Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices 3255 

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 

part 79. One of the objectives of the 

Executive order is to foster an 

intergovernmental partnership and a 

strengthened federalism. The Executive 

order relies on processes developed by 

State and local governments for 

coordination and review of proposed 

Federal financial assistance. 

This document provides early 

notification of our specific plans and 

actions for this program. 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the contact person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the 

official edition of the Federal Register 

and the Code of Federal Regulations is 

available via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you 

can view this document, as well as all 

other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF). To use PDF you must 

have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Dated: January 18, 2012. 

Michael Yudin, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and 

Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2012–1247 Filed 1–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Notice of 229 Boundary Revision at the 

Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant 

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Notices concerning 

unauthorized entry into or upon areas, 

buildings, and other facilities of the 

Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, 

located in McCracken County, KY, 

published at (30 FR 13287, October 19, 

1965 and at 45 FR 30106, May 7, 1980) 

are amended by substitution of the 

following descriptive language for the 

entirety of the former descriptions. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is 

hereby given, by the Department of 

Energy, pursuant to Section 229 of the 

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 

and as implemented by 10 CFR Part 860, 

and by Section 705(a) of the Department 

of Energy Organization Act, that 

unauthorized entry, as provided in 10 

CFR 860.3, and the unauthorized 

introduction of dangerous weapons, 

explosives, or dangerous materials or 

dangerous instruments likely to produce 

substantial injury or damage to persons 

or property, as provided in 10 CFR 

860.4, into or upon this facility, 

installation, or real property of the 

Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant 

located in McCracken County, 

Kentucky, as more fully described 

below, is prohibited by the United 

States Department of Energy. The areas 

subject to the above described 

prohibitions are more particularly 

described as follows: 

1. The Department of Energy 

installation known as the Paducah 

Gaseous Diffusion Plant located in 

McCracken County, KY, approximately 

6,000 feet North of Woodville Road 

(State Route 725) and approximately 

6,300 feet West of Metropolis Lake 

Road. The primary security interest 

area, including a buffer area, totals 

approximately 1,342 acres with 

boundary coordinates as follows: 

Longitude Latitude 

1. 88.82566308 37.08885001 

2. 88.81798343 37.10599209 

3. 88.82655474 37.10845764 

4. 88.82809126 37.11325409 

5. 88.82809126 37.11676083 

6. 88.82374798 37.11646865 

7. 88.81993743 37.12479987 

8. 88.80973832 37.12183780 

9. 88.80839907 37.12475971 

10. 88.80727527 37.12206995 

11. 88.80472524 37.12163638 

12. 88.79639904 37.11904332 

13. 88.80358172 37.10300759 

14. 88.80657162 37.09992874 

15. 88.81123139 37.09860962 

16. 88.82008684 37.09825329 

17. 88.82436407 37.08842103 

2. The Department of Energy landfill 

installation located North of Item 1 

above and consisting of approximately 

106 acres enclosed by a chain-link fence 

with boundary coordinates as follows: 

Longitude Latitude 

1. 88.80235649 37.12538578 

2. 88.79890091 37.13329589 

3. 88.79333779 37.13168788 

4. 88.79527431 37.12805870 

5. 88.79601369 37.12826426 

6. 88.79756107 37.12494008 

7. 88.79855316 37.12421613 

Issued in Paducah, Kentucky on January 

12, 2012. 

William E. Murphie, 

Manager, Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. 

[FR Doc. 2012–1214 Filed 1–20–12; 8:45 a.m.] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Acquisition of a Natural Gas 

Pipeline and Natural Gas Utility Service 

at the Hanford Site, Richland, WA, and 

Notice of Floodplains and Wetlands 

Involvement (DOE/EIS–0467) 

AGENCY: Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and Notice of Floodplains and Wetlands 

Involvement. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

(DOE) announces its intent to prepare 

an Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Acquisition of a Natural Gas 

Pipeline and Natural Gas Utility Service 

at the Hanford Site, Richland, 

Washington (Natural Gas Pipeline or 

NGP EIS), and initiate a 30-day public 

scoping period. DOE will prepare the 

NGP EIS in accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), the Council on Environmental 

Quality (CEQ) regulations that 

implement NEPA and DOE 

implementing procedures. DOE is 

inviting public comment on the 

proposed scope of the NGP EIS, 

including the alternatives and 

environmental issues to be evaluated. 

DOE proposes to make natural gas 

available to facilities located on the 

Central Plateau of its Hanford Site near 

Richland, Washington, to help meet its 

objectives to reduce fuel costs, 

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and 

dependence on foreign fuel sources. 

