Request for Information Regarding Interregional and Offshore Wind Transmission, 67075-67077 [2024-18395]
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ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 160 / Monday, August 19, 2024 / Notices
Governance and Strategy Division, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Ave SW, LBJ, Room 4C210, Washington,
DC 20202–1200.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
specific questions related to collection
activities, please contact Carrie Clarady,
202–245–6347.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Department, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA)
(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the
general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on
proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps
the Department assess the impact of its
information collection requirements and
minimize the public’s reporting burden.
It also helps the public understand the
Department’s information collection
requirements and provide the requested
data in the desired format. The
Department is soliciting comments on
the proposed information collection
request (ICR) that is described below.
The Department is especially interested
in public comment addressing the
following issues: (1) is this collection
necessary to the proper functions of the
Department; (2) will this information be
processed and used in a timely manner;
(3) is the estimate of burden accurate;
(4) how might the Department enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (5) how
might the Department minimize the
burden of this collection on the
respondents, including through the use
of information technology. Please note
that written comments received in
response to this notice will be
considered public records.
Title of Collection: School Pulse Panel
2025–26 (SPP 2025–26) Preliminary
Field Activities.
OMB Control Number: 1850–0975.
Type of Review: A revision of a
currently approved ICR.
Respondents/Affected Public: State,
Local, and Tribal Governments.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 6,339.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 2,525.
Abstract: The School Pulse Panel
(SPP) is a data collection that was
originally designed to collect voluntary
responses from a nationally
representative sample of public schools
to better understand how schools,
students, and educators were
responding to the ongoing stressors of
the coronavirus pandemic. The School
Pulse Panel is conducted by the
National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES), part of the Institute of
Education Sciences (IES), within the
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United States Department of Education.
Initially, the purpose of the study was
to collect extensive data on issues
brought to light by the COVID–19
pandemic, as well as other important
education-related issues that could
inform data-driven policy decisions, in
U.S. public schools. Due to the
immediate need to collect pandemic-era
information from schools as described
in Executive Order 14000, an emergency
clearance was issued to develop and
field the first several monthly
collections of the SPP in 2021 and a full
review of the SPP data collection was
performed in 2022 (OMB# 1850–0969).
SPPs innovative design and timely
dissemination of findings have been
used and cited frequently among
Department of Education senior
leadership, the White House Domestic
Policy Council, the USDAs Food and
Nutrition Service, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,
Congressional deliberations, and the
media. The growing interest from
stakeholders resulted in a request for
funding to create an established NCES
quick-turnaround data collection
vehicle to become a mainstay for NCES.
Funding for a mainstay collection was
approved in late 2022, and NCES
conducted a new collection during the
2023–24 school year (OMB# 1850–
0975).
The School Pulse Panel study is one
of the few reliable, nationally
representative, quick-turnaround
studies that produces data on U.S.
public schools. The sample design for
the 2025–26 collection will roughly be
the same as the 2024–25 collection with
4,000 public schools randomly selected
to an initial sample and 4,000 in a
reserve sample. It is expected these
schools will come from roughly 3,000
districts. The goal is national
representation from about 1,200
responding schools each month in order
to report out national estimates. School
staff will be asked to provide requested
data monthly during the 2025–26 school
year. This approach provides the ability
to collect detailed information on
various topics while also assessing
changes over time for items that are
repeated from year to year. Given the
demand for data collection, the content
of the survey is expected to change
monthly. For the 2025–26 school year,
the survey may ask school staff about a
wide range of topics, including but not
limited to staffing; learning recovery;
absenteeism; usage of federal funds; and
overall principal experiences.
This package includes preliminary
activities, including contacting and
obtaining research approvals from
public school districts with an
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67075
established research approval process
(special contact districts) where
applicable; notifying sampled schools
and districts of their selection for the
survey; and inviting them to complete a
short Screener Survey to establish
points of contact. In spring of 2025, a
clearance for main study data collection
activities that will include instruments
for the first quarter of collections will be
submitted for 60-day and 30-day public
comment. Subsequent quarterly content
submissions will be submitted for 30day public comment.
This request is to conduct the SPP
2025–26 preliminary activities.
