Notice of Availability: Opportunity for Public Feedback on the Government-Creditor Agreement, 85180-85182 [2024-24848]

Download as PDF 85180 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2024 / Notices ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1 National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 115–232) (2 CFR 200.216); (c) Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States (2 CFR 200.322); and (d) Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities (2 CFR 200.340). VI. Award Administration Information 1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to access an electronic version of your GAN. We also may notify you informally. If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you. 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify administrative and national policy requirements in the application package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice. We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved application as part of your binding commitments under the grant. 3. Open Licensing Requirements: Unless an exception applies, if you are awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to openly license to the public grant deliverables created in whole, or in part, with Department grant funds. When the deliverable consists of modifications to pre-existing works, the license extends only to those modifications that can be separately identified and only to the extent that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or other legal restrictions on the use of pre-existing works. Additionally, a grantee or subgrantee that is awarded competitive grant funds must have a plan to disseminate these public grant deliverables. This dissemination plan can be developed and submitted after your application has been reviewed and selected for funding. For additional information on the open licensing requirements please refer to 2 CFR 3474.20. 4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and systems to comply with the reporting requirements VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:40 Oct 24, 2024 Jkt 265001 in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b). (b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multiyear award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, please go to https:// www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/ apply-grant/grant-application-andother-forms. 5. Performance Measures: For the purposes of Department reporting under 34 CFR 75.110, the following measure will be used by the Department to evaluate the success of the GPA shortterm program: the percentage of GPA short-term project participants who disseminated information about or materials from their group project abroad through more than one outreach activity within 6 months of returning to their home institution. The following measure will be used by the Department to evaluate the success of the GPA longterm program: the percentage of GPA long-term project participants who increased their reading, writing, and/or listening/speaking foreign language scores by one proficiency level. The efficiency of the GPA long-term program will be measured by considering the cost per GPA participant who increased his/her foreign language score in reading, writing, and/or listening/ speaking by at least one proficiency level. The information provided by grantees in their performance reports submitted via the International Resource Information System (IRIS) will be the source of data for this measure. Reporting screens for institutions can be viewed at: https://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/ gpa_director.pdf and https://iris.ed.gov/ iris/pdfs/gpa_participant.pdf. VII. Other Information Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 file, braille, large print, audiotape, compact disc, or other accessible format. Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other Department documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site. You may also access Department documents published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department. Nasser H. Paydar, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. [FR Doc. 2024–24900 Filed 10–24–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Notice of Availability: Opportunity for Public Feedback on the GovernmentCreditor Agreement Office of Infrastructure, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. AGENCY: The Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) Office of Infrastructure is providing notice to the public of an informal opportunity to comment on DOE’s GovernmentCreditor Agreement (GCA), which is a proposed agreement setting forth the relative rights and responsibilities between DOE and entities having a secured interest in DOE-funded tangible property or property provided as cost share in a DOE financial assistance award. The Department seeks input from interested stakeholders but especially encourages lenders and their counsels to provide feedback, particularly on whether there are aspects of the GCA that may prevent lenders from participating in a financing that includes a DOE financial assistance award. This is an informal opportunity to comment on the GCA, but DOE intends to make public a summary of comments received by general topic area as well as the finalized version of the GCA. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\25OCN1.SGM 25OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2024 / Notices Written comments on the GCA are requested no later than 11:59 p.m. (ET) on November 26, 2024. ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments electronically to GCA@hq.doe.gov in accordance with the Response Guidelines in section IV of this document. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to Rachel Gould, GCA@hq.doe.gov or (202) 586– 6116. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DATES: ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1 I. General Overview In May 2024, Under Secretary for Infrastructure David Crane issued a commercialization and financing memorandum,1 affirming the imperative to mobilize private sector investment in DOE-funded projects. One issue discussed in the memorandum is DOE’s tangible property interest in connection with its financial assistance awards. The memorandum notes the following: ‘‘DOE will enter into one or more standardized Consent Agreement(s) with recipients and third-party lenders clarifying that DOE’s interest in the property will not be senior to that of the lender but is expected to be on a pari passu basis.’’ Currently, many DOE Federal financial assistance recipients have terms in their cooperative agreements or grants that are consistent with this memorandum. DOE has developed a standardized Consent Agreement (currently referred to as the ‘‘Government-Creditor Agreement’’ (GCA)) which, among other things, provides clarification on lenders rights and remedies with respect to DOE’s interest in the property, and expectations and other reasonable protections in a DOE-funded project. DOE is providing an opportunity for informal public comment on the GCA. The GCA and additional context for comment is available on the Government-Creditor Agreement web page.2 Prior to reviewing the GCA, it is important to understand the basis of DOE’s tangible property interest, which is not a typical security interest. DOE has prepared a ‘‘User’s Guide to DOE’s Property Interest in DOE Financial Assistance Awards’’ 3 to assist in understanding DOE’s approach to the 1 www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/ Office%20of%20Infrastructure%20 Commercialization%20and%20Financing% 20Memo%20052324.pdf. 2 https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/ government-creditor-agreement. 3 www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/ User’s%20Guide%20to%20DOE’s%20Property% 20Interest%20in%20DOE%20Financial% 20Assistance%20Awards.pdf. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:40 Oct 24, 2024 Jkt 265001 relevant financial assistance regulations and policies regarding DOE’s property interest, and DOE also encourages commenters to review this User’s Guide prior to providing comments. II. Government-Creditor Agreement Overview The GCA open for public comment is primarily targeted at nonrecourse or limited-recourse project financings with a single lender. DOE recognizes that there may be other financing structures and that technical adjustments will need to be made to accommodate these different forms of financing. Following the finalization of this document after the public comment, DOE will develop subsequent versions that account for other potential financing structures, such as multiple lenders with collateral agents, new or existing corporate level debt, etc. The GCA contains three articles: Article 1 outlines the rights and remedies between the parties, Article 2 outlines notices, and Article 3 outlines other miscellaneous items. DOE acknowledges that lenders look to protect themselves in a downside scenario. In a similar way, DOE looks to protect itself and the taxpayer’s interests in both the property itself and the performance of the award which may depend on the continued use of the property. Accordingly, DOE is including provisions in the GCA designed to preserve the lender’s ability to protect its collateral, exercise its fundamental rights under its security document, and provide clarity on any sharing of proceeds, if applicable, within the confines of the applicable regulatory framework for financial assistance awards and DOE policy. III. Requested Information From Respondents DOE is opening the GCA for public comment to gather input in the development of a standard GCA template. DOE aims to release a standard GCA template by end of Q4 2024 or beginning Q1 2025. DOE may host a webinar to explain the GCA and address commonly asked questions approximately 15 days into this public comment period. Commenters will not receive individual responses. DOE has sole discretion over any changes made to the GCA prior to finalizing the GCA. DOE intends to provide a summary of comments by general topic as well as publishing the final standardized GCA template. In reviewing the GCA, DOE encourages commenters to recognize that DOE is not a creditor in the traditional commercial sense, which is PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 85181 reflected in the GCA. DOE is familiar with long-form intercreditor and similar agreements and has carefully considered relevant provisions to include in this GCA in the context of financial assistance awards. Accordingly, comments that request significant portions of a standard intercreditor agreement be incorporated in the GCA without taking into account the nature of the DOE-lender relationship or without considering the restrictions contained in the financial assistance regulatory framework, will not be incorporated. DOE is particularly interested in feedback regarding any specific provisions that may not have been incorporated in the GCA, or additions or variations to any of the included provisions that, without change, would likely prevent lenders from participating in a financing that includes a DOE financial assistance award. The GCA should be reviewed with this in mind as well as a thorough understanding of DOE’s undivided reversionary interest.4 IV. Response Guidelines Interested parties may submit comments electronically to GCA@ hq.doe.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. (ET) on November 26, 2024. Comments received after this date or submitted anonymously will not be considered. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. Responses must include respondent name and organization and, if possible, include the specific connection(s) to DOE-funded projects. DOE recommends that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25 MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (*.docx) or Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) attachment to the email, and no more than 10 pages in length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted. DOE strongly prefers that commenters provide narrative comments organized by topic area, and not a suggested redline of the GCA. Responses including confidential business information should not be submitted but will be handled per the following guidance in section V of this document. V. Confidential Business Information Because comments are sought for the development of a standard GCA template intended for use in a variety of different DOE financial assistance 4 www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/ User’s%20Guide%20to%20DOE’s%20Property% 20Interest%20in%20DOE%20Financial% 20Assistance%20Awards.pdf. E:\FR\FM\25OCN1.SGM 25OCN1 85182 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2024 / Notices awards, respondents are strongly advised NOT to include any information in their responses that might be considered business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. DOE may reject any submissions containing 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 wellmarked 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. Failure to comply with these marking requirements may result in the disclosure of the unmarked information under the Freedom of Information Act or otherwise. The U.S. Government is not liable for the disclosure or use of unmarked information and may use or disclose such information for any purpose. If your response contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information, you 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, proprietary, or privileged information that is exempt from public disclosure. Such information shall be used or disclosed only for the purposes described in this RFI. The Government may use or disclose any information that is not appropriately marked or otherwise restricted, regardless of source. ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1 In addition, (1) the header and footer of every page that contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be marked as follows: ‘‘Contains Confidential, Proprietary, or Privileged 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 October 18, 2024, by David Crane, Under Secretary for Infrastructure, Office of Infrastructure, 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 October 22, 2024. Treena V. Garrett, Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy. [FR Doc. 2024–24848 Filed 10–24–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed North Plains Connector Project, Colstrip, Montana to Center/St. Anthony, North Dakota Grid Deployment Office, Department of Energy. AGENCY: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement and request for comments. ACTION: Date Time Wednesday, November 6, 2024 ..... Thursday, November 7, 2024 ......... Tuesday, November 12, 2024 ........ Wednesday, November 13, 2024 ... Tuesday, November 19, 2024 ........ 4–7 p.m. CT ..... 6–9 p.m. MT ..... 4–7 p.m. MT ..... 6–9 p.m. MT ..... 12–3 p.m. MT ... If any additional scoping meetings are scheduled, the date(s) and location(s) of those meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through the GDO North Plains Connector Project website: https://www.energy.gov/nepa/ doeeis-0568-north-plains-connectormultiple-locations. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:40 Oct 24, 2024 Jkt 265001 In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, and the Federal Power Act (FPA), as amended, the Grid Deployment Office (GDO), Department of Energy (DOE), in coordination with Federal cooperating agencies—the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Miles City Field Office, Miles City, MT; the United States Forest Service (USFS), an agency of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Dakota Prairie Grasslands, Bismarck, ND; and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, Miles City, MT— intends to prepare jointly, with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (Montana DEQ), an environmental impact statement (EIS; DOE/EIS–0568) to analyze the potential environmental impacts of granting authorizations to North Plains Connector LLC for siting, constructing, operating, and maintaining the North Plains Connector Project (‘‘the proposed Project’’), an up to 525-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) electrical transmission line connecting the Eastern and Western Interconnections (also referred to as the eastern and western grids). By this notice, GDO is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues, impacts, and possible need for mitigation. SUMMARY: This notice initiates the publicscoping process for the EIS. GDO requests that the public submit comments concerning the scope of the analysis, potential alternatives and impacts, and identification of relevant information, analyses, and studies by December 9, 2024. GDO will hold five scoping meetings on the following dates at the following locations: DATES: Location/format Venue Twenty5, 3796 ND Hwy. 25, Mandan, ND 58554. Astoria Event Center, 363 15 St. W, Dickinson, ND 58601. Custer County Event Center, 42 Garryowen Road RC, Miles City, MT 59301. Colstrip City Hall, 12 Cherry Street, Colstrip, MT 59323. VIRTUAL via Webex, register here: https://bit.ly/NorthPlainsVirtual. You can comment on the proposed Project by contacting Rebecca ‘‘RJ’’ Boyle, NEPA Document Manager, by any of the following methods: • Email: northplainsconnector@ hq.doe.gov. • Mail: Rebecca ‘‘RJ’’ Boyle, NPC NEPA Document Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Grid Deployment ADDRESSES: PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Office, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585. Documents pertinent to this NOI may be examined online at https:// www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0568north-plains-connector-multiplelocations. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca ‘‘RJ’’ Boyle, GDO NEPA E:\FR\FM\25OCN1.SGM 25OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 207 (Friday, October 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85180-85182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24848]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Availability: Opportunity for Public Feedback on the 
Government-Creditor Agreement

AGENCY: Office of Infrastructure, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) Office of 
Infrastructure is providing notice to the public of an informal 
opportunity to comment on DOE's Government-Creditor Agreement (GCA), 
which is a proposed agreement setting forth the relative rights and 
responsibilities between DOE and entities having a secured interest in 
DOE-funded tangible property or property provided as cost share in a 
DOE financial assistance award. The Department seeks input from 
interested stakeholders but especially encourages lenders and their 
counsels to provide feedback, particularly on whether there are aspects 
of the GCA that may prevent lenders from participating in a financing 
that includes a DOE financial assistance award. This is an informal 
opportunity to comment on the GCA, but DOE intends to make public a 
summary of comments received by general topic area as well as the 
finalized version of the GCA.

[[Page 85181]]


DATES: Written comments on the GCA are requested no later than 11:59 
p.m. (ET) on November 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments electronically to 
[email protected] in accordance with the Response Guidelines in section IV 
of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to Rachel 
Gould, [email protected] or (202) 586-6116.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Overview

    In May 2024, Under Secretary for Infrastructure David Crane issued 
a commercialization and financing memorandum,\1\ affirming the 
imperative to mobilize private sector investment in DOE-funded 
projects. One issue discussed in the memorandum is DOE's tangible 
property interest in connection with its financial assistance awards. 
The memorandum notes the following: ``DOE will enter into one or more 
standardized Consent Agreement(s) with recipients and third-party 
lenders clarifying that DOE's interest in the property will not be 
senior to that of the lender but is expected to be on a pari passu 
basis.'' Currently, many DOE Federal financial assistance recipients 
have terms in their cooperative agreements or grants that are 
consistent with this memorandum.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/Office%20of%20Infrastructure%20Commercialization%20and%20Financing%20Memo%20052324.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOE has developed a standardized Consent Agreement (currently 
referred to as the ``Government-Creditor Agreement'' (GCA)) which, 
among other things, provides clarification on lenders rights and 
remedies with respect to DOE's interest in the property, and 
expectations and other reasonable protections in a DOE-funded project. 
DOE is providing an opportunity for informal public comment on the GCA. 
The GCA and additional context for comment is available on the 
Government-Creditor Agreement web page.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/government-creditor-agreement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Prior to reviewing the GCA, it is important to understand the basis 
of DOE's tangible property interest, which is not a typical security 
interest. DOE has prepared a ``User's Guide to DOE's Property Interest 
in DOE Financial Assistance Awards'' \3\ to assist in understanding 
DOE's approach to the relevant financial assistance regulations and 
policies regarding DOE's property interest, and DOE also encourages 
commenters to review this User's Guide prior to providing comments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/User's%20Guide%20to%20DOE's%20Property%20Interest%20in%20DOE%20Financ
ial%20Assistance%20Awards.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. Government-Creditor Agreement Overview

