5002 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 21 / Wednesday, February 1, 2012 / Notices 

Building Technologies Program, 950 

L’Enfant Plaza SW., Suite 600, 

Washington, DC 20024. Please submit 

one signed original paper copy. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received, visit the U.S. 

Department of Energy, Resource Room 

of the Building Technologies Program, 

950 L’Enfant Plaza SW., 6th Floor, 

Washington, DC 20024, (202) 586–2945, 

between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Please call Ms. Brenda Edwards at the 

above telephone number for additional 

information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Michael G. Raymond, U.S. Department 

of Energy, Building Technologies 

Program, Mail Stop EE–2J, Forrestal 

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue 

SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

Telephone: (202) 586–9611. Email: 

Michael.Raymond@ee.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

November 3, 2011, DOE published the 

Empire petition for waiver from the 

vented home heating equipment test 

procedure in the Federal Register (76 

FR 68180). The notice provided for the 

submission of comments by December 

5, 2011. To provide all manufacturers of 

domestically marketed units of the same 

product type additional time to submit 

comments subsequent to notification 

that the Petition for Waiver was 

published in the Federal Register, DOE 

has determined that re-opening of the 

public comment period is appropriate 

and is hereby re-opening the comment 

period. DOE will consider any 

comments received by March 2, 2012 

and deems any comments received 

between February 1, 2012 and March 2, 

2012 to be timely submitted. 

Further Information on Submitting 

Comments 

Under 10 CFR part 1004.11, any 

person submitting information that he 

or she believes to be confidential and 

exempt by law from public disclosure 

should submit two copies: one copy of 

the document including all the 

information believed to be confidential, 

and one copy of the document with the 

information believed to be confidential 

deleted. DOE will make its own 

determination about the confidential 

status of the information and treat it 

according to its determination. 

Factors of interest to DOE when 

evaluating requests to treat submitted 

information as confidential include (1) a 

description of the items, (2) whether 

and why such items are customarily 

treated as confidential within the 

industry, (3) whether the information is 

generally known by or available from 

other sources, (4) whether the 

information has previously been made 

available to others without obligation 

concerning its confidentiality, (5) an 

explanation of the competitive injury to 

the submitting person which would 

result from public disclosure, (6) when 

such information might lose its 

confidential character due to the 

passage of time, and (7) why disclosure 

of the information would be contrary to 

the public interest. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 25, 

2012. 

Kathleen B. Hogan, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy 

Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2012–2181 Filed 1–31–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy 

Wind and Water Power Program 

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of pre-solicitation public 

meeting, request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Wind and Water Power 

Program (WWPP) within the U.S. 

Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy intends to release a Funding 

Opportunity Announcement, tentatively 

entitled ‘‘U.S. Offshore Wind: Advanced 

Technology Demonstration Projects’’. 

WWPP is planning a pre-solicitation 

public meeting in order to provide 

notice in advance of release of the FOA 

and to afford prospective applicants an 

opportunity to comment on the planned 

FOA, which is summarized in this 

notice. 

DATES: DOE will hold a public meeting 

on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 from 

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST. Written 

comments will be accepted through 

February 14, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be 

held at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 

L’Enfant Plaza Southwest, Washington, 

DC. 

You may submit comments, identified 

by any of the following methods: 

• Email: oswdemo@go.doe.gov. 

Include ‘‘U.S. Offshore Wind: Advanced 

Technology Demonstration Projects’’ in 

the subject line of the message. 

• Postal Mail: Michael Hahn, Wind 

and Water Power Program, 1617 Cole 

Blvd. Golden, CO 80401. Please submit 

one signed paper original. Due to the 

potential delays in DOE’s receipt and 

processing of mail sent through the U.S. 

Postal Service, DOE encourages 

respondents to submit comments 

electronically to ensure timely receipt. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Michael 

Hahn, Wind and Water Power Program, 

1617 Cole Blvd. Golden, CO 80401. 

Minutes and video recorded 

proceedings of the public meeting will 

be made available for public review on 

the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy (EERE) Wind 

Program Web site at: wind.energy.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Chris Hart, Offshore Wind Manager, 

EERE, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585. Telephone: 

(202) 374—3164. Email: 

chris.hart@ee.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

One year ago, DOE, in partnership 

with the Department of Interior (DOI), 

released the National Offshore Wind 

Strategy. The Strategy addresses two 

critical objectives: 

• Reduce the cost of energy through 

technology development to ensure 

competitiveness with other electrical 

generation sources, and 

• Reduce the deployment timelines 

and uncertainties limiting U.S. offshore 

wind project development. 

To realize these objectives, the DOE 

Wind and Water Power Program has 

developed a comprehensive approach 

and investment strategy to mobilize the 

offshore wind industry in the categories 

below: 

• Technology Research and 

Development that will reduce cost of 

offshore wind energy through 

innovation and testing (19 offshore 

wind technology development projects 

to receive $26.5 million, announced 

September 2011); 

• Research Addressing Market 

Barriers in order to facilitate 

deployment and reduce technical 

challenges facing the entire industry (22 

market barrier removal projects to 

receive $16.5 million, announced 

September 2011); 

• Advanced Technology 

Demonstration Projects that further the 

industry knowledge base for the benefit 

of all stakeholders (the subject of this 

meeting). 

These initiatives support the 

demonstration and development of 

advanced offshore wind energy 

technologies in various water depths 

(freshwater, deepwater, shallow water, 

and transitional depth installations) and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 21 / Wednesday, February 1, 2012 / Notices 5003 

geographic locations (Atlantic, Pacific, 

Great Lakes, and Gulf of Mexico). 

Pre-Solicitation Public Meeting 

During the pre-solicitation public 

meeting, DOE will provide information 

on and accept comments regarding the 

planned Funding Opportunity 

Announcement (FOA), DE–FOA– 

0000410 including specifically the 

topical areas identified here: 

• Types of demonstrations; 

• Proposed timeframe and funding 

considerations; 

• Proposed scope of efforts 

potentially covered by DOE funding; 

• Anticipated types of data collection 

and use; 

• Technology innovation and the 

ability to scale project solutions in order 

to achieve cost competitiveness. 

The public meeting will include an 

introductory session that provides 

contextual background to the proposed 

FOA, including the National Offshore 

Wind Strategy, followed by an open 

question and answer forum. A complete 

agenda will be available at the meeting 

and in advance to pre-registrants. 

Public Participation 

The event is open to the public based 

upon space availability. DOE will also 

accept public comments as described 

above for purposes of developing the 

FOA, but will not respond individually 

to comments received. 

Registration 

Registration prior to the public 

meeting is not mandatory but is 

preferred to facilitate event planning. 

There is no cost to register. To register, 

please contact Stacey Young via email at 

Stacey_Young@sra.com or by telephone 

at 703–284–1397. 

Information on Services for 

Individuals with Disabilities 

Individuals requiring special 

accommodations at the meeting, please 

contact Stacey Young no later than the 

close of business on February 3, 2012. 

Scope of Proposed FOA 

DOE seeks to provide support for 

offshore wind advanced technology 

demonstration projects through 

collaborative partnerships. The primary 

goal of the demonstration projects is to 

expedite the development and 

deployment of innovative offshore wind 

energy systems with a strong potential 

for lowering the levelized cost of energy 

(LCOE) towards DOE’s 2020 goal of 10 

¢/kWh. 

Secondary goals are numerous and 

include but are not limited to: 

1. Establishing world-class 

demonstration and test capabilities in 

conjunction with commercial 

developments to support validation of 

innovative technology, installation