain and wetland
assessment, and a floodplain statement
of findings will be included in the Final
EIS or may be issued separately (10 CFR
1022.14(c)).
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
National Historic Preservation Act
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA) requires
Federal agencies to take into account the
effects of their undertakings on historic
properties. Federal agencies are
encouraged to coordinate compliance
with Section 106 of the NHPA with any
steps taken to meet the requirements of
NEPA. DOE plans to use the NEPA
process and documentation required for
the preparation of this EIS to satisfy
applicable requirements of NHPA
Section 106. As specified in the
regulations issued by the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation
(ACHP) to implement the Section 106
process (36 CFR part 800, 800.8), DOE
will use the NEPA process in lieu of the
procedures set forth in §§ 800.3 through
800.6. DOE specifically invites the
ACHP, the State of Washington Historic
Preservation Officer (SHPO), Hanford
Area Tribal Nations, and members of the
public to participate in this NEPA
process for the purpose of ensuring the
standards in 36 CFR 800.8(c)(1) through
800.8(c)(5) are met, including
identifying mitigation actions that may
be appropriate to address potential
adverse effects that may result from
implementing the Proposed Action.
Preliminary Identification of
Environmental Issues
DOE proposes to analyze potential
short-term health and environmental
impacts, such as those from
construction, and potential long-term
health and environmental impacts of
operating and maintaining the pipeline
over a period assumed to be 100 years
for the purposes of analysis, once
service commences. DOE will analyze
potential issues and impacts at a level
of detail commensurate with their
importance. Potential impact areas to be
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:58 Jan 20, 2012
Jkt 226001
evaluated include, but are not limited
to, the following:
• Potential effects on public health
and workers from exposures to
hazardous materials during
construction, operations, and
transportation under routine and
credible accident scenarios.
• Potential impacts on surface water
and groundwater, floodplains, and
wetlands, and on water use and quality.
• Potential impacts on air quality.
• Potential noise impacts.
• Potential impacts on plants and
animals and their habitat, including
species that are Federal- or state-listed
as threatened or endangered, or of
special concern.
• Potential impacts on geology and
soil characteristics.
• Potential impacts on historic and
cultural resources including places,
viewshed, archeological, and Native
American or other culturally important
sites.
• Socioeconomic impacts, either
beneficial or adverse, on potentially
affected communities.
• Environmental justice, particularly
whether the proposed action or
alternatives have disproportionately
high and adverse effects on minority
and low-income populations.
• Potential impacts on land-use
plans, policies and controls, and visual
resources.
• Pollution prevention and waste
management practices and activities.
• Unavoidable adverse impacts and
irreversible and irretrievable
commitments of resources.
• Potential cumulative environmental
effects of past, present and reasonably
foreseeable actions.
• Potential impacts of reasonably
foreseeable accidents and potential
impacts from intentionally destructive
acts, including sabotage or terrorism.
• Potential natural disasters: floods,
hurricanes, tornadoes, and seismic
events.
• Status of compliance with all
applicable Federal, state and local
statutes and regulations, and required
Federal and state environmental
permits, consultations and notifications.
Invitation for Public Comment
DOE invites Federal agencies; State,
Tribal, and local governments;
organizations; and the general public to
comment on the scope of the EIS,
including identification of alternatives
and specific issues to be addressed.
DOE also invites comments on the
potential adverse effects that may result
from the Proposed Action with respect
to historic resources governed by NHPA,
along with suggested actions DOE might
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
3257
take to mitigate any such adverse
effects. DOE will coordinate with
appropriate Federal, State, and local
agencies and potentially affected Native
American tribes during the preparation
of the EIS. While there are no
designated cooperating agencies at this
time, DOE plans to invite Federal, State,
and local government agencies with
jurisdiction by law or special expertise
to participate as cooperating agencies in
preparing the EIS.
DOE will consider all comments
received during a 30-day public scoping
period beginning January 23, 2012 and
ending on February 22, 2012. DOE will
consider comments received after that
date to the extent practicable.
At the public scoping meeting, DOE
will provide an overview of the
proposed action followed by a short,
informal question-and-answer period to
clarify the information presented.
Thereafter, the public will have an
opportunity to present oral and written
comments on the proposed EIS scope;
oral comments will be documented by
a court reporter. DOE will consider all
public scoping comments in preparing
the Draft NGP EIS.
