Notice of Availability of Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Modernization and Internal Expansion of Existing Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities Under the CHIPS Incentives Program, 89372-89373 [2023-28487]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 27, 2023 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
Notice of Availability of Draft
Programmatic Environmental
Assessment for Modernization and
Internal Expansion of Existing
Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities
Under the CHIPS Incentives Program
National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; availability of a draft
Programmatic Environmental
Assessment; request for comments.
AGENCY:
The National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST)
announces the availability of the Draft
Programmatic Environmental
Assessment (PEA) for the modernization
and internal expansion of existing
semiconductor fabrication facilities
under the CHIPS Incentives Program.
The PEA addresses financial assistance
for the modernization or internal
expansion of existing current-generation
and mature-node commercial facilities
within their existing footprint
throughout the U.S. (the ‘‘Proposed
Action’’). NIST is requesting comments
on the Draft PEA.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before January 25, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The PEA will be available
for download and review at https://
www.nist.gov/chips/nationalenvironmental-policy-act-nepa no later
than December 26, 2023, under the
heading ‘‘NEPA Public Involvement.’’
You may submit comments on this
document by the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via email to
ChipsNEPA@chips.gov citing
‘‘Modernization PEA’’ in the subject
line. NIST will accept comments in
attached Word or PDF formats or within
the body of the email.
By mail: Comments can also be
mailed to the CHIPS Incentives Program
at: Department of Commerce; HCHB
Room 7419; ATTN: CPO Environmental
Division; 1401 Constitution Ave.,
Washington, DC 20230.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NIST. All comments
received are a part of the public record;
commenters should not include
personal identifying information (e.g.,
name, address, etc.), confidential
business information, or otherwise
sensitive information. NIST will accept
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anonymous comments. The most
helpful comments include a specific
recommendation, explain the reason for
any recommended change, and provide
supporting information. NIST will
consider all relevant comments received
on or before the closing date.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Frenkel, NIST, telephone number
240–204–1960, email David.Frenkel@
chips.gov.
NIST has
prepared the draft PEA in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and
the Council on Environmental Quality’s
NEPA (CEQ) implementing regulations
(40 CFR parts 1500–1508). The PEA
addresses financial assistance for the
modernization or internal expansion of
existing current-generation and maturenode commercial facilities within their
existing footprint throughout the U.S.
(the ‘‘Proposed Action’’).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The CHIPS Incentives Program
(Program) was authorized by title
XCIX—Creating Helpful Incentives to
Produce Semiconductors for America of
the William M. (Mac) Thornberry
National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2021 (Pub. L. 116–283, as
amended by the CHIPS Act of 2022
(Division A of Pub. L. 117–167) (the
‘‘CHIPS Act’’ or ‘‘Act’’). The Program
aims to boost American semiconductor
research, development, and production.
The Program is administered by the
CHIPS Program Office (CPO) within
NIST. The CHIPS Incentives Program
Commercial Fabrication Facilities
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
was originally published in February
2023 and amended in June 2023. The
amended NOFO solicits applications for
the construction, expansion, or
modernization of commercial facilities
for the front- and back-end fabrication of
leading-edge, current-generation, and
mature-node semiconductors;
commercial facilities for wafer
manufacturing; and commercial
facilities for materials used to
manufacture semiconductors and
semiconductor manufacturing
equipment, provided that the capital
investment equals or exceeds $300
million. The potential amount available
under the NOFO is up to $38.22 billion
for direct funding and up to $75 billion
in direct loan or guaranteed principals.
CPO is responsible for completion of the
NEPA process before financial
assistance can be provided.
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Sfmt 4703
Draft PEA
The purpose of the Proposed Action
is to invest in U.S. production of
strategically important semiconductor
chips, and assure a sufficient,
sustainable, and secure supply of older
and current generation chips for
national security purposes and for
critical manufacturing industries. As
part of this effort, CPO aims to increase
semiconductor manufacturing capacity
and strengthen the security of the U.S.
supply chain via the modernization of
semiconductor production within the
current footprint of existing eligible
current-generation and mature-node
semiconductor fabrication facilities.
