Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 246 / Friday, December 21, 2012 / Notices 75623 

microsclerotia and can be used for 

aquatic plant control. 

Brenda S. Bowen, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–30849 Filed 12–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Plains and Eastern Clean Line 

Transmission Project and Notice of 

Potential Floodplain and Wetland 

Involvement 

AGENCY: Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) To 

Prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement and Notice of Potential 

Floodplain and Wetland Involvement. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) intends to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Plains & Eastern Clean Line 

Transmission Project (DOE/EIS–0486; 

Plains & Eastern EIS or EIS) to assess the 

potential environmental impacts of 

participating with Clean Line Energy 

Partners LLC (Clean Line) in the 

proposed Plains & Eastern Project (the 

proposed project). The proposed project 

would include an overhead ± 600 

kilovolt (kV) high voltage direct current 

(HVDC) electric transmission system 

and associated facilities with the 

capacity to deliver approximately 3,500 

megawatts (MW) primarily from 

renewable energy generation facilities in 

the Oklahoma Panhandle region to loadserving entities in the Mid-South and 

Southeast via an interconnection with 

the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). 

The proposed project would traverse 

Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee, a 

distance of approximately 700 miles 

between interconnection facilities in 

Texas County, Oklahoma, and Shelby 

County, Tennessee. The proposed 

project would require construction of a 

new alternating current (AC)/direct 

current (DC) converter station at each 

end of the transmission line. 

Portions of the proposed project may 

affect floodplains and/or wetlands. This 

NOI, therefore, also serves as a notice of 

proposed floodplain or wetland action 

in accordance with DOE floodplain and 

wetland environmental review 

requirements (10 CFR part 1022). The 

Plains & Eastern EIS will include a 

floodplain and wetland assessment. 

DOE plans to coordinate the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

review and the Section 106 compliance 

process under the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA). DOE also 

intends to consult with the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS), as appropriate, pursuant to 

Section 7 of the Endangered Species 

Act. 

DATES: DOE invites public comment on 

the scope of the Plains & Eastern EIS 

during a 90-day public scoping period 

beginning with publication of this 

notice and ending on March 21, 2013. 

See Public Participation in the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 

public scoping meeting dates and 

locations. 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. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

scope of the Plains & Eastern EIS and 

requests to be added to the EIS 

distribution list may be submitted by 

any of the following methods: 

• Electronic comments via the project 

Web site at http:// 

PlainsandEasternEIS.com. 

• Email to 

info@PlainsandEasternEIS.com. 

• U.S. Mail to Plains & Eastern Clean 

Line EIS, 1099 18th Street, Suite 580, 

Denver, CO 80202. 

For additions to the distribution list, 

please specify the format of the Plains 

& Eastern EIS that you would prefer to 

receive (printed copy, CD, or DVD) and 

a preference for either the complete EIS 

document or ‘‘Summary Only.’’ When 

completed, the EIS will be available for 

download at the project Web site 

(http://PlainsandEasternEIS.com) and at 

the DOE NEPA Web site (http:// 

energy.gov/nepa). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on the Plains & Eastern EIS, 

contact Jane Summerson, Ph.D., DOE 

NEPA Document Manager, Office of 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 

1000 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585, or email at 

Jane.Summerson@ee.doe.gov. 

For general information about the 

DOE NEPA process, contact Carol 

Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA 

Policy and Compliance (GC–54), U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585, or phone at 

(202) 586–4600, voicemail at (800) 472– 

2756, or email at 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: 

1. Background 

Section 1222(b) of the Energy Policy 

Act of 2005 (EPAct) authorizes the 

Secretary of Energy, acting through and 

in consultation with the Administrator 

of the Southwestern Power 

Administration (Southwestern) to 

participate with other entities in 

designing, developing, constructing, 

operating, maintaining, or owning new 

electric power transmission facilities 

and related facilities located within any 

state in which Southwestern operates, 

provided the Secretary determines that 

certain conditions have been met. 

Southwestern is one of four Power 

Marketing Administrations that operates 

within DOE. Southwestern is chartered 

to market and deliver power in the 

southwestern United States, including 

Arkansas and Oklahoma, to rural 

electric cooperatives and municipal 

utilities. 

