Notice of Request for Information (RFI) Related to DOE's Responsibilities on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, 15196-15198 [2024-04367]
Download as PDF
15196
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 42 / Friday, March 1, 2024 / Notices
maintain a list of firms qualified to
perform energy efficiency and
renewable energy projects specifically
using the energy savings performance
contracts (ESPCs) project financing
methodology. The forms subject to this
Paperwork Reduction Act submission
constitute the application and
recertification statement for inclusion
on the DOE Qualified List of Energy
Service Companies (ESCOs). The ESCOs
on the DOE Qualified List constitute the
group of firms that are eligible for
contract award under 10 CFR 436.32.
ESCOs that would like to bid on ESPC
contracts for the Federal government
must apply to the DOE Qualified List of
ESCOs and complete the annual
recertification statement;
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Respondents: 128;
(6) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: 128;
(7) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: 466;
(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $57,318.
Statutory Authority: The ESPC statute
(42 U.S.C. 8287(b)(2)(A)–(B)) requires
the Secretary of Energy to establish and
maintain a list of firms qualified to
perform energy efficiency and
renewable energy projects specifically
using the energy savings performance
contracts (ESPCs) project financing
methodology.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on February 23,
2024, by Mary Sotos, Director, Federal
Energy Management Program, pursuant
to delegated authority from the
Secretary of Energy. That document
with the original signature and date is
maintained by DOE. For administrative
purposes only, and in compliance with
requirements of the Office of the Federal
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of
the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters
the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on February 27,
2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024–04374 Filed 2–29–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:28 Feb 29, 2024
Jkt 262001
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Agency Information Collection
Extension
Department of Energy.
Notice of request for comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Department of Energy
(DOE), pursuant to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, intends to
extend for three years, an information
collection request with the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB).
DATES: Comments regarding this
proposed information collection must
be received on or before April 30, 2024.
If you anticipate any difficulty in
submitting comments within that
period, contact the person listed in the
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section as soon as possible.
Written comments may be
sent to Ken Hunt, Chief Privacy Officer,
U.S. Department of Energy, 19901
Germantown Road, Rm. G–302,
Germantown, MD 20874, or by fax at
(301) 903–7738, or by email at
privacyactoffice@hq.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken
Hunt, Chief Privacy Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy, 19901
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD
20874 or by telephone at (301) 903–
3880, or by fax at (301) 903–7738, or by
email at privacyactoffice@hq.doe.gov,
https://www.energy.gov/cio/office-chiefinformation-officer/services/guidance/
privacy-program/submitting-privacy-act.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments
are invited on: (a) Whether the extended
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
This information collection request
contains:
(1) OMB No.: 1910–1700;
(2) Information Collection Request
Titled: Privacy Act Administration;
(3) Type of Review: Extension;
(4) Purpose: The Privacy Act
Information Request form aids the
Department of Energy’s processing of
Privacy Act requests submitted by an
ADDRESSES:
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
individual or an authorized
representative, wherein he or she is
requesting records the government may
maintain on the individual. The
Department’s use of this form continues
to contribute to the implementation of
the Department’s Privacy Act processes,
including, but not limited to, providing
for faster processing of Privacy Act
information requests by asking
individuals or their authorized
representative for pertinent information
needed for records retrieval;
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Respondents: 390;
(6) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: 390;
(7) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: 130;
(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $14,078.
Statutory Authority: The Privacy Act
of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a; Department of
Energy, Records Maintained on
Individuals (Privacy Act), 10 CFR 1008;
42 U.S.C. 7101 et. seq.; 50 U.S.C. 2401
et. seq.
Signing Authority
This document of the U.S.
Department of Energy was signed on
February 20, 2024, by Ann Dunkin,
Chief Information Officer, pursuant to
delegated authority from the Secretary
of Energy. That document with the
original signature and date is
maintained by DOE. For administrative
purposes only, and in compliance with
requirements of the Office of the Federal
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of
the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters
the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on February 27,
2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024–04373 Filed 2–29–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Number: DOE–HQ–2024–0007]
Notice of Request for Information (RFI)
Related to DOE’s Responsibilities on
Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy
Development and Use of Artificial
Intelligence
Office of Critical and Emerging
Technologies, Department of Energy.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\01MRN1.SGM
01MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 42 / Friday, March 1, 2024 / Notices
ACTION:
Request for information.