Such projects include the replacement
or upgrade of existing equipment, the
addition of new semiconductor
manufacturing equipment within
existing spaces, and expansion of
cleanroom space.
For proposed projects to be covered
under the PEA, CPO will evaluate the
project for consistency with the scope of
the PEA using an inclusion analysis
document (e.g., memo, form, or
checklist). This analysis document will
include the relevant information learned
from a site-specific review and serves as
the NEPA analysis documentation for
the administrative record as applied to
specific projects. If the project includes
activities outside of the scope of the
PEA, then an additional or tiered NEPA
document may be required. The PEA
can be used as a planning tool to
support tiered, site-specific analyses by
narrowing the spectrum of
environmental impacts to focus on
project-level reviews as needed. The
following scenarios describe the
possible application of the PEA to a
project and whether additional
environmental review under NEPA is
required:
1. All proposed project activities are
described in the PEA or the activities
are similar enough to the activities
analyzed in the PEA to support a
conclusion that their impacts will not be
different from those described in the
PEA; therefore, no additional NEPA
review required;
2. One or more proposed project
activities are within the scope of the
PEA and others are not; therefore,
additional NEPA review would be
required; and
3. None of the proposed project
activities are within the scope of the
PEA; therefore, additional NEPA review
would be required.
Authority: This notice is provided
pursuant to NEPA and CEQ’s NEPA
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 27, 2023 / Notices
implementing regulations (40 CFR
1506.6).
Tamiko Ford,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2023–28487 Filed 12–26–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
National Conference on Weights and
Measures 2024 Interim Meeting
National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The 2024 Interim Meeting of
the National Conference on Weights and
Measures (NCWM) will be held inperson at the Royal Sonesta New
Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana from
Sunday, January 7, 2024, through
Wednesday, January 10, 2024. This
notice contains information about some,
but not all, significant agenda items of
the NCWM committees. As a result, the
items are not consecutively numbered.
DATES: The 2024 NCWM Interim
Meeting will be held from Sunday,
January 7, 2024, through Wednesday,
January 10, 2024. The meeting schedule
will be available on the NCWM website
at www.ncwm.com.
ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at
the Royal Sonesta New Orleans, with an
address at 300 Bourbon Street, New
Orleans, Louisiana 70130.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Katrice Lippa, NIST, Office of Weights
and Measures, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop
2600, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–2600.
You may also contact Dr. Lippa at (301)
975–3116 or by email at katrice.lippa@
nist.gov. The meeting is open to the
public, but the payment of a registration
fee is required. Please see the NCWM
website (www.ncwm.com) to view the
meeting agendas, registration forms, and
hotel reservation information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Publication of this notice on the
NCWM’s behalf is undertaken as a
public service and does not itself
constitute an endorsement by the
National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) of the content of the
notice. NIST participates in the NCWM
as an NCWM member and pursuant to
15 U.S.C. 272(b)(10) and (c)(4) and in
accordance with Federal policy (e.g.,
OMB Circular A–119 ‘‘Federal
Participation in the Development and
Use of Voluntary Consensus
Standards’’).
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The NCWM is an organization of
weights and measures officials of the
states, counties, and cities of the United
States, and representatives from the
private sector and federal agencies.
These meetings bring together
government officials and representatives
of business, industry, trade associations,
and consumer organizations on subjects
related to the field of weights and
measures technology, administration,
and enforcement. NIST hosted the first
meeting of the NCWM in 1905. Since
then, the conference has provided a
model of cooperation between Federal,
State, and local governments and the
private sector. NIST participates in the
NCWM to provide technical insights
and expertise and encourage
cooperation between the private sector,
federal agencies, and the states in the
development of legal metrology
requirements. NIST also promotes
uniformity in state laws, regulations,
and testing procedures used in the
regulatory control of commercial
weighing and measuring devices,
packaged goods, and for other trade and
commerce issues.