On June 10, 2010, DOE issued a 

Request for Proposals (RFP) for new or 

upgraded transmission projects 

pursuant to Section 1222 (75 FR 32940). 

Clean Line Energy Partners LLC of 

Houston, Texas, the parent company of 

Plains and Eastern Clean Line LLC and 

Plains and Eastern Clean Line 

Oklahoma LLC (collectively referred to 

as Clean Line), responded to the RFP on 

July 6, 2010, providing a description of 

the proposed project and supporting 

information. Clean Line’s original 

proposal included two HVDC lines, 

each rated at 3,500 MW, together with 

the capacity to deliver 7,000 MW. Since 

the original proposal was submitted, 

Clean Line has modified its Section 

1222 proposal to a single HVDC line 

with the capacity to deliver 3,500 MW. 

More information on the proposed 

project, including updates, can be found 

at http://PlainsandEasternEIS.com. DOE 

has concluded that Clean Line’s 

proposal complied with and was 

responsive to the RFP. 

Prior to making a determination 

whether to participate in the proposed 

project, DOE must fully evaluate the 

proposed project, in consultation with 

Southwestern, including reviewing the 

potential environmental impacts 

pursuant to NEPA and the requirements 

of Section 1222(b). DOE is preparing the 

Plains & Eastern EIS pursuant to NEPA, 

the Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 CFR parts 

1500 through 1508), and the DOE NEPA 

implementing regulations (10 CFR part 

1021). 

Portions of the proposed project may 

affect floodplains and/or wetlands. 

There are floodplains associated with 

the Cimarron River, North Canadian 

River, Arkansas River, White River, 

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75624 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 246 / Friday, December 21, 2012 / Notices 

Cache River, and Mississippi River, 

each of which would be crossed by the 

proposed transmission line, and 

potentially at other locations along the 

proposed routes. Similarly, wetlands 

could be present along the proposed 

routes, including near tributaries to 

rivers in the project area. This NOI, 

therefore, also serves as a notice of 

proposed floodplain or wetland action 

in accordance with DOE floodplain and 

wetland environmental review 

requirements (10 CFR part 1022). The 

Plains & Eastern EIS will include a 

floodplain and wetland assessment. 

DOE plans to coordinate the NEPA 

review and the NHPA Section 106 

compliance process. DOE also intends 

to initiate consultation with USFWS 

and NMFS, as appropriate, pursuant to 

Section 7 of the Endangered Species 

Act. 

2. Purpose and Need for Agency Action 

DOE’s purpose and need for agency 

action is to implement Section 1222(b) 

of the EPAct. To that end, DOE needs to 

decide whether and under what 

conditions to participate in Clean Line’s 

proposed Plains & Eastern Project. 

3. Proposed Action and Alternatives 

The proposed project would include 

an overhead ± 600kV HVDC electric 

transmission system with the capacity 

to deliver approximately 3,500 MW 

from the Oklahoma Panhandle region to 

load-serving entities in the Mid-South 

and Southeast. The proposed project 

would traverse Oklahoma, Arkansas, 

and Tennessee, a distance of 

approximately 700 miles. The western 

portion of the proposed project would 

interconnect to the transmission system 

operated by the Southwest Power Pool 

in Texas County, Oklahoma. The eastern 

portion of the proposed project would 

interconnect to the transmission system 

operated by TVA in Shelby County, 

Tennessee. TVA would make the 

necessary upgrades to its transmission 

system, which could include 

construction and operation of new 

transmission lines and substations and 

upgrades to existing transmission lines 

and substations. 

A new AC/DC converter station 

would be built at each end of the 

transmission line. Each converter 

station would require the use of 

approximately 30 to 50 acres and would 

be located on private land. The 

converter stations are proposed to be 

located in Texas County, Oklahoma, and 

either Shelby County or Tipton County, 

Tennessee. The proposed project would 

include, in addition to the HVDC 

transmission line, four to six AC 

transmission lines of up to 345kV 

interconnecting the western converter 

station with new wind generation 

facilities that would be located in parts 

of the Oklahoma panhandle, southwest 

Kansas, and Texas panhandle within 

approximately 40 miles of the western 

converter station. Clean Line anticipates 

that electricity generated by these 

facilities would constitute the majority 

of the transmission capacity of the 

transmission line. 