Substantial edits and additional
materials may be added to this package
after the 60-day public comment period
is complete, in time for the subsequent
30-day public comment period that will
begin Fall 2024. Materials for SPP are
cleared under two OMB Number
sequences. Materials for SPP 2022 and
SPP 2024–25 were cleared under OMB#
1850–0969, while SPP 2023–24 and
now SPP 2025–26 are cleared under
OMB# 1850–0975.
Dated: August 13, 2024.
Stephanie Valentine,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and
Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division,
Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of
Planning, Evaluation and Policy
Development.
[FR Doc. 2024–18490 Filed 8–16–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Request for Information Regarding
Interregional and Offshore Wind
Transmission
Grid Deployment Office, U.S.
Department of Energy.
ACTION: Request for information (RFI).
AGENCY:
The Inflation Reduction Act
(IRA) provides funding to the Secretary
of Energy (Secretary) to support
convening relevant stakeholders to
address the development of
interregional electricity transmission
and transmission of electricity that is
generated by offshore wind, and to
conduct planning, modeling, and
analysis regarding interregional
electricity transmission and
transmission of electricity generated by
offshore wind. Transmission
development is an important priority to
address reliability issues within the
national electrical grid and to improve
the flow of new energy generation,
including offshore wind, both between
regions and within regions to meet
national clean energy goals. The U.S.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\19AUN1.SGM
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67076
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 160 / Monday, August 19, 2024 / Notices
Department of Energy (DOE) Grid
Deployment Office (GDO) is issuing this
RFI to seek input from all parties
regarding issues related to the planning
and development of electric
transmission facilities to service
offshore wind power generating stations
on the U.S. West Coast.
DATES: Written comments and
information are requested on or before
October 3, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may
submit comments to
OSWTransmission@hq.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information may
be sent to OSWTransmission@
hq.doe.gov. Questions about the RFI
may be addressed to Katherine Segal,
(301) 820–2892; OSWTransmission@
hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On August 16, 2022, President Biden
signed the Inflation Reduction Act
(IRA).1 The IRA makes the single largest
investment in climate and energy in
American history, enabling America to
tackle the climate crisis and putting the
United States on a pathway to achieving
the Biden-Harris Administration’s
climate goals, including a net-zero
economy by 2050. Within section
50153, the IRA provides funding for the
Department to support convening
‘‘relevant stakeholders to address the
development of interregional electricity
transmission and transmission of
electricity that is generated by offshore
wind,’’ and to ‘‘conduct planning,
modeling, and analysis regarding
interregional electricity transmission
and transmission of electricity generated
by offshore wind.’’ 2
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
II. Purpose
The purpose of this RFI is to gather
information about siting offshore wind
electricity transmission infrastructure
from recreational and commercial ocean
users, offshore wind or maritime
industries, government entities (Tribal,
Federal, State, county, or local
government agencies), and the public.
As part of this RFI, DOE is primarily
interested in feedback on the
transmission infrastructure associated
with offshore wind and not the offshore
wind generation turbines themselves.
Transmission infrastructure includes
electrical cables, cable corridors,
substations, transformers, converters,
1 Inflation Reduction Act, Public Law 117–169
(August 16, 2022).
2 Inflation Reduction Act, Public Law 117–169
(August 16, 2022).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:07 Aug 16, 2024
Jkt 262001
and other associated equipment located
both offshore and onshore.
Information provided as part of this
RFI will be used by GDO and the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM),
U.S. Department of the Interior, as part
of the West Coast Offshore Wind
Transmission Convening Series.
Feedback gathered through this RFI, and
the Convening Series will support GDO
and BOEM in the development of West
Coast offshore wind transmission
recommendations. These
recommendations will not include any
regulatory actions or siting decisions.
For examples of the types of
recommendations that DOE and BOEM
might develop for the West Coast, please
see An Action Plan for Offshore Wind
Transmission Development in the U.S.
Atlantic Region (www.energy.gov/gdo/
atlantic-offshore-wind-transmissionaction-plan).
III. Request for Information
Planning and siting transmission
infrastructure for offshore wind energy
involves several authorities (e.g., BOEM,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC), independent system operators
and regional transmission organizations,
public utility commissions, State
departments of energy, State
departments of fish and wildlife, etc.)
tasked with planning, locating,
designing, and approving new or
upgraded electric transmission facilities.