The Department of Energy
(DOE) is seeking information to assist in
carrying out certain responsibilities
under an Executive order (E.O.) titled
‘‘Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy
Development and Use of Artificial
Intelligence’’ issued on October 30,
2023. Among other things, the E.O.
directs DOE to issue a public report
within 180 days of the E.O. ‘‘describing
the potential for Artificial Intelligence
(AI) to improve planning, permitting,
investment, and operations for electric
grid infrastructure and to enable the
provision of clean, affordable, reliable,
resilient, and secure electric power to
all Americans.’’ DOE is soliciting
information on one or more of the topics
outlined in this RFI to address in the
public report. The information provided
in response to this RFI will inform the
preparation of that report.
DATES: Comments containing
information in response to this notice
must be received on or before April 1,
2024. Submissions received after that
date may not be considered.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be
submitted by any of the following
methods:
Electronic submission: Submit
electronic public comments via
www.regulations.gov.
1. Go to www.regulations.gov and
enter DOE–HQ–2024–0007 in the search
field,
2. Click the ‘‘Comment’’ icon and
complete the required fields.
Electronic submissions may also be
sent as an attachment via email to
AIexecutiveorder.RFI@hq.doe.gov in any
of the following unlocked formats:
HTML; ASCII; Word; RTF; Unicode, or
PDF.
Written comments may also be
submitted by mail to: Department of
Energy, Office of Policy, 1000
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20585. Due to potential delays in
DOE’s receipt and processing of mail
sent through the U.S. Postal Service,
DOE encourages responders to submit
comments electronically in order to
ensure timely receipt.
Submissions must not exceed 25
pages (when printed) in 12-point or
larger font, with a page number
provided on each page. Please include
your name, organization’s name (if any),
and cite ‘‘DOE AI Executive Order’’ in
all correspondence.
Comments containing references,
studies, research, and other empirical
data that are not widely published
should include copies of the referenced
materials. All comments and
submissions, including attachments and
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:28 Feb 29, 2024
Jkt 262001
other supporting materials, will become
part of the public record and subject to
public disclosure. Comments will be
available on www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
questions about this RFI contact:
AIexecutiveorder.RFI@hq.doe.gov or
Keith Benes, Department of Energy,
Office of Policy, 1000 Independence
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585,
240–278–5478. Direct media inquiries to
DOE’s Office of Public Affairs at 202–
586–4940.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE is
seeking information to assist in carrying
out certain of its responsibilities under
section 5.2(g) of E.O. 14110 issued on
October 30, 2023 (88 FR 75191). This
RFI addresses the specific
responsibilities cited below. Other
topics in E.O. 14110 are being addressed
separately by DOE and other agencies.
In considering information for
submission to DOE, respondents are
encouraged to review information on
DOE’s website for the Office of Critical
and Emerging Technologies
(www.energy.gov/cet/office-critical-andemerging-technology). Respondents are
also encouraged to review DOE’s AI
Risk Management Playbook (https://
www.energy.gov/ai/doe-ai-riskmanagement-playbook-airmp) and the
Advanced Research Directions on AI for
Science, Energy, and Security report
prepared by a consortium of DOE
National Laboratories (www.anl.gov/
sites/www/files/2023-05/AI4SESReport2023.pdf).
Information that is specific and
actionable is of more interest than
general statements. Copyright
protections of materials, if any, should
be clearly noted. Responses that include
information generated by means of AI
techniques should be identified clearly.
E.O. 14110 section 5.2(g) directs DOE
to undertake several actions ‘‘to support
the goal of strengthening our Nation’s
resilience against climate change
impacts and building an equitable clean
energy economy for the future.’’ Among
those actions, section 5.2(g)(i) directs
DOE to issue a public report within 180
days of E.O. 14110 release describing
‘‘the potential for AI to improve
planning, permitting, investment, and
operations for electric grid
infrastructure and to enable the
provision of clean, affordable, reliable,
resilient, and secure electric power to
all Americans.’’
