Department of Energy August 24, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Energy (DOE), pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, intends to extend for three years the information collection package entitled, ``Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program.'' Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the extended information collections are necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the information collections, 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 information collections on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of the document, Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Orlando Gasification Project (DOE/EIS-0383), for public comment. The draft environmental impact statement (EIS) analyzes the potential environmental consequences of providing federal funding for the design, engineering, construction, and operation of facilities at Orlando Utilities Commission's (OUC's) existing Stanton Energy Center near Orlando, Florida. The project has been selected by DOE for further consideration under the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) to demonstrate advanced power generation systems using Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology. DOE has awarded a cooperative agreement to SCS for a project definition phase during which SCS will complete a detailed Project Management Plan, prepare environmental information and permit applications, and perform Front- End Engineering Design activities. The Department prepared this draft EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations that implement the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the DOE procedures implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 1021). DOE's proposed action (and preferred alternative) is to provide cost-shared funding to design, construct, and operate the Orlando Gasification Project. Although DOE funding would support only the Orlando Gasification Project (i.e., coal gasifier, synthesis gas cleanup systems, and supporting infrastructure), the project would be integrated with a planned, privately funded, combined-cycle unit, which together would constitute the IGCC facilities. The facilities would convert coal into synthesis gas to drive a gas combustion turbine, and hot exhaust gas from the gas turbine would generate steam in a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) to drive a steam turbine. Combined, the two turbines would generate 285 MW (megawatts) of electricity. The potential environmental impacts of this action are evaluated in this Draft EIS. DOE also analyzed the No-Action Alternative (not funding the demonstration), including a scenario reasonably expected to result as a consequence of the no-action alternative. Without DOE participation, Southern Company and/or OUC could reasonably pursue at least one option. The combined-cycle facilities could be built at the Stanton Energy Center without the gasifier, synthesis gas cleanup systems, and supporting infrastructure.