Issued at Washington, DC, on January 17,
2012.
David Huizenga,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Management.
[FR Doc. 2012–1139 Filed 1–20–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Transfer of Land Tracts Located at Los
Alamos National Laboratory, New
Mexico
National Nuclear Security
Administration, U.S. Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Amended Record of Decision.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Department of
Energy’s National Nuclear Security
Administration (DOE/NNSA) is issuing
this Amended Record of Decision (ROD)
for the Environmental Impact Statement
for the Conveyance and Transfer of
Certain Land Tracts Administered by
the Department of Energy and Located
at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los
Alamos and Santa Fe Counties, New
Mexico, DOE/EIS–0293 (Conveyance
and Transfer EIS) to address the
remaining acreage of Los Alamos
National Laboratory’s (LANL’s)
Technical Area 21 (TA–21) Tract (about
245 acres) and the remaining acreage of
the Airport Tract (about 55 acres). DOE/
NNSA has determined that it is no
longer necessary to retain these lands
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\23JAN1.SGM
23JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3255-3257]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1139]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Acquisition of a Natural Gas Pipeline and Natural Gas Utility
Service at the Hanford Site, Richland, WA, and Notice of Floodplains
and Wetlands Involvement (DOE/EIS-0467)
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and Notice of Floodplains and Wetlands Involvement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement for the Acquisition of a Natural Gas
Pipeline and Natural Gas Utility Service at the Hanford Site, Richland,
Washington (Natural Gas Pipeline or NGP EIS), and initiate a 30-day
public scoping period. DOE will prepare the NGP EIS in accordance with
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations that implement NEPA and DOE
implementing procedures. DOE is inviting public comment on the proposed
scope of the NGP EIS, including the alternatives and environmental
issues to be evaluated.
DOE proposes to make natural gas available to facilities located on
the Central Plateau of its Hanford Site near Richland, Washington, to
help meet its objectives to reduce fuel costs, greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, and dependence on foreign fuel sources. Because natural gas
is not currently available on the Central Plateau of the Site, this
action would involve entering into a contract with a licensed natural
gas utility supplier to construct, operate, and maintain a natural gas
pipeline and deliver natural gas utility service to DOE.
The proposed pipeline would begin from a new interconnect tap on
the existing Williams Northwest Pipe transmission line in Franklin
County, north of the Pasco, Washington, airport, and then run westerly
across non-DOE lands and under the Columbia River onto the Hanford Site
300 Area, before turning northwest and paralleling Route 4S. The
pipeline would terminate at facilities in the 200 East Area of the
[[Page 3256]]
Central Plateau. The length of the proposed pipeline is estimated at
about 30 miles.
DATES: DOE invites public comment on the scope of the NGP EIS during a
30-day public scoping period beginning January 23, 2012 and ending on
February 22, 2012. DOE will consider all comments received or
postmarked by the end of the scoping period, and will consider comments
received or postmarked after the ending date to the extent practicable.
DOE will hold a public scoping meeting on February 9, 2012, from 7
p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel and Conference Center, Pasco,
Washington. Further information about the public scoping meeting is
provided under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: Scoping comments may be submitted by regular mail as
follows: Mr. Douglas Chapin, NEPA Document Manager, U.S. Department of
Energy, Richland Operations Office, P.O. Box 550, MSIN A5-11, Richland,
WA 99352.
Scoping comments may also be submitted by email to
naturalgaseis@rl.gov.
To be placed on the distribution list for the Draft NGP EIS, use
either of the methods listed above. In requesting a copy of the Draft
NGP EIS, please specify preference for a printed copy of the entire
Draft NGP EIS, a printed copy of the Summary only, the Draft NGP EIS
and Summary on a computer CD, or any combination thereof.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on DOE's proposed
action, contact Mr. Chapin by one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES
above, or at (509) 373-9396.
For general information concerning DOE's NEPA process, contact: Ms.
Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-
54), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585-0119, Telephone (202) 586-4600, Fax (202) 586-
7031, Voice mail message 1-(800) 472-2756, Email asknepa@hq.doe.gov.
Additional information regarding DOE's NEPA activities is available
on the DOE NEPA Web site at https://energy.gov/nepa.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Situated along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington, DOE's
586-square-mile Hanford Site is undergoing extensive efforts to clean
up contamination resulting from past nuclear defense research and
development activities dating back to World War II. To this end, DOE is
constructing the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) on the Site's Central
Plateau (200 East Area). Once operational, the WTP will treat
radioactive waste presently stored in underground storage tanks on the
Central Plateau to prepare it for disposal.