E.O. 14110 directs DOE to undertake
the actions specified in section 5.2(g),
including preparing this report, ‘‘in
consultation with the Chair of the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
the Director of OSTP, the Chair of the
PO 00000
Frm 00082
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
15197
Council on Environmental Quality, the
Assistant to the President and National
Climate Advisor, and the heads of other
relevant agencies as the Secretary of
Energy may deem appropriate.’’
In this RFI, DOE is soliciting input for
the public report called for in section
5.2(g)(i). DOE is seeking information
regarding topics related to this
assignment, including:
1. AI to improve the security and
reliability of grid infrastructure and
operations and their resilience to
disruptions.
DOE is seeking information on how
AI can be developed and used by
private actors, public-private
partnerships, and government entities
(at all levels of government, including
Federal, State, local, etc.) to improve the
security and reliability of grid
infrastructure and operations, as well as
resilience of the grid to potential
disruptions. DOE is specifically
requesting comments on the use of AI
with regard to the following topics:
• Grid Operations and reliability;
• Improvements in predictive
maintenance for utilities;
• For rapid, accurate, and costeffective load and supply balancing in
light of increasing penetration of
variable generation sources and
increased opportunities for demand
management through technologies such
as electric vehicle charging/discharging,
smart devices, or optimizing clean
hydrogen production;
• To improve flexibility of power
systems models or other interconnection
software tools to facilitate more efficient
processing of growing interconnection
queues and handling distribution-side
generation (such as rooftop solar) and
increased demand from demand-side
interconnection as, for example,
transportation electrifies.
• Grid Resilience:
• Characterization of impacts of
climate hazards on electricity system
infrastructure, connected to Climate
Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation
(CMRA) outputs;
• Opportunity for AI-enabled realtime self-healing infrastructure;
• Opportunity for AI-enabled
detection and diagnosis of anomalous/
malicious events;
• AI-enabled situational awareness
and actions for resilience during and
after a disruption.
2. AI to improve planning, permitting,
and investment in the grid and related
clean energy infrastructure.
DOE is seeking information on how
AI can be used both by government
entities at all levels of government
(Federal, State, local, etc.) as well as by
private actors to improve the planning,
E:\FR\FM\01MRN1.SGM
01MRN1
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
15198
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 42 / Friday, March 1, 2024 / Notices
siting, permitting, and investment in the
grid and related clean energy
infrastructure. The following is a nonexhaustive list of topics that may be
addressed in comments on this topic:
• Opportunities for siting and
permitting authorities to utilize AI (e.g.,
Large Language Models, multi-modal
generative, etc.) to improve and
expedite their reviews;
• Actions Federal agencies can take to
support the effective deployment of
generative AI tools to improve project
planning, community engagement, and
siting and permitting reviews (e.g.,
processing of existing government
documents into AI- and ML-compatible
data formats, clarification of standards
around use of generative AI in
preparation of submittals to government
agencies, etc.);
• Steps Federal agencies could take to
improve compatibility of existing
structured datasets (e.g., geospatial data
on environmental resources, endangered
species, environmental justice, historic
and cultural resources, etc.) with
emerging AI models and/or to utilize AI
to revise and improve those existing
datasets;
• Opportunities to use AI to validate
and improve monitoring of existing
projects (e.g., environmental mitigation
monitoring, supply chain risks, and
socio-economic impacts, etc.);
• Opportunities to use AI to
illuminate and address artificial,
arbitrary, and unnecessary
disproportionate impacts on
disadvantaged communities from
planning, permitting, or operation of
energy infrastructure and to improve
energy equity;
• Steps that should be taken to ensure
transparency about any use of
generative AI in government reviews
and decision-making processes to avoid
unlawful biases or discrimination in AI
algorithms and datasets used.
3. AI to help mitigate climate change
risks.
DOE is seeking information regarding
how AI can be used to strengthen the
Nation’s resilience against climate
change, including opportunities to help
predict, prepare for, and mitigate
climate-driven risk. The following is a
non-exhaustive list of topics that may be
addressed in comments on this topic:
• Opportunities to use AI to forecast
climate-driven extreme events (e.g.,
wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, etc.) and
their impact on reliability and resilience
requirements, as well as potential to use
AI to mitigate climate-driven extreme
event risks or otherwise bolster
reliability and resilience;
• Opportunities to use AI to
understand and forecast climate impacts
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:28 Feb 29, 2024
Jkt 262001
on long-term future resource levels
(compared to historical levels) and its
effect on resource adequacy and
availability;
• Opportunities to use AI to improve
or accelerate numerical weather
prediction models, particularly on time
scales relevant to infrastructure
planning and operations.