Transmission associated with offshore
wind energy generation will need to be
sited both offshore and onshore.
Understanding the constraints related to
the shared use of new or existing
transmission rights-of-way will allow
transmission planning entities and
siting authorities to make decisions
using the best available information and
science. DOE is considering
recommendations to support planning
entities and siting authorities in the
decision-making process. In particular,
DOE seeks to understand transmission
siting constraints both offshore and
onshore, environmental and energy
justice priorities, community impacts,
information gaps, and technical
assistance needs through the following
questions:
1. What considerations need to be
accounted for when siting transmission
for offshore wind energy generation in
offshore locations on the West Coast?
a. For the considerations identified,
what information is currently available?
b. For the considerations identified,
do any lack existing data sources to rely
on? If no data sources are available, are
there existing methods to collect,
survey, or otherwise measure the
characteristics?
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2. What considerations need to be
accounted for when siting transmission
for offshore wind energy generation in
onshore locations on the West Coast?
a. For the considerations identified,
what information is currently available?
b. For the considerations identified,
do any lack existing data sources to rely
on? If no data sources are available, are
there existing methods to collect,
survey, or otherwise measure the
characteristics?
3. What environmental justice and
energy justice issues should inform how
transmission is sited and implemented
on the West Coast for offshore wind?
4. What specific topics about offshore
wind transmission siting, technology,
and benefits are not well understood by
yourself or your organization?
a. What types of educational materials
or research products, if any, would
improve your understanding and
awareness of these topics?
b. What format should these resources
be distributed in (e.g., written, webinar,
meetings, website content, technical
report, etc.)?
c. How should information from
ocean co-users 3 be integrated into
educational materials or research
products?
d. What specific data or information
can be provided by ocean co-users for
the purpose of filling knowledge gaps?
How should information from ocean cousers be disseminated or shared?
5. What forms of assistance (technical
assistance or otherwise) would support
efficient and equitable siting and
development of offshore wind
transmission infrastructure?
6. Do you have any additional
information or thoughts you want to
provide about transmission
infrastructure related to offshore wind
energy?
IV. Response Guidelines
Responses to the RFI must be
provided in writing and submitted
electronically to OSWTransmission@
hq.doe.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT
on October 3, 2024. Include ‘‘RFI for
Offshore Wind Transmission’’ in the
subject line of the email. Responses
must be provided as a Microsoft Word
(.docx) or PDF attachment to the email,
and no more than 10 pages in length,
12-point font, 1-inch margins. It is
recommended that attachments with file
sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed
(i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery.
Please do not feel obligated to submit
long, formal responses. If you or your
3 Ocean co-users include, but are not limited to,
fishing organizations, maritime shipping industry,
or other commercial and recreational ocean users.
E:\FR\FM\19AUN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 160 / Monday, August 19, 2024 / Notices
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
organization are resource-constrained
(time, staff, etc.) and only have the
capacity to share short or informal notes
or thoughts, DOE still wants to hear
from you.
For ease of replying and to aid
categorization of your responses, please
copy and paste the RFI questions,
including the question numbering, and
use them as a template for your
response. Respondents may answer as
many or as few questions as they wish.
DOE will not respond to individual
submissions. A response to this RFI will
not be viewed as a binding commitment
to develop or pursue the project or ideas
discussed.
Respondents are requested to provide
the following information at the start of
their response to this RFI:
• Company/institution/agency/
person name.
• Company/institution/agency/
person contact information.
This RFI is solely a request for
information and is not a grant
announcement. DOE is not accepting
applications, nor will DOE reimburse
any of respondents’ costs in preparing a
response. Any information obtained as a
result of this RFI is intended to be used
by the Federal Government on a nonattribution basis for planning and
strategy development; this RFI does not
constitute a formal announcement for
applications or abstracts. Your response
to this notice will be treated as
information only. DOE will review and
consider all responses in its formulation
of program strategies for the identified
materials of interest that are the subject
of this request. Respondents are advised
that DOE is under no obligation to
acknowledge receipt of the information
received or provide feedback to
respondents with respect to any
information submitted under this RFI.
Responses to this RFI do not bind DOE
to any further actions related to these
topics.
Sensitive Indigenous Knowledge and
Cultural Information
The intent of this RFI is not to solicit
any sensitive information about
cultural, traditional, sacred resources, or
Traditional Indigenous Knowledge that
is not already in the public domain.