The NCWM has established multiple
committees, task groups, and other
working bodies to address legal
metrology issues of interest to, inter
alia, regulatory officials, industry
representatives, and consumers.
Comments will be taken by the various
NCWM committees on agenda items
during the open hearing portions of the
conference identified in the meeting
schedule. At this stage, the items are
proposals. The open hearing sessions
are accessible to all registered attendees
of the conference, including both
NCWM members and non-members.
The conference also includes committee
work sessions in which the committees
may, inter alia, accept comments,
withdraw or carryover agenda items that
need additional maturation, and
develop recommendations for the
agenda items for consideration and
possible adoption at the NCWM 109th
Annual Meeting.
These notices are intended to make
interested parties aware of significant
agenda items and alert them to the
committees’ intentions to share reports
on the status of each at the 2024 NCWM
Interim Meeting. The notices are also
presented to invite the participation of
manufacturers, experts, consumers,
users, and others who may be interested
in these efforts.
The following are brief descriptions of
some of the significant agenda items
that will receive further consideration
by the standing committees at the
upcoming 2024 NCWM Interim
Meeting. The full agenda of each
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89373
standing committee is provided in
NCWM Publication 15 (ncwm.com/
publication-15). Comments will be
taken on recommendations intended to
amend NIST Handbook 44,
‘‘Specifications, Tolerances, and Other
Technical Requirements for Weighing
and Measuring Devices’’ (NIST HB 44),
NIST Handbook 130, ‘‘Uniform Laws
and Regulations in the Areas of Legal
Metrology and Fuel Quality’’ (NIST HB
130), and NIST Handbook 133,
‘‘Checking the Net Contents of Packaged
Goods’’ (NIST HB 133). The NIST
Handbooks are regularly adopted by the
states, either by reference or through
administrative procedures.
NCWM S&T Committee
The NCWM Specifications and
Tolerances Committee (S&T Committee)
will consider proposed amendments to
NIST HB 44, including those identified
below. A detailed technical review of
the S&T Committee agenda items will be
made available prior to the 2024 NCWM
Interim Meeting in the 2024 NIST OWM
Interim Technical Analysis at https://
www.nist.gov/pml/owm/publications/
owm-technical-analysis.
SCL—Scales
SCL–23.3. Verification Scale Division
e: Multiple Sections.
The S&T Committee will consider a
proposal submitted by the NCWM
Verification Scale Division e Task
Group that has an Assigned Status and
is intended to update NIST Handbook
44, Section 2.20 Scales to:
1. Clarify how error is determined in
relation to the verification scale division
(e) and the scale division (d)
2. Clarify which is the proper
reference; the verification scale division
(e) or the scale division (d) throughout
this section
3. Ensure proper selection of a scale
in reference to the verification scale
division (e) and the scale division (d)
4. Clarify the relationship between the
verification scale division (e) and the
scale division (d).
WIM—Weigh-In-Motion Systems
WIM–23.1. 2.26 Weigh-in-Motion
Systems Used for Vehicle Direct
Enforcement.
The S&T Committee will consider a
proposal submitted by New York City
DOT, C2SMART, Kistler, and Maryland
DOT that has an Informational Status.
The proposal to include a new Section
2.26. Weigh-in-Motion Systems Used for
Vehicle Direct Enforcement to NIST HB
44 is intended to provide a legal
document that can be used by local and
State agencies to certify Weigh-In-
E:\FR\FM\27DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89372-89373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28487]
[[Page 89372]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Notice of Availability of Draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment for Modernization and Internal Expansion of Existing
Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities Under the CHIPS Incentives Program
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; availability of a draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
announces the availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment (PEA) for the modernization and internal expansion of
existing semiconductor fabrication facilities under the CHIPS
Incentives Program. The PEA addresses financial assistance for the
modernization or internal expansion of existing current-generation and
mature-node commercial facilities within their existing footprint
throughout the U.S. (the ``Proposed Action''). NIST is requesting
comments on the Draft PEA.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 25, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The PEA will be available for download and review at https://www.nist.gov/chips/national-environmental-policy-act-nepa no later
than December 26, 2023, under the heading ``NEPA Public Involvement.''