Across all of these topics, DOE is
seeking information about costs and
ease of implementation for tools,
systems, practices, and the extent to
which they will benefit the public if
they can be efficiently adopted and
utilized. DOE is interested to learn
about how to handle liability for
consequences of decisions made by AI
algorithms as well as protocols to
quantify the benefits of AI. In addition,
DOE is interested in information about
potential negative effects of broader use
of AI on these systems, including
concerns about data security and
privacy, whether AI may cause unlawful
biases or discrimination, and the
possibility that AI could have artificial,
arbitrary and unnecessary disparate
impacts on communities, particularly
underserved communities. Pursuant to
Executive Order 13985 ‘‘underserved
communities’’ refers to populations
sharing a particular characteristic, as
well as geographic communities, that
have been systematically denied a full
opportunity to participate in aspects of
economic, social, and civic life, as
exemplified by the list in the preceding
definition of ‘‘equity.’’
Confidential Business Information:
Pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person
submitting information that he or she
believes to be confidential and exempt
by law from public disclosure should
submit via email two well-marked
copies: one copy of the document
marked ‘‘confidential’’ including all the
information believed to be confidential,
and one copy of the document marked
‘‘non-confidential’’ with the information
believed to be confidential deleted.
Submit these documents via email. DOE
will make its own determination about
the confidential status of the
information and treat it according to its
determination.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on February 21,
2024, by Helena Fu, Director, Office of
Critical and Emerging Technologies,
pursuant to delegated authority from the
Secretary of Energy. That document
with the original signature and date is
maintained by DOE. For administrative
purposes only, and in compliance with
requirements of the Office of the Federal
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
PO 00000
Frm 00083
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of
the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters
the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on February 27,
2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024–04367 Filed 2–29–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security
Administration
Advisory Committee for Nuclear
Security
Office of Defense Programs,
National Nuclear Security
Administration, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of closed meeting.
AGENCY:
This notice announces a
closed meeting of the Advisory
Committee for Nuclear Security (ACNS).
The Federal Advisory Committee Act
requires that public notice of meetings
be announced in the Federal Register.
Due to national security considerations,
the meeting will be closed to the public
and matters to be discussed are exempt
from public disclosure.
DATES: March 26, 2024; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ADDRESSES: In-person meeting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Allyson Koncke-Fernandez, Office of
Policy and Strategic Planning (NA–1.1)
National Nuclear Security
Administration, U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue
SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 287–
5327, allyson.koncke-fernandez@
nnsa.doe.gov.
SUMMARY:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The ACNS provides
advice and recommendations to the
Under Secretary Nuclear Security &
Administrator, NNSA areas and those of
the National Nuclear Security
Administration.
Purpose of the Meeting: The Quarterly
meeting of the Advisory Committee for
Nuclear Security (ACNS) will cover the
current status of Committee activities as
well as additional charges and is
expected to contain discussions of a
sensitive nature.
Type of Meeting: In the interest of
national security, the meeting will be
closed to the public under Executive
E:\FR\FM\01MRN1.SGM
01MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 42 (Friday, March 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15196-15198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04367]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Number: DOE-HQ-2024-0007]
Notice of Request for Information (RFI) Related to DOE's
Responsibilities on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use
of Artificial Intelligence
AGENCY: Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies, Department of
Energy.
[[Page 15197]]
ACTION: Request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking information to
assist in carrying out certain responsibilities under an Executive
order (E.O.) titled ``Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use
of Artificial Intelligence'' issued on October 30, 2023. Among other
things, the E.O. directs DOE to issue a public report within 180 days
of the E.O. ``describing the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI)
to improve planning, permitting, investment, and operations for
electric grid infrastructure and to enable the provision of clean,
affordable, reliable, resilient, and secure electric power to all
Americans.'' DOE is soliciting information on one or more of the topics
outlined in this RFI to address in the public report. The information
provided in response to this RFI will inform the preparation of that
report.