Therefore, respondents are strongly
advised NOT to include any sensitive
information about cultural, traditional,
or sacred resources or Traditional
Indigenous Knowledge that respondents
would not want publicly released.
Tribal Nations should be aware that
responses to this RFI can be subject to
a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request and may result in the disclosure
of information to the public. If a Tribal
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18:07 Aug 16, 2024
Jkt 262001
Nation chooses to provide information
that the Tribal Nation believes to be
confidential and exempt by law from
public disclosure, the Tribal Nation
should submit via email two well
marked copies: one marked
‘‘information exempt from disclosure’’
and one marked ‘‘information subject to
disclosure’’ as described in the section
below. If a Tribal Nation wants to
discuss, among other topics related to
this RFI, concerns about sensitive
resources, the Tribal Nation is
encouraged to request tribal
consultation. Tribal Nations can find an
explanation on the scope of Federal
agencies’ authorities to limit the
disclosure of information about Tribal
resources to the public on pages 25 to
29 of the ‘‘Best Practices Guide for
Federal Agencies Regarding Tribal and
Native Hawaiian Sacred Sites.’’ 4
Confidential Business Information
Because information received in
response to this RFI may be used to
inform future programs and/or
otherwise be made available to the
public, respondents are strongly advised
NOT to include any information in their
responses that might be considered
confidential business information
pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11.
Any person submitting information
believed 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 Information’’
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. DOE will make its
own determination about the
confidential status of the information
and treat it according to its
determination. The copy containing
confidential information must include a
cover sheet marked as follows:
identifying the specific pages containing
confidential, proprietary, or privileged
information: ‘‘Notice of Restriction on
Disclosure and Use of Data: Pages [list
applicable pages] of this response may
contain confidential, commercial, or
financial information that is exempt
from public disclosure.’’ The
Government may use or disclose any
information that is not appropriately
marked or otherwise restricted,
regardless of source. In addition, (1) the
header and footer of every page that
contains confidential, proprietary, or
privileged information must be marked
as follows: ‘‘Contains Confidential,
4 https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/media_
document/sacred_sites_guide_508_2023-1205.pdf.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
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67077
Commercial, or Financial Information
Exempt from Public Disclosure’’; and (2)
every line and paragraph containing
proprietary, privileged, or trade secret
information must be clearly marked
with [[double brackets]] or highlighting.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on August 7, 2024,
by Maria D. Robinson, Director, Grid
Deployment Office, 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. The
administrative process in no way alters
the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on August 13,
2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024–18395 Filed 8–16–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
DOE/National Science Foundation
Nuclear Science Advisory Committee
Office of Science, Department
of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
AGENCY:
This notice announces an inperson meeting of the DOE/NSF Nuclear
Science Advisory Committee (NSAC).
The Federal Advisory Committee Act
requires that public notice of these
meetings be announced in the Federal
Register.
DATES: Thursday, September 12, 2024; 9
a.m.–5 p.m. EDT.
ADDRESSES: Hilton Washington DC/
Rockville Hotel & Executive Meeting
Center, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland 20852, (301) 468–1100.
Information to participate virtually
can be found on the NSAC website
closer to the meeting at: https://
science.osti.gov/np/nsac/meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brenda L. May, Committee Manager,
NSAC, (301) 903–0536, Email:
Brenda.May@science.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose of the Board: The purpose of
the Board is to provide advice and
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\19AUN1.SGM
19AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 160 (Monday, August 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67075-67077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18395]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Request for Information Regarding Interregional and Offshore Wind
Transmission
AGENCY: Grid Deployment Office, U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Request for information (RFI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides funding to the
Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to support convening relevant
stakeholders to address the development of interregional electricity
transmission and transmission of electricity that is generated by
offshore wind, and to conduct planning, modeling, and analysis
regarding interregional electricity transmission and transmission of
electricity generated by offshore wind. Transmission development is an
important priority to address reliability issues within the national
electrical grid and to improve the flow of new energy generation,
including offshore wind, both between regions and within regions to
meet national clean energy goals. The U.S.
[[Page 67076]]
Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) is issuing this
RFI to seek input from all parties regarding issues related to the
planning and development of electric transmission facilities to service
offshore wind power generating stations on the U.S. West Coast.
DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before
October 3, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments to
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
may be sent to [email protected]. Questions about the RFI may
be addressed to Katherine Segal, (301) 820-2892;
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction
Act (IRA).\1\ The IRA makes the single largest investment in climate
and energy in American history, enabling America to tackle the climate
crisis and putting the United States on a pathway to achieving the
Biden-Harris Administration's climate goals, including a net-zero
economy by 2050. Within section 50153, the IRA provides funding for the
Department to support convening ``relevant stakeholders to address the
development of interregional electricity transmission and transmission
of electricity that is generated by offshore wind,'' and to ``conduct
planning, modeling, and analysis regarding interregional electricity
transmission and transmission of electricity generated by offshore
wind.'' \2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Inflation Reduction Act, Public Law 117-169 (August 16,
2022).
\2\ Inflation Reduction Act, Public Law 117-169 (August 16,
2022).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Purpose
The purpose of this RFI is to gather information about siting
offshore wind electricity transmission infrastructure from recreational
and commercial ocean users, offshore wind or maritime industries,
government entities (Tribal, Federal, State, county, or local
government agencies), and the public. As part of this RFI, DOE is
primarily interested in feedback on the transmission infrastructure
associated with offshore wind and not the offshore wind generation
turbines themselves. Transmission infrastructure includes electrical
cables, cable corridors, substations, transformers, converters, and
other associated equipment located both offshore and onshore.
Information provided as part of this RFI will be used by GDO and
the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), U.S. Department of the
Interior, as part of the West Coast Offshore Wind Transmission
Convening Series. Feedback gathered through this RFI, and the Convening
Series will support GDO and BOEM in the development of West Coast
offshore wind transmission recommendations. These recommendations will
not include any regulatory actions or siting decisions. For examples of
the types of recommendations that DOE and BOEM might develop for the
West Coast, please see An Action Plan for Offshore Wind Transmission
Development in the U.S. Atlantic Region (www.energy.gov/gdo/atlantic-offshore-wind-transmission-action-plan).
III. Request for Information
Planning and siting transmission infrastructure for offshore wind
energy involves several authorities (e.g., BOEM, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC), independent system operators and regional
transmission organizations, public utility commissions, State
departments of energy, State departments of fish and wildlife, etc.)
tasked with planning, locating, designing, and approving new or
upgraded electric transmission facilities. Transmission associated with
offshore wind energy generation will need to be sited both offshore and
onshore. Understanding the constraints related to the shared use of new
or existing transmission rights-of-way will allow transmission planning
entities and siting authorities to make decisions using the best
available information and science. DOE is considering recommendations
to support planning entities and siting authorities in the decision-
making process. In particular, DOE seeks to understand transmission
siting constraints both offshore and onshore, environmental and energy
justice priorities, community impacts, information gaps, and technical
assistance needs through the following questions:
1. What considerations need to be accounted for when siting
transmission for offshore wind energy generation in offshore locations
on the West Coast?
a. For the considerations identified, what information is currently
available?
b. For the considerations identified, do any lack existing data
sources to rely on? If no data sources are available, are there
existing methods to collect, survey, or otherwise measure the
characteristics?
2. What considerations need to be accounted for when siting
transmission for offshore wind energy generation in onshore locations
on the West Coast?
a. For the considerations identified, what information is currently
available?
b. For the considerations identified, do any lack existing data
sources to rely on? If no data sources are available, are there
existing methods to collect, survey, or otherwise measure the
characteristics?
3. What environmental justice and energy justice issues should
inform how transmission is sited and implemented on the West Coast for
offshore wind?
4. What specific topics about offshore wind transmission siting,
technology, and benefits are not well understood by yourself or your
organization?
a. What types of educational materials or research products, if
any, would improve your understanding and awareness of these topics?
b. What format should these resources be distributed in (e.g.,
written, webinar, meetings, website content, technical report, etc.)?
c. How should information from ocean co-users \3\ be integrated
into educational materials or research products?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Ocean co-users include, but are not limited to, fishing
organizations, maritime shipping industry, or other commercial and
recreational ocean users.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
d. What specific data or information can be provided by ocean co-
users for the purpose of filling knowledge gaps? How should information
from ocean co-users be disseminated or shared?