The WTP is planned to be a chemical and radioactive waste
processing facility capable of separating radioactive liquid waste
stored underground in the Hanford Site's 200 East Area waste storage
tanks into high-level radioactive waste (HLW) and low-activity waste
fractions, and then blending the waste with molten glass
(vitrification) to turn it into a stable form for safe disposal. The
242-A Evaporator, also located in the 200 East Area of the Hanford
Site, receives liquid wastes pumped through underground pipes from the
double-shell waste storage tanks (DSTs) and processes the waste to
reduce its volume.
The 242-A Evaporator currently uses diesel fuel, and the WTP is
planned to use diesel fuel as well. DOE has identified a number of
potential advantages, including substantial cost savings, to replacing
the use of diesel fuel with natural gas, supplementing with diesel fuel
as necessary.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
DOE needs to comply with Federal policy and legal responsibilities
to reduce costs, GHGs, and dependence on foreign fuel sources, in
accordance with the goals and objectives of the Energy Policy Act of
2005 (EPAct), Executive Order (EO) 13423, and EO 13514. The EPAct,
enacted into law in August 2005, provides a long-term strategy to
confront the energy challenges posed by increasing prices and growing
dependence on foreign oil in a comprehensive, economic, and
environmentally sensitive way. The EPAct establishes important national
energy policy goals and directs DOE to increase energy security through
diversification of energy sources, increased energy efficiency, and
conservation.
EO 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and
Transportation Management (January 2007), specified goals in the areas
of energy efficiency, renewable energy, toxic chemical reduction,
recycling, sustainable buildings, electronics stewardship, fleets, and
water conservation. EO 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental,
Energy, and Economic Performance (October 2009), established
sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focused on improving
their environmental, energy and economic performance. EO 13514 requires
Federal agencies to set a 2020 GHG emissions reduction target; increase
energy efficiency; reduce fleet petroleum consumption; conserve water;
reduce waste; support sustainable communities; and leverage Federal
purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and
technologies. Replacing diesel fuel with natural gas would support
these goals. However, natural gas is not currently available on the
Central Plateau of the Hanford Site. Accordingly, DOE would need to
acquire a supply of natural gas to the WTP and 242-A Evaporator in the
200 East Area of the Hanford Site.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
DOE proposes to enter into a contract with a licensed natural gas
utility supplier to provide natural gas to support WTP and the 242-A
Evaporator operations in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site. The
proposed action would include, among other things, the construction,
operation, and maintenance of a natural gas utility delivery system via
a natural gas pipeline. Construction of the proposed natural gas
pipeline would originate at a new interconnect tap on the existing
Williams Northwest Pipe transmission line in Franklin County, north of
the Pasco, Washington, airport. The pipeline would run westerly across
non-DOE lands and under the Columbia River onto the Hanford Site 300
Area, before turning northwest and paralleling Route 4S, terminating at
facilities in the 200 East Area of the Central Plateau. The total
length of the proposed pipeline is estimated at about 30 miles.
As required by CEQ and DOE NEPA implementing regulations (40 Code
of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508 and 10 CFR Part 1021), DOE
will evaluate the Proposed Action and No Action alternative for the
acquisition of natural gas utility service at the WTP and the 242-A
Evaporator, as well as alternative pipeline routing alignments and
alternative pipeline diameters of approximately 12, 15, and 20 inches
as a representative sampling of potential options. At this time, DOE
does not plan to evaluate other sources of energy supply, or other
means to supply natural gas, to the WTP and 242-A Evaporator. In
addition, DOE has no other intended or planned uses for the proposed
natural gas utility service on the Hanford Site at this time, and is
not aware of any proposals by others for use of the natural gas.
Under the No Action alternative, DOE would not contract for
acquisition of natural gas utility service, and thus, the pipeline
would not be constructed. DOE
[[Page 3257]]
would continue to use diesel fuel to power the 242-A Evaporator and
would use diesel fuel to power the WTP, as currently planned.
Because all reasonable alternative pipeline routing alignments
involve crossing the Columbia River, portions of the proposed action
may affect floodplains and wetlands. This NOI serves as a notice of
proposed floodplain or wetland action in accordance with DOE floodplain
and wetland environmental review requirements (10 CFR part 1022). As
appropriate and in accordance with 10 CFR part 1022, the NGP Draft EIS
will include a floodplain and wetland assessment, and a floodplain
statement of findings will be included in the Final EIS or may be
issued separately (10 CFR 1022.14(c)).
National Historic Preservation Act
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
requires Federal agencies to take into account the effects of their
undertakings on historic properties. Federal agencies are encouraged to
coordinate compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA with any steps taken
to meet the requirements of NEPA. DOE plans to use the NEPA process and
documentation required for the preparation of this EIS to satisfy
applicable requirements of NHPA Section 106. As specified in the
regulations issued by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
(ACHP) to implement the Section 106 process (36 CFR part 800, 800.8),
DOE will use the NEPA process in lieu of the procedures set forth in
Sec. Sec. 800.3 through 800.6. DOE specifically invites the ACHP, the
State of Washington Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), Hanford Area
Tribal Nations, and members of the public to participate in this NEPA
process for the purpose of ensuring the standards in 36 CFR 800.8(c)(1)
through 800.8(c)(5) are met, including identifying mitigation actions
that may be appropriate to address potential adverse effects that may
result from implementing the Proposed Action.
Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues
DOE proposes to analyze potential short-term health and
environmental impacts, such as those from construction, and potential
long-term health and environmental impacts of operating and maintaining
the pipeline over a period assumed to be 100 years for the purposes of
analysis, once service commences. DOE will analyze potential issues and
impacts at a level of detail commensurate with their importance.
Potential impact areas to be evaluated include, but are not limited to,
the following:
Potential effects on public health and workers from
exposures to hazardous materials during construction, operations, and
transportation under routine and credible accident scenarios.
Potential impacts on surface water and groundwater,
floodplains, and wetlands, and on water use and quality.
Potential impacts on air quality.
Potential noise impacts.
Potential impacts on plants and animals and their habitat,
including species that are Federal- or state-listed as threatened or
endangered, or of special concern.
Potential impacts on geology and soil characteristics.
Potential impacts on historic and cultural resources
including places, viewshed, archeological, and Native American or other
culturally important sites.
Socioeconomic impacts, either beneficial or adverse, on
potentially affected communities.
Environmental justice, particularly whether the proposed
action or alternatives have disproportionately high and adverse effects
on minority and low-income populations.
Potential impacts on land-use plans, policies and
controls, and visual resources.
Pollution prevention and waste management practices and
activities.
Unavoidable adverse impacts and irreversible and
irretrievable commitments of resources.
Potential cumulative environmental effects of past,
present and reasonably foreseeable actions.
Potential impacts of reasonably foreseeable accidents and
potential impacts from intentionally destructive acts, including
sabotage or terrorism.
Potential natural disasters: floods, hurricanes,
tornadoes, and seismic events.
Status of compliance with all applicable Federal, state
and local statutes and regulations, and required Federal and state
environmental permits, consultations and notifications.
Invitation for Public Comment
DOE invites Federal agencies; State, Tribal, and local governments;
organizations; and the general public to comment on the scope of the
EIS, including identification of alternatives and specific issues to be
addressed.
DOE also invites comments on the potential adverse effects that may
result from the Proposed Action with respect to historic resources
governed by NHPA, along with suggested actions DOE might take to
mitigate any such adverse effects. DOE will coordinate with appropriate
Federal, State, and local agencies and potentially affected Native
American tribes during the preparation of the EIS. While there are no
designated cooperating agencies at this time, DOE plans to invite
Federal, State, and local government agencies with jurisdiction by law
or special expertise to participate as cooperating agencies in
preparing the EIS.
DOE will consider all comments received during a 30-day public
scoping period beginning January 23, 2012 and ending on February 22,
2012. DOE will consider comments received after that date to the extent
practicable.
At the public scoping meeting, DOE will provide an overview of the
proposed action followed by a short, informal question-and-answer
period to clarify the information presented. Thereafter, the public
will have an opportunity to present oral and written comments on the
proposed EIS scope; oral comments will be documented by a court
reporter. DOE will consider all public scoping comments in preparing
the Draft NGP EIS.
Issued at Washington, DC, on January 17, 2012.
David Huizenga,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.
[FR Doc. 2012-1139 Filed 1-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