DATES: Comments containing information in response to this notice must
be received on or before April 1, 2024. Submissions received after that
date may not be considered.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
Electronic submission: Submit electronic public comments via
www.regulations.gov.
1. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter DOE-HQ-2024-0007 in the
search field,
2. Click the ``Comment'' icon and complete the required fields.
Electronic submissions may also be sent as an attachment via email
to [email protected] in any of the following unlocked
formats: HTML; ASCII; Word; RTF; Unicode, or PDF.
Written comments may also be submitted by mail to: Department of
Energy, Office of Policy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC
20585. Due to potential delays in DOE's receipt and processing of mail
sent through the U.S. Postal Service, DOE encourages responders to
submit comments electronically in order to ensure timely receipt.
Submissions must not exceed 25 pages (when printed) in 12-point or
larger font, with a page number provided on each page. Please include
your name, organization's name (if any), and cite ``DOE AI Executive
Order'' in all correspondence.
Comments containing references, studies, research, and other
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of
the referenced materials. All comments and submissions, including
attachments and other supporting materials, will become part of the
public record and subject to public disclosure. Comments will be
available on www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this RFI contact:
[email protected] or Keith Benes, Department of Energy,
Office of Policy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585,
240-278-5478. Direct media inquiries to DOE's Office of Public Affairs
at 202-586-4940.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE is seeking information to assist in
carrying out certain of its responsibilities under section 5.2(g) of
E.O. 14110 issued on October 30, 2023 (88 FR 75191). This RFI addresses
the specific responsibilities cited below. Other topics in E.O. 14110
are being addressed separately by DOE and other agencies.
In considering information for submission to DOE, respondents are
encouraged to review information on DOE's website for the Office of
Critical and Emerging Technologies (www.energy.gov/cet/office-critical-and-emerging-technology). Respondents are also encouraged to review
DOE's AI Risk Management Playbook (https://www.energy.gov/ai/doe-ai-risk-management-playbook-airmp) and the Advanced Research Directions on
AI for Science, Energy, and Security report prepared by a consortium of
DOE National Laboratories (www.anl.gov/sites/www/files/2023-05/AI4SESReport-2023.pdf).
Information that is specific and actionable is of more interest
than general statements. Copyright protections of materials, if any,
should be clearly noted. Responses that include information generated
by means of AI techniques should be identified clearly.
E.O. 14110 section 5.2(g) directs DOE to undertake several actions
``to support the goal of strengthening our Nation's resilience against
climate change impacts and building an equitable clean energy economy
for the future.'' Among those actions, section 5.2(g)(i) directs DOE to
issue a public report within 180 days of E.O. 14110 release describing
``the potential for AI to improve planning, permitting, investment, and
operations for electric grid infrastructure and to enable the provision
of clean, affordable, reliable, resilient, and secure electric power to
all Americans.''
E.O. 14110 directs DOE to undertake the actions specified in
section 5.2(g), including preparing this report, ``in consultation with
the Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Director of
OSTP, the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, the Assistant
to the President and National Climate Advisor, and the heads of other
relevant agencies as the Secretary of Energy may deem appropriate.''
In this RFI, DOE is soliciting input for the public report called
for in section 5.2(g)(i). DOE is seeking information regarding topics
related to this assignment, including:
1. AI to improve the security and reliability of grid
infrastructure and operations and their resilience to disruptions.
DOE is seeking information on how AI can be developed and used by
private actors, public-private partnerships, and government entities
(at all levels of government, including Federal, State, local, etc.) to
improve the security and reliability of grid infrastructure and
operations, as well as resilience of the grid to potential disruptions.
DOE is specifically requesting comments on the use of AI with regard to
the following topics:
Grid Operations and reliability;
Improvements in predictive maintenance for utilities;
For rapid, accurate, and cost-effective load and supply
balancing in light of increasing penetration of variable generation
sources and increased opportunities for demand management through
technologies such as electric vehicle charging/discharging, smart
devices, or optimizing clean hydrogen production;
To improve flexibility of power systems models or other
interconnection software tools to facilitate more efficient processing
of growing interconnection queues and handling distribution-side
generation (such as rooftop solar) and increased demand from demand-
side interconnection as, for example, transportation electrifies.