The proposed project would also 

include the following major facilities 

and improvements: 

• Right-of-way easements for the 

transmission lines with a typical width 

of approximately 150 to 200 feet for the 

HVDC line and potentially narrower for 

the AC transmission lines. 

• Tubular or lattice steel structures 

used to support the transmission lines. 

For the HVDC line, structures typically 

would be between 120 and 200 feet tall 

depending on site-specific conditions. 

Limited quantities of taller structures 

may be required in some locations to 

address engineering constraints. 

Structures for the AC transmission lines 

may be shorter. 

• Access roads, including 

improvements to existing roads, new 

overland access, and new unpaved 

temporary roads to access the proposed 

project facilities and work areas during 

the construction and operation phases. 

• Ancillary facilities, such as 

communications facilities for access 

control and protection. 

DOE’s proposed action is to 

participate with Clean Line in the 

proposed project. In the Plains & Eastern 

EIS, DOE will analyze the potential 

environmental impacts of a range of 

reasonable alternative routes that could 

comprise the proposed project. DOE 

will also identify possible mitigation 

strategies for potential environmental 

impacts. 

Clean Line identified the proposed 

location for the western converter 

station based on the presence of both an 

excellent wind resource (as classified by 

the DOE National Renewable Energy 

Laboratory) and adequate electrical 

interconnection facilities, including 

planned upgrades to existing facilities. 

Clean Line identified the proposed 

location for the eastern converter station 

based on the presence of high-voltage 

transmission facilities capable of 

interconnection and delivery of up to 

3,500 MW of energy to portions of the 

Mid-South and Southeast. 

As part of its planning process, Clean 

Line first identified several corridors 

within a broad study area. Clean Line 

evaluated the corridors for engineering 

and environmental issues and 

subsequently refined the corridors using 

input from federal and state agencies, 

municipalities, non-governmental 

organizations, and various stakeholders. 

Clean Line then identified a study 

corridor approximately five to eight 

miles wide and held meetings with 

community leaders in counties 

intersected by the study corridor to 

solicit additional input. Clean Line then 

held open house meetings in fall 2012 

to seek additional public input on 

potential routes. Using this information, 

Clean Line identified and submitted to 

DOE several potential routes. 

In Oklahoma, the potential routes 

proposed by Clean Line begin in the 

central Oklahoma Panhandle and 

proceed in an east-southeasterly 

direction through generally rural areas 

between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 

exiting the state in eastern Oklahoma 

near Sallisaw. The routes pass through 

the Central Flyway for migratory birds 

throughout Oklahoma. The proposed 

routes intersect the following counties 

in Oklahoma: Texas; Beaver; Harper; 

Woodward; Major; Garfield; Kingfisher; 

Logan; Payne; Lincoln; Creek; 

Okmulgee; Muskogee; and, Sequoyah. 

More specifically, from southern Texas 

County near Guymon, Oklahoma, to 

Harper County, routes are generally 

parallel to U.S. Highway 412 in an 

easterly direction through the Oklahoma 

Panhandle. They trend southeasterly in 

Woodward County, crossing the North 

Canadian River, and north of the city of 

Woodward and east of Boiling Springs 

State Park. From Woodward County, 

routes continue generally east and 

southeast in Major, Garfield, and 

Kingfisher counties, crossing the 

Cimarron River near Fairview and Glass 

Mountains State Park. In Payne County, 

routes cross the Cimarron River a 

second time and run near the Cushing 

Municipal Airport. The routes then 

trend in a southeasterly direction south 

of Cushing. The routes diverge around 

Bristow and run north of the city of 

Okmulgee. Routes continue a 

southeasterly trend in Muskogee 

County, crossing the Arkansas River at 

the Webbers Falls Reservoir near Gore. 

The routes then begin an easterly track, 

exiting Oklahoma northeast of Sallisaw 

in eastern Sequoyah County and 

entering Arkansas in western Crawford 

County. 

In Arkansas, the routes proposed by 

Clean Line enter western Arkansas 

north of the city of Van Buren and 

proceed in an easterly direction through 

generally rural areas, exiting eastern 

Arkansas south of the city of Osceola, 

entering into Tennessee across the 

Mississippi River. The routes pass 

through the Mississippi Flyway for 

migratory birds throughout Arkansas 

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 246 / Friday, December 21, 2012 / Notices 75625 

and Tennessee. The proposed routes 

intersect the following counties in 

Arkansas: Crawford; Franklin; Johnson; 

Pope; Conway; Van Buren; Faulkner; 

Cleburne; White; Jackson; Poinsett; and, 

Mississippi. More specifically, from 

Crawford County to eastern Pope 

County, the routes are south of the 

Ozark National Forest and generally 

follow the Arkansas River valley and 

Interstate Highway 40. Routes diverge 

around Alma and Dyer, but pass north 

of Ozark, Clarksville, and Dover, near 

the Cherokee Wildlife Management 

Area. In Conway County north of 

Morrilton, the routes continue in an 

easterly direction. The routes continue 

this easterly track north of Greenbrier, 

near Damascus and Quitman. North of 

Searcy, the routes turn northeast 

generally parallel to State Highway 67 

north of Bradford, crossing the White 

River. The routes continue easterly 

along divergent paths across the Cache 

River and south of Marked Tree, cross 

Interstate Highway 55, to two proposed 

crossing locations of the Mississippi 

River. The proposed Mississippi River 

crossing locations are a north-south 

oriented crossing east of Wilson, 

Arkansas, at approximately river mile 

768, and an east-west oriented crossing 

southeast of Joiner, Arkansas, at 

approximately river mile 762. 

In Tennessee, the routes proposed by 

Clean Line enter western Tennessee 

from Arkansas at the two potential 

crossing locations described above and 

generally proceed in a southeasterly 

direction along separate paths through 

generally rural and suburban areas of 

Tipton County and Shelby County. The 

routes diverge around the community of 

Drummonds, with one route near 

Munford and Atoka and one route near 

Millington. The routes converge near 

the proposed interconnection point in 

Shelby County near Tipton, Tennessee. 

DOE will analyze a range of 

reasonable alternatives. DOE has 

reviewed Clean Line’s process and its 

proposed routes and determined that 

they provide a sufficient initial basis for 

the EIS. In addition, DOE will consider 

additional reasonable alternatives 

proposed in scoping comments and may 

expand or refine the range of 

alternatives based on those comments. 

Maps identifying the potential routes 

currently proposed for analysis are 

available on the EIS Web site at 

http://PlainsandEasternEIS.com. In 

addition to the facilities associated with 

the proposed project, the EIS will also 

analyze any facility additions and 

upgrades to third party systems to 

accommodate the proposed project. 

The EIS also will analyze a No Action 

alternative, under which DOE would 

not participate with Clean Line in the 

proposed project. DOE assumes for 

analytical purposes that the Plains & 

Eastern Project would not move forward 

and none of the potential environmental 

impacts associated with the proposed 

project would occur. 

4. Preliminary Identification of 

Environmental Issues 

DOE proposes to analyze potential 

short-term environmental impacts, such 

as those from construction, and 

potential long-term environmental 

impacts of operating and maintaining 

the transmission line. DOE’s guidance 

for the preparation of an EIS 

recommends the use of the sliding-scale 

approach when evaluating 

environmental impacts. This approach 

would focus the analysis and discussion 

of impacts on significant environmental 

issues in proportion to the significance 

of the potential impacts. DOE has 

identified the following preliminary list 

of impact areas for evaluation in the EIS: 

• Land Use, Recreation, and Visual 

Resources 

• Water Use and Water Quality 

• Surface Water Features including 

Rivers, Floodplains, and Wetlands 

• Fish, Wildlife, and Vegetation, 

including Critical Habitat 

• Socioeconomics 

• Environmental Justice 

• Historic and Cultural Resources 

• Geology, Soil, and Mineral Resources 

• Human Health and Electric and 

Magnetic Fields 

• Air Quality and Climate Change 

• Construction-Related Impacts, 

including Road Clearing, Traffic, and 

Noise 

• Accidents, Intentional Destructive 

Acts, and Hazards, including Air 

Space Management 

• Waste Management 

This list is not intended to be allinclusive or to imply any 

predetermination of impacts. DOE 

invites interested parties to suggest 

specific issues, including possible 

mitigation measures, within these 

general categories, or other categories 

not included above, to be considered in 

the EIS. 

5. Agency Responsibilities 

5.1 Stakeholder Involvement and 

Cooperating Agencies 

DOE will prepare the EIS and will 

coordinate with appropriate federal, 

state, and tribal governments; local 

agencies; and interested members of the 

public during the preparation of the EIS. 

DOE will consult with Indian tribes on 

a government-to-government basis in 

accordance with Executive Order 13175 

and other policies. Tribal concerns, 

including impacts on Indian trust assets 

and potential impacts on cultural 

resources, will be considered. DOE 

invites federal, state, tribal governments 

and local agencies with jurisdiction by 

law or with special expertise to be 

cooperating agencies on the EIS as 

defined in 40 CFR 1501.6. Such 

governments and/or agencies may also 

make a request to DOE to be a 

cooperating agency. As of this notice, 

TVA, and the Tulsa District and the 

Memphis District of the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers have committed to 

being cooperating agencies. 

5.2 National Historic Preservation Act 

Section 106 of the NHPA requires 

federal agencies to consider the effects 

of an undertaking on historic 

properties—historic structures and 

historic artifacts—before authorizing an 

undertaking (36 CFR part 800). Federal 

agencies are encouraged to coordinate 

compliance with Section 106 of the 

NHPA with any steps taken to meet the 

requirements of NEPA (36 CFR 800.8). 

In the interest of being comprehensive 

and less duplicative, DOE plans to 

coordinate the NEPA review and 

Section 106 compliance process for the 

preparation of the Plains & Eastern EIS 

to the greatest extent practicable. 

Further, DOE plans to invite federal, 

state, tribal governments, 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), ‘‘Protection of Historic 

Properties,’’ are met, including 

identifying mitigation actions that may 

be appropriate to address potential 

adverse effects that may result from 

implementing the proposed project. 

5.3 Endangered Species Act 

Section 7 of the Endangered Species 

Act requires an agency proposing to take 

an action to inquire of the USFWS and 

NMFS, as appropriate, whether any 

threatened or endangered species ‘‘may 

be present’’ in the area of the proposed 

action [see 16 U.S.C. 1536(c)(1)]. 

Accordingly, DOE intends to initiate 

consultation with these agencies. 

6. Public Participation 

The purpose of the scoping process is 

to identify alternatives and potential 

environmental impacts that DOE should 

analyze in the EIS. DOE will hold 12 

public scoping meetings at the following 

locations and times in Oklahoma, 

Arkansas, and Tennessee to provide the 

public with an opportunity to present 

comments, ask questions, and discuss 

the scope of the Plains & Eastern EIS 

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75626 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 246 / Friday, December 21, 2012 / Notices 

with DOE and Clean Line 

representatives. 

• January 22, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Arkansas State University—Marked 

Tree Student Center, 33500 Highway 

63 E, Marked Tree, AR 72365 

• January 24, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Gateway Baptist Church Center, 1915 

Rosemark Road, Atoka, TN 38004 

• January 28, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Pickle Creek Center, 822 NE 6th 

Street, Guymon, OK 73942 

• January 29, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Beaver County Fairgrounds—Pavilion 

Building, 1107 Douglas Avenue, 

Beaver, OK 73932 

• January 31, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Woodward Convention Center— 

Meeting Room 1, 3401 Centennial 

Lane, Woodward, OK 73801 

• February 4, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Muskogee Civic Center Room D, 425 

Boston Street, Muskogee, OK 74401 

• February 5, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Cushing Youth and Community 

Center, 700 South Little, Cushing, OK 

74023 

• February 7, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Enid Convention Hall—Grand 

Ballroom, 301 South Independence, 

Enid, OK 73701 

• February 11, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main 

Street, Van Buren, AR 72956 

• February 12, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Lake Point Conference Center—Event 

Center, 61 Lake Point Lane, 

Russellville, AR 72802 

• February 19, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Arkansas State University—Newport, 

Student Community Center—M&P I&I 

NEDC Room (First room on the left), 

7648 Victory Boulevard, Newport, AR 

72112 

• February 21, 2013, 5:00–8:00 p.m. at 

Carmichael Community Center 

Auditorium, 801 S. Elm, Searcy, AR 

72143 

DOE will also announce the public 

scoping meetings via local news media, 

industry newsletters, and posting on the 

DOE NEPA Web site at http:// 

energy.gov/nepa/public-commentopportunities and on the Plains & 

Eastern EIS Web site at http:// 

PlainsandEasternEIS.com at least 15 

days prior to each meeting. 

The scoping meetings will start with 

an informal open house to facilitate 

dialogue between project officials and 

the public. DOE will then provide an 

overview of the proposed project and 

lead a short, informal question-andanswer period to clarify the information 

presented and to answer questions 

about the NEPA process. The public 

will have an opportunity to view maps 

and project information and present 

comments on the scope of the Plains & 

Eastern EIS. Representatives from DOE, 

Clean Line, and involved agencies will 

be available to answer questions and 

provide additional information to 

meeting attendees. A court reporter will 

be available at each scoping meeting to 

record oral comments from meeting 

attendees. 

In addition to providing comments at 

the public scoping meetings, DOE will 

accept written comments as described 

in the ADDRESSES section. DOE will 

consider all comments postmarked or 

received during a 90-day public scoping 

period beginning with publication of 

this notice and ending on March 21, 

2013. DOE will consider comments 

postmarked or received after that date to 

the extent practicable. 

DOE expects to publish the draft EIS 

in the fall of 2013. The U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency will 

publish a Notice of Availability of the 

draft EIS in the Federal Register, which 

will begin a minimum public comment 

period of 45 days. DOE will announce 

how to comment on the draft EIS and 

will hold public hearings during the 

public comment period. People who 

would like to receive a copy of the draft 

EIS when it is issued should submit a 

request as provided in the ADDRESSES

section and specify their format 

preference. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 

14, 2012. 

Patricia Hoffman. 

Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery 

and Energy Reliability. 

[FR Doc. 2012–30833 Filed 12–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Portsmouth 

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Environmental 

Management Site-Specific Advisory 

Board (EM SSAB), Portsmouth. 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. 

DATES: Thursday, January 10, 2013, 6:00 

p.m. 

ADDRESSES: Ohio State University, 

Endeavor Center, 1862 Shyville Road, 

Piketon, Ohio 45661. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg 

Simonton, Alternate Deputy Designated 

Federal Officer, Department of Energy 

Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, Post 

Office Box 700, Piketon, Ohio 45661, 

(740) 897–3737, 

Greg.Simonton@lex.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of the Board: The purpose of 

the Board is to make recommendations 

to DOE–EM and site management in the 

areas of environmental restoration, 

waste management and related 

activities. 

Tentative Agenda 

• Call to Order, Introductions, Review 

of Agenda 

• Approval of November Minutes 

• Deputy Designated Federal Officer’s 

Comments 

• Federal Coordinator’s Comments 

• Liaisons’ Comments 

• Presentations 

• Administrative Issues 

• Subcommittee Updates 

• Public Comments 

• Final Comments from the Board 

• Adjourn 

Public Participation: The meeting is 

open to the public. The EM SSAB, 

Portsmouth, welcomes the attendance of 

the public at its advisory committee 

meetings and will make every effort to 

accommodate persons with physical 

disabilities or special needs. If you 

require special accommodations due to 

a disability, please contact Greg 

Simonton at least seven days in advance 

of the meeting at the phone number 

listed above. Written statements may be 

filed with the Board either before or 

after the meeting. Individuals who wish 

to make oral statements pertaining to 

agenda items should contact Greg 

Simonton at the address or telephone 

number listed above. Requests must be 

received five days prior to the meeting 

and reasonable provision will be made 

to include the presentation in the 

agenda. The Deputy Designated Federal 

Officer is empowered to conduct the 

meeting in a fashion that will facilitate 

the orderly conduct of business. 

Individuals wishing to make public 

comments will be provided a maximum 

of five minutes to present their 

comments. 

Minutes: Minutes will be available by 

writing or calling Greg Simonton at the 

address and phone number listed above. 

Minutes will also be available at the 

following Web site: http://www.portsssab.energy.gov/. 

Issued at Washington, DC, on December 17, 

2012. 

LaTanya R. Butler, 

Deputy Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–30779 Filed 12–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

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