Department of Energy August 11, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality NEPA regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508), and the DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR Part 1021), to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of a project proposed by Southern Company in partnership with Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), which has been selected by DOE under the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) program. The proposed project would demonstrate advanced power generation systems using Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology at OUC's Stanton Energy Center near Orlando, Florida. The facilities would convert coal into synthesis gas for generating between 285 and 330 MW (megawatts) of electricity while substantially reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and mercury, as compared to conventional coal-fired power plants. The EIS will help DOE decide whether to provide approximately $235 million in cost-shared funding (about 42% of the total cost of approximately $557 million) for the proposed project. Accordingly, the EIS will evaluate the potential impacts of the proposed project and reasonable alternatives. The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to inform the public about the proposed project; invite public participation in the EIS process; announce the plans for a public scoping meeting; and solicit public comments for consideration in establishing the scope and content of the EIS.