Department of Energy May 23, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and DOE's NEPA implementing procedures (10 CFR Part 1021) to assess the potential environmental impacts of DOE's proposed action: providing approximately $1 billion in Federal funding (most of it appropriated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ``ARRA'') for the FutureGen 2.0 program. DOE has prepared this Notice of Intent (NOI) to inform interested parties of the pending EIS and to invite public comments on the proposed action, including: (1) The range of environmental issues, (2) the alternatives to be analyzed, and (3) the impacts to be considered in the EIS. The NOI also provides notice in accordance with 10 CFR Part 1022 (DOE's regulations for compliance with floodplain and wetland review requirements) that the proposed project may involve potential impacts to floodplains and wetlands. The FutureGen 2.0 program would provide financial assistance for the repowering of an existing electricity generator with clean coal technologies integrated with a pipeline that would transport carbon dioxide (CO2) to a sequestration site where it would be injected and stored in a deep geologic formation. DOE entered into separate cooperative agreements with Ameren Energy Resources (Ameren) and with the FutureGen Alliance (the Alliance) that define DOE's proposed action. This program consists of an Oxy-Combustion Large Scale Test undertaken by Ameren at its Meredosia Power Station in west central Illinois and a Pipeline and CO2 Storage Reservoir undertaken by the Alliance. In addition, the Alliance would construct and operate facilities for research, training, and visitors in the vicinity of the sequestration site. The Alliance has identified its preferred sequestration site in Morgan County, Illinois, and two alternative sites, one in Christian County, Illinois and one in Douglas County, Illinois. The program would provide performance and emissions data as well as establish operating and maintenance experience that would facilitate future large-scale commercial deployment of these technologies. DOE would provide technical and programmatic guidance to Ameren and the Alliance and oversee activities for compliance with the terms of the cooperative agreements. DOE is responsible for NEPA compliance activities. DOE encourages government agencies, private-sector organizations, and the general public to participate in the FutureGen 2.0 program through the NEPA process. DOE will consult with interested Native American Tribes and Federal, state, regional and local agencies during preparation of the EIS. Further, DOE invites agencies with jurisdiction by law or special expertise to participate as cooperating agencies in the preparation of this EIS.

This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

This notice announces receipt of and publishes a petition for waiver from LG Electronics, Inc. (LG). The petition for waiver (hereafter ``petition'') requests a waiver from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure applicable to commercial package air-source and water-source central air conditioners and heat pumps. The petition is specific to the variable capacity Multi V SYNC II and Multi V Water II (commercial) multi-split heat pump models specified in LG's petition. Through this document, DOE: (1) Solicits comments, data, and information with respect to the LG petition; and (2) announces the grant of an interim waiver to LG from the existing DOE test procedure for the subject commercial multi-split air conditioners and heat pumps.