You may submit comments on this document by the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via
email to [email protected] citing ``Modernization PEA'' in the
subject line. NIST will accept comments in attached Word or PDF formats
or within the body of the email.
By mail: Comments can also be mailed to the CHIPS Incentives
Program at: Department of Commerce; HCHB Room 7419; ATTN: CPO
Environmental Division; 1401 Constitution Ave., Washington, DC 20230.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NIST. All comments received are a part of the
public record; commenters should not include personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information. NIST will accept
anonymous comments. The most helpful comments include a specific
recommendation, explain the reason for any recommended change, and
provide supporting information. NIST will consider all relevant
comments received on or before the closing date.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Frenkel, NIST, telephone number
240-204-1960, email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST has prepared the draft PEA in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, 42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.) and the Council on Environmental Quality's NEPA (CEQ)
implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508). The PEA addresses
financial assistance for the modernization or internal expansion of
existing current-generation and mature-node commercial facilities
within their existing footprint throughout the U.S. (the ``Proposed
Action'').
Background
The CHIPS Incentives Program (Program) was authorized by title
XCIX--Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America
of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2021 (Pub. L. 116-283, as amended by the CHIPS Act of
2022 (Division A of Pub. L. 117-167) (the ``CHIPS Act'' or ``Act'').
The Program aims to boost American semiconductor research, development,
and production. The Program is administered by the CHIPS Program Office
(CPO) within NIST. The CHIPS Incentives Program Commercial Fabrication
Facilities Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was originally
published in February 2023 and amended in June 2023. The amended NOFO
solicits applications for the construction, expansion, or modernization
of commercial facilities for the front- and back-end fabrication of
leading-edge, current-generation, and mature-node semiconductors;
commercial facilities for wafer manufacturing; and commercial
facilities for materials used to manufacture semiconductors and
semiconductor manufacturing equipment, provided that the capital
investment equals or exceeds $300 million. The potential amount
available under the NOFO is up to $38.22 billion for direct funding and
up to $75 billion in direct loan or guaranteed principals. CPO is
responsible for completion of the NEPA process before financial
assistance can be provided.
Draft PEA
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to invest in U.S. production
of strategically important semiconductor chips, and assure a
sufficient, sustainable, and secure supply of older and current
generation chips for national security purposes and for critical
manufacturing industries. As part of this effort, CPO aims to increase
semiconductor manufacturing capacity and strengthen the security of the
U.S. supply chain via the modernization of semiconductor production
within the current footprint of existing eligible current-generation
and mature-node semiconductor fabrication facilities. Such projects
include the replacement or upgrade of existing equipment, the addition
of new semiconductor manufacturing equipment within existing spaces,
and expansion of cleanroom space.
For proposed projects to be covered under the PEA, CPO will
evaluate the project for consistency with the scope of the PEA using an
inclusion analysis document (e.g., memo, form, or checklist). This
analysis document will include the relevant information learned from a
site-specific review and serves as the NEPA analysis documentation for
the administrative record as applied to specific projects. If the
project includes activities outside of the scope of the PEA, then an
additional or tiered NEPA document may be required. The PEA can be used
as a planning tool to support tiered, site-specific analyses by
narrowing the spectrum of environmental impacts to focus on project-
level reviews as needed. The following scenarios describe the possible
application of the PEA to a project and whether additional
environmental review under NEPA is required:
1. All proposed project activities are described in the PEA or the
activities are similar enough to the activities analyzed in the PEA to
support a conclusion that their impacts will not be different from
those described in the PEA; therefore, no additional NEPA review
required;
2. One or more proposed project activities are within the scope of
the PEA and others are not; therefore, additional NEPA review would be
required; and
3. None of the proposed project activities are within the scope of
the PEA; therefore, additional NEPA review would be required.
Authority: This notice is provided pursuant to NEPA and CEQ's NEPA
[[Page 89373]]
implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Tamiko Ford,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2023-28487 Filed 12-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P
