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

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.

Today's notice publishes a Petition for Waiver from Whirlpool Corporation. This Petition for Waiver (hereafter ``Whirlpool Petition'') requests the Department to modify the clothes washer test procedure for the Whirlpool High Impeller line of clothes washers with basket volumes greater than 3.8 cubic feet and less than 3.9 cubic feet. The Department of Energy (hereafter ``Department'' or ``DOE'') is soliciting comments, data and information with respect to the Whirlpool Petition. Today's notice also grants an Interim Waiver to Whirlpool from the existing DOE automatic and semi-automatic clothes washer test procedure for the company's High Impeller line of clothes washers with basket volumes greater than 3.8 cubic feet and less than 3.9 cubic feet.

This notice announces the availability of the Department of Energy's draft Strategic Plan. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 requires that Federal agencies update their strategic plans every three years and, in doing so, solicit the views and suggestions of those entities potentially affected by or interested in the plan. Therefore, the Department is interested in receiving comments on our draft Strategic Plan.

On May 19, 2006, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) proposing to amend its regulations to revise Subpart H to Part 35 of the Code of Federal Regulations governing market-based rates for public utilities pursuant to the Federal Power Act. 71 FR 33101 (2006). The date for filing reply comments on the proposed rule is extended at the request of the Edison Electric Institute.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) requires that in the case of electric motors of 1 to 500 horsepower, Federal agencies shall select and purchase only premium efficient motors that meet a specification designated by the Secretary of Energy (Secretary). DOE today designates the specifications developed by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) under Executive Order 13123 as the specification for premium efficient motors for purposes of Federal purchasing. The specifications in today's final standard are identical to those in a temporary standard published for public comment on February 14, 2006. This final standard is consistent with standards recommended by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) and other energy efficiency groups.