Grid Resilience:
Characterization of impacts of climate hazards on
electricity system infrastructure, connected to Climate Mapping for
Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) outputs;
Opportunity for AI-enabled real-time self-healing
infrastructure;
Opportunity for AI-enabled detection and diagnosis of
anomalous/malicious events;
AI-enabled situational awareness and actions for
resilience during and after a disruption.
2. AI to improve planning, permitting, and investment in the grid
and related clean energy infrastructure.
DOE is seeking information on how AI can be used both by government
entities at all levels of government (Federal, State, local, etc.) as
well as by private actors to improve the planning,
[[Page 15198]]
siting, permitting, and investment in the grid and related clean energy
infrastructure. The following is a non-exhaustive list of topics that
may be addressed in comments on this topic:
Opportunities for siting and permitting authorities to
utilize AI (e.g., Large Language Models, multi-modal generative, etc.)
to improve and expedite their reviews;
Actions Federal agencies can take to support the effective
deployment of generative AI tools to improve project planning,
community engagement, and siting and permitting reviews (e.g.,
processing of existing government documents into AI- and ML-compatible
data formats, clarification of standards around use of generative AI in
preparation of submittals to government agencies, etc.);
Steps Federal agencies could take to improve compatibility
of existing structured datasets (e.g., geospatial data on environmental
resources, endangered species, environmental justice, historic and
cultural resources, etc.) with emerging AI models and/or to utilize AI
to revise and improve those existing datasets;
Opportunities to use AI to validate and improve monitoring
of existing projects (e.g., environmental mitigation monitoring, supply
chain risks, and socio-economic impacts, etc.);
Opportunities to use AI to illuminate and address
artificial, arbitrary, and unnecessary disproportionate impacts on
disadvantaged communities from planning, permitting, or operation of
energy infrastructure and to improve energy equity;
Steps that should be taken to ensure transparency about
any use of generative AI in government reviews and decision-making
processes to avoid unlawful biases or discrimination in AI algorithms
and datasets used.
3. AI to help mitigate climate change risks.
DOE is seeking information regarding how AI can be used to
strengthen the Nation's resilience against climate change, including
opportunities to help predict, prepare for, and mitigate climate-driven
risk. The following is a non-exhaustive list of topics that may be
addressed in comments on this topic:
Opportunities to use AI to forecast climate-driven extreme
events (e.g., wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, etc.) and their impact
on reliability and resilience requirements, as well as potential to use
AI to mitigate climate-driven extreme event risks or otherwise bolster
reliability and resilience;
Opportunities to use AI to understand and forecast climate
impacts on long-term future resource levels (compared to historical
levels) and its effect on resource adequacy and availability;
Opportunities to use AI to improve or accelerate numerical
weather prediction models, particularly on time scales relevant to
infrastructure planning and operations.
Across all of these topics, DOE is seeking information about costs
and ease of implementation for tools, systems, practices, and the
extent to which they will benefit the public if they can be efficiently
adopted and utilized. DOE is interested to learn about how to handle
liability for consequences of decisions made by AI algorithms as well
as protocols to quantify the benefits of AI. In addition, DOE is
interested in information about potential negative effects of broader
use of AI on these systems, including concerns about data security and
privacy, whether AI may cause unlawful biases or discrimination, and
the possibility that AI could have artificial, arbitrary and
unnecessary disparate impacts on communities, particularly underserved
communities. Pursuant to Executive Order 13985 ``underserved
communities'' refers to populations sharing a particular
characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been
systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of
economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the list in the
preceding definition of ``equity.''
Confidential Business Information: Pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11, any
person submitting information that he or she believes to be
confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via
email two well-marked copies: one copy of the document marked
``confidential'' including all the information believed to be
confidential, and one copy of the document marked ``non-confidential''
with the information believed to be confidential deleted. Submit these
documents via email. DOE will make its own determination about the
confidential status of the information and treat it according to its
determination.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on February
21, 2024, by Helena Fu, Director, Office of Critical and Emerging
Technologies, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of
Energy. That document with the original signature and date is
maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance
with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-04367 Filed 2-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P