Department of Energy March 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee under the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that agencies publish these notices in the Federal Register to allow for public participation.

Pursuant to Article VIII.C of the Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Civil Uses of Atomic Energy, signed April 4, 1972, as amended, the American Institute in Taiwan and the Tapei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) hereby jointly determine that the provisions in Article XI of the Agreement may be effectively applied with respect to the plan proposed by TECRO in February 2006 for the alteration in form or content of irradiated fuel elements at the hot laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Lungtan, Taiwan. The facility is hereby found acceptable to both parties pursuant to Article VIII.C of the Agreement for the sole purpose of alteration in form or content of irradiated fuel elements for the period ending December 31, 2010. In accordance with section 131 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, we have determined that this subsequent arrangement will not be inimical to the common defense and security. This subsequent arrangement will take effect no sooner than fifteen days after the date of publication of this notice.

Pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) section 1252(e)(3),\1\ the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is required to prepare a report, by appropriate region, that assesses demand response resources, including those available from all consumer classes. To gather information for this report, a voluntary survey will be issued to 3,372 respondents to gather information on advanced metering (AMI) and demand response (DR) and time-based rate programs.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is discontinuing the collection of data on the Forms EIA-182, ``Domestic Crude Oil First Purchase Report,'' and EIA-856, ``Monthly Foreign Crude Oil Acquisition Report.''

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is providing this Advance Notice of Intent (ANOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) Technology Demonstration Program. The GNEP Technology Demonstration Program would demonstrate certain technologies that could change the way spent nuclear fuel from commercial light-water nuclear power reactors is managed. This EIS will inform DOE officials and the public of the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, which is to demonstrate U.S. capability to safely recycle spent nuclear fuel using proliferation-resistant separation processes and the conversion of transuranics into shorter-lived radioisotopes. The proposed action includes three key elements that would comprise a proliferation-resistant closed fuel cycle: (1) The demonstration of separation processes in which usable and waste materials that are found in spent nuclear fuel are separated; (2) the demonstration of the conversion of transuranics; and (3) the demonstration of an advanced fuel fabrication process. The EIS will evaluate all reasonable alternative technologies and locations for the key elements of the proposed GNEP Technology Demonstration Program. New facilities and modifications to existing facilities might be required for the Technology Demonstration Program. The EIS will address siting, construction or modification, and operation of these facilities. DOE is issuing this ANOI, pursuant to its NEPA regulations at 10 CFR 1021.311(b), to inform and request early comments from Federal agencies, state and local governments, Native American tribes, industry, other organizations, and members of the public regarding the proposed action, the reasonable alternatives, and the potential environmental impacts.