    The GCA open for public comment is primarily targeted at 
nonrecourse or limited-recourse project financings with a single 
lender. DOE recognizes that there may be other financing structures and 
that technical adjustments will need to be made to accommodate these 
different forms of financing. Following the finalization of this 
document after the public comment, DOE will develop subsequent versions 
that account for other potential financing structures, such as multiple 
lenders with collateral agents, new or existing corporate level debt, 
etc.
    The GCA contains three articles: Article 1 outlines the rights and 
remedies between the parties, Article 2 outlines notices, and Article 3 
outlines other miscellaneous items. DOE acknowledges that lenders look 
to protect themselves in a downside scenario. In a similar way, DOE 
looks to protect itself and the taxpayer's interests in both the 
property itself and the performance of the award which may depend on 
the continued use of the property. Accordingly, DOE is including 
provisions in the GCA designed to preserve the lender's ability to 
protect its collateral, exercise its fundamental rights under its 
security document, and provide clarity on any sharing of proceeds, if 
applicable, within the confines of the applicable regulatory framework 
for financial assistance awards and DOE policy.

III. Requested Information From Respondents

    DOE is opening the GCA for public comment to gather input in the 
development of a standard GCA template. DOE aims to release a standard 
GCA template by end of Q4 2024 or beginning Q1 2025. DOE may host a 
webinar to explain the GCA and address commonly asked questions 
approximately 15 days into this public comment period. Commenters will 
not receive individual responses. DOE has sole discretion over any 
changes made to the GCA prior to finalizing the GCA. DOE intends to 
provide a summary of comments by general topic as well as publishing 
the final standardized GCA template.
    In reviewing the GCA, DOE encourages commenters to recognize that 
DOE is not a creditor in the traditional commercial sense, which is 
reflected in the GCA. DOE is familiar with long-form intercreditor and 
similar agreements and has carefully considered relevant provisions to 
include in this GCA in the context of financial assistance awards. 
Accordingly, comments that request significant portions of a standard 
intercreditor agreement be incorporated in the GCA without taking into 
account the nature of the DOE-lender relationship or without 
considering the restrictions contained in the financial assistance 
regulatory framework, will not be incorporated. DOE is particularly 
interested in feedback regarding any specific provisions that may not 
have been incorporated in the GCA, or additions or variations to any of 
the included provisions that, without change, would likely prevent 
lenders from participating in a financing that includes a DOE financial 
assistance award. The GCA should be reviewed with this in mind as well 
as a thorough understanding of DOE's undivided reversionary 
interest.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/User's%20Guide%20to%20DOE's%20Property%20Interest%20in%20DOE%20Financ
ial%20Assistance%20Awards.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. Response Guidelines

    Interested parties may submit comments electronically to 
[email protected] no later than 11:59 p.m. (ET) on November 26, 2024. 
Comments received after this date or submitted anonymously will not be 
considered. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email.
    Responses must include respondent name and organization and, if 
possible, include the specific connection(s) to DOE-funded projects. 
DOE recommends that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25 MB be 
compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be 
provided as a Microsoft Word (*.docx) or Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) 
attachment to the email, and no more than 10 pages in length, 12-point 
font, 1-inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.
    DOE strongly prefers that commenters provide narrative comments 
organized by topic area, and not a suggested redline of the GCA.
    Responses including confidential business information should not be 
submitted but will be handled per the following guidance in section V 
of this document.

V. Confidential Business Information

    Because comments are sought for the development of a standard GCA 
template intended for use in a variety of different DOE financial 
assistance

[[Page 85182]]

awards, respondents are strongly advised NOT to include any information 
in their responses that might be considered business sensitive, 
proprietary, or otherwise confidential. DOE may reject any submissions 
containing 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. Failure to comply with these marking requirements may result 
in the disclosure of the unmarked information under the Freedom of 
Information Act or otherwise. The U.S. Government is not liable for the 
disclosure or use of unmarked information and may use or disclose such 
information for any purpose.
    If your response contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged 
information, you 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, 
proprietary, or privileged information that is exempt from public 
disclosure. Such information shall be used or disclosed only for the 
purposes described in this RFI. 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, Proprietary, or Privileged 
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 October 18, 
2024, by David Crane, Under Secretary for Infrastructure, Office of 
Infrastructure, 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 October 22, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-24848 Filed 10-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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