5. What forms of assistance (technical assistance or otherwise)
would support efficient and equitable siting and development of
offshore wind transmission infrastructure?
6. Do you have any additional information or thoughts you want to
provide about transmission infrastructure related to offshore wind
energy?
IV. Response Guidelines
Responses to the RFI must be provided in writing and submitted
electronically to [email protected] no later than 5:00 p.m.
EDT on October 3, 2024. Include ``RFI for Offshore Wind Transmission''
in the subject line of the email. Responses must be provided as a
Microsoft Word (.docx) or PDF attachment to the email, and no more than
10 pages in length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. It is recommended
that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e.,
zipped) to ensure message delivery. Please do not feel obligated to
submit long, formal responses. If you or your
[[Page 67077]]
organization are resource-constrained (time, staff, etc.) and only have
the capacity to share short or informal notes or thoughts, DOE still
wants to hear from you.
For ease of replying and to aid categorization of your responses,
please copy and paste the RFI questions, including the question
numbering, and use them as a template for your response. Respondents
may answer as many or as few questions as they wish. DOE will not
respond to individual submissions. A response to this RFI will not be
viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or
ideas discussed.
Respondents are requested to provide the following information at
the start of their response to this RFI:
Company/institution/agency/person name.
Company/institution/agency/person contact information.
This RFI is solely a request for information and is not a grant
announcement. DOE is not accepting applications, nor will DOE reimburse
any of respondents' costs in preparing a response. Any information
obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the Federal
Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy
development; this RFI does not constitute a formal announcement for
applications or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated
as information only. DOE will review and consider all responses in its
formulation of program strategies for the identified materials of
interest that are the subject of this request. Respondents are advised
that DOE is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the
information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to
any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not
bind DOE to any further actions related to these topics.
Sensitive Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Information
The intent of this RFI is not to solicit any sensitive information
about cultural, traditional, sacred resources, or Traditional
Indigenous Knowledge that is not already in the public domain.
Therefore, respondents are strongly advised NOT to include any
sensitive information about cultural, traditional, or sacred resources
or Traditional Indigenous Knowledge that respondents would not want
publicly released. Tribal Nations should be aware that responses to
this RFI can be subject to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request
and may result in the disclosure of information to the public. If a
Tribal Nation chooses to provide information that the Tribal Nation
believes to be confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure,
the Tribal Nation should submit via email two well marked copies: one
marked ``information exempt from disclosure'' and one marked
``information subject to disclosure'' as described in the section
below. If a Tribal Nation wants to discuss, among other topics related
to this RFI, concerns about sensitive resources, the Tribal Nation is
encouraged to request tribal consultation. Tribal Nations can find an
explanation on the scope of Federal agencies' authorities to limit the
disclosure of information about Tribal resources to the public on pages
25 to 29 of the ``Best Practices Guide for Federal Agencies Regarding
Tribal and Native Hawaiian Sacred Sites.'' \4\
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\4\ https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/media_document/sacred_sites_guide_508_2023-1205.pdf.
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Confidential Business Information
Because information received in response to this RFI may be used to
inform future programs and/or otherwise be made available to the
public, respondents are strongly advised NOT to include any information
in their responses that might be considered confidential business
information pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11.
Any person submitting information believed 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
Information'' 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. DOE will make
its own determination about the confidential status of the information
and treat it according to its determination. The copy containing
confidential information must include a cover sheet marked as follows:
identifying the specific pages containing confidential, proprietary, or
privileged information: ``Notice of Restriction on Disclosure and Use
of Data: Pages [list applicable pages] of this response may contain
confidential, commercial, or financial information that is exempt from
public disclosure.'' The Government may use or disclose any information
that is not appropriately marked or otherwise restricted, regardless of
source. In addition, (1) the header and footer of every page that
contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be
marked as follows: ``Contains Confidential, Commercial, or Financial
Information Exempt from Public Disclosure''; and (2) every line and
paragraph containing proprietary, privileged, or trade secret
information must be clearly marked with [[double brackets]] or
highlighting.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on August 7,
2024, by Maria D. Robinson, Director, Grid Deployment Office, 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. The administrative process in no way
alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the
Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on August 13, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-18395 Filed 8-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