Because natural gas is not currently 

available on the Central Plateau of the 

Site, this action would involve entering 

into a contract with a licensed natural 

gas utility supplier to construct, operate, 

and maintain a natural gas pipeline and 

deliver natural gas utility service to 

DOE. 

The proposed pipeline would begin 

from a new interconnect tap on the 

existing Williams Northwest Pipe 

transmission line in Franklin County, 

north of the Pasco, Washington, airport, 

and then run westerly across non-DOE 

lands and under the Columbia River 

onto the Hanford Site 300 Area, before 

turning northwest and paralleling Route 

4S. The pipeline would terminate at 

facilities in the 200 East Area of the 


TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
3256 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices 

Central Plateau. The length of the 

proposed pipeline is estimated at about 

30 miles. 

DATES: DOE invites public comment on 

the scope of the NGP EIS during a 30- 

day public scoping period beginning 

January 23, 2012 and ending on 

February 22, 2012. DOE will consider 

all comments received or postmarked by 

the end of the scoping period, and will 

consider comments received or 

postmarked after the ending date to the 

extent practicable. 

DOE will hold a public scoping 

meeting on February 9, 2012, from 7 

p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel and 

Conference Center, Pasco, Washington. 

Further information about the public 

scoping meeting is provided under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

ADDRESSES: Scoping comments may be 

submitted by regular mail as follows: 

Mr. Douglas Chapin, NEPA Document 

Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Richland Operations Office, P.O. Box 

550, MSIN A5–11, Richland, WA 99352. 

Scoping comments may also be 

submitted by email to 

naturalgaseis@rl.gov. 

To be placed on the distribution list 

for the Draft NGP EIS, use either of the 

methods listed above. In requesting a 

copy of the Draft NGP EIS, please 

specify preference for a printed copy of 

the entire Draft NGP EIS, a printed copy 

of the Summary only, the Draft NGP EIS 

and Summary on a computer CD, or any 

combination thereof. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on DOE’s proposed action, 

contact Mr. Chapin by one of the 

methods listed in ADDRESSES above, or 

at (509) 373–9396. 

For general information concerning 

DOE’s NEPA process, contact: Ms. Carol 

M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA 

Policy and Compliance (GC–54), U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0119, 

Telephone (202) 586–4600, Fax (202) 

586–7031, Voice mail message 1–(800) 

472–2756, Email asknepa@hq.doe.gov. 

Additional information regarding 

DOE’s NEPA activities is available on 

the DOE NEPA Web site at http:// 

energy.gov/nepa. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Situated along the Columbia River in 

southeastern Washington, DOE’s 586- 

square-mile Hanford Site is undergoing 

extensive efforts to clean up 

contamination resulting from past 

nuclear defense research and 

development activities dating back to 

World War II. To this end, DOE is 

constructing the Waste Treatment Plant 

(WTP) on the Site’s Central Plateau (200 

East Area). Once operational, the WTP 

will treat radioactive waste presently 

stored in underground storage tanks on 

the Central Plateau to prepare it for 

disposal. 

The WTP is planned to be a chemical 

and radioactive waste processing facility 

capable of separating radioactive liquid 

waste stored underground in the 

Hanford Site’s 200 East Area waste 

storage tanks into high-level radioactive 

waste (HLW) and low-activity waste 

fractions, and then blending the waste 

with molten glass (vitrification) to turn 

it into a stable form for safe disposal. 

The 242–A Evaporator, also located in 

the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site, 

receives liquid wastes pumped through 

underground pipes from the doubleshell waste storage tanks (DSTs) and 

processes the waste to reduce its 

volume. 

The 242–A Evaporator currently uses 

diesel fuel, and the WTP is planned to 

use diesel fuel as well. DOE has 

identified a number of potential 

advantages, including substantial cost 

savings, to replacing the use of diesel 

fuel with natural gas, supplementing 

with diesel fuel as necessary. 

Purpose and Need for Agency Action 

DOE needs to comply with Federal 

policy and legal responsibilities to 

reduce costs, GHGs, and dependence on 

foreign fuel sources, in accordance with 

the goals and objectives of the Energy 

Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), Executive 

Order (EO) 13423, and EO 13514. The 

EPAct, enacted into law in August 2005, 

provides a long-term strategy to confront 

the energy challenges posed by 

increasing prices and growing 

dependence on foreign oil in a 

comprehensive, economic, and 

environmentally sensitive way. The 

EPAct establishes important national 

energy policy goals and directs DOE to 

increase energy security through 

diversification of energy sources, 

increased energy efficiency, and 

conservation. 

EO 13423, Strengthening Federal 

Environmental, Energy, and 

Transportation Management (January 

2007), specified goals in the areas of 

energy efficiency, renewable energy, 

toxic chemical reduction, recycling, 

sustainable buildings, electronics 

stewardship, fleets, and water 

conservation. EO 13514, Federal 

Leadership in Environmental, Energy, 

and Economic Performance (October 

2009), established sustainability goals 

for Federal agencies and focused on 

improving their environmental, energy 

and economic performance. EO 13514 

requires Federal agencies to set a 2020 

GHG emissions reduction target; 

increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet 

petroleum consumption; conserve 

water; reduce waste; support sustainable 

communities; and leverage Federal 

purchasing power to promote 

environmentally-responsible products 

and technologies. Replacing diesel fuel 

with natural gas would support these 

goals. However, natural gas is not 

currently available on the Central 

Plateau of the Hanford Site. 

Accordingly, DOE would need to 

acquire a supply of natural gas to the 

WTP and 242–A Evaporator in the 200 

East Area of the Hanford Site. 

Proposed Action and Alternatives 

DOE proposes to enter into a contract 

with a licensed natural gas utility 

supplier to provide natural gas to 

support WTP and the 242–A Evaporator 

operations in the 200 East Area of the 

Hanford Site. The proposed action 

would include, among other things, the 

construction, operation, and 

maintenance of a natural gas utility 

delivery system via a natural gas 

pipeline. Construction of the proposed 

natural gas pipeline would originate at 

a new interconnect tap on the existing 

Williams Northwest Pipe transmission 

line in Franklin County, north of the 

Pasco, Washington, airport. The 

pipeline would run westerly across nonDOE lands and under the Columbia 

River onto the Hanford Site 300 Area, 

before turning northwest and paralleling 

Route 4S, terminating at facilities in the 

200 East Area of the Central Plateau. 

The total length of the proposed 

pipeline is estimated at about 30 miles. 

As required by CEQ and DOE NEPA 

implementing regulations (40 Code of 

Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500– 

1508 and 10 CFR Part 1021), DOE will 

evaluate the Proposed Action and No 

Action alternative for the acquisition of 

natural gas utility service at the WTP 

and the 242–A Evaporator, as well as 

alternative pipeline routing alignments 

and alternative pipeline diameters of 

approximately 12, 15, and 20 inches as 

a representative sampling of potential 

options. At this time, DOE does not plan 

to evaluate other sources of energy 

supply, or other means to supply 

natural gas, to the WTP and 242–A 

Evaporator. In addition, DOE has no 

other intended or planned uses for the 

proposed natural gas utility service on 

the Hanford Site at this time, and is not 

aware of any proposals by others for use 

of the natural gas. 

Under the No Action alternative, DOE 

would not contract for acquisition of 

natural gas utility service, and thus, the 

pipeline would not be constructed. DOE 


TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 2012 / Notices 3257 

would continue to use diesel fuel to 

power the 242–A Evaporator and would 

use diesel fuel to power the WTP, as 

currently planned. 

Because all reasonable alternative 

pipeline routing alignments involve 

crossing the Columbia River, portions of 

the proposed action may affect 

floodplains and wetlands. This NOI 

serves as a notice of proposed 

floodplain or wetland action in 

accordance with DOE floodplain and 

wetland environmental review 

requirements (10 CFR part 1022). As 

appropriate and in accordance with 10 

CFR part 1022, the NGP Draft EIS will 

include a floodplain and wetland 

assessment, and a floodplain statement 

of findings will be included in the Final 

EIS or may be issued separately (10 CFR 

1022.14(c)). 

National Historic Preservation Act 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA) requires 

Federal agencies to take into account the 

effects of their undertakings on historic 

properties. Federal agencies are 

encouraged to coordinate compliance 

with Section 106 of the NHPA with any 

steps taken to meet the requirements of 

NEPA. DOE plans to use the NEPA 

process and documentation required for 

the preparation of this EIS to satisfy 

applicable requirements of NHPA 

Section 106. As specified in the 

regulations issued by the Advisory 

Council on Historic Preservation 

(ACHP) to implement the Section 106 

process (36 CFR part 800, 800.8), DOE 

will use the NEPA process in lieu of the 

procedures set forth in §§ 800.3 through 

800.6. DOE specifically invites the 

ACHP, the State of Washington Historic 

Preservation Officer (SHPO), Hanford 

Area Tribal Nations, and members of the 

public to participate in this NEPA 

process for the purpose of ensuring the 

standards in 36 CFR 800.8(c)(1) through 

800.8(c)(5) are met, including 

identifying mitigation actions that may 

be appropriate to address potential 

adverse effects that may result from 

implementing the Proposed Action. 

Preliminary Identification of 

Environmental Issues 

DOE proposes to analyze potential 

short-term health and environmental 

impacts, such as those from 

construction, and potential long-term 

health and environmental impacts of 

operating and maintaining the pipeline 

over a period assumed to be 100 years 

for the purposes of analysis, once 

service commences. DOE will analyze 

potential issues and impacts at a level 

of detail commensurate with their 

importance. Potential impact areas to be 

evaluated include, but are not limited 

to, the following: 

• Potential effects on public health 

and workers from exposures to 

hazardous materials during 

construction, operations, and 

transportation under routine and 

credible accident scenarios. 

• Potential impacts on surface water 

and groundwater, floodplains, and 

wetlands, and on water use and quality. 

• Potential impacts on air quality. 

• Potential noise impacts. 

• Potential impacts on plants and 

animals and their habitat, including 

species that are Federal- or state-listed 

as threatened or endangered, or of 

special concern. 

• Potential impacts on geology and 

soil characteristics. 

• Potential impacts on historic and 

cultural resources including places, 

viewshed, archeological, and Native 

American or other culturally important 

sites. 

• Socioeconomic impacts, either 

beneficial or adverse, on potentially 

affected communities. 

• Environmental justice, particularly 

whether the proposed action or 

alternatives have disproportionately 

high and adverse effects on minority 

and low-income populations. 

• Potential impacts on land-use 

plans, policies and controls, and visual 

resources. 

• Pollution prevention and waste 

management practices and activities. 

• Unavoidable adverse impacts and 

irreversible and irretrievable 

commitments of resources. 

• Potential cumulative environmental 

effects of past, present and reasonably 

foreseeable actions. 

• Potential impacts of reasonably 

foreseeable accidents and potential 

impacts from intentionally destructive 

acts, including sabotage or terrorism. 

• Potential natural disasters: floods, 

hurricanes, tornadoes, and seismic 

events. 

• Status of compliance with all 

applicable Federal, state and local 

statutes and regulations, and required 

Federal and state environmental 

permits, consultations and notifications. 

Invitation for Public Comment 

DOE invites Federal agencies; State, 

Tribal, and local governments; 

organizations; and the general public to 

comment on the scope of the EIS, 

including identification of alternatives 

and specific issues to be addressed. 

DOE also invites comments on the 

potential adverse effects that may result 

from the Proposed Action with respect 

to historic resources governed by NHPA, 

along with suggested actions DOE might 

take to mitigate any such adverse 

effects. DOE will coordinate with 

appropriate Federal, State, and local 

agencies and potentially affected Native 

American tribes during the preparation 

of the EIS. While there are no 

designated cooperating agencies at this 

time, DOE plans to invite Federal, State, 

and local government agencies with 

jurisdiction by law or special expertise 

to participate as cooperating agencies in 

preparing the EIS. 

DOE will consider all comments 

received during a 30-day public scoping 

period beginning January 23, 2012 and 

ending on February 22, 2012. DOE will 

consider comments received after that 

date to the extent practicable. 

At the public scoping meeting, DOE 

will provide an overview of the 

proposed action followed by a short, 

informal question-and-answer period to 

clarify the information presented. 

Thereafter, the public will have an 

opportunity to present oral and written 

comments on the proposed EIS scope; 

oral comments will be documented by 

a court reporter. DOE will consider all 

public scoping comments in preparing 

the Draft NGP EIS. 

Issued at Washington, DC, on January 17, 

2012. 

David Huizenga, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2012–1139 Filed 1–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Transfer of Land Tracts Located at Los 

Alamos National Laboratory, New 

Mexico 

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Amended Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy’s National Nuclear Security 

Administration (DOE/NNSA) is issuing 

this Amended Record of Decision (ROD) 

for the Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Conveyance and Transfer of 

Certain Land Tracts Administered by 

the Department of Energy and Located 

at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los 

Alamos and Santa Fe Counties, New 

Mexico, DOE/EIS–0293 (Conveyance 

and Transfer EIS) to address the 

remaining acreage of Los Alamos 

National Laboratory’s (LANL’s) 

Technical Area 21 (TA–21) Tract (about 

245 acres) and the remaining acreage of 

the Airport Tract (about 55 acres). DOE/ 

NNSA has determined that it is no 

longer necessary to retain these lands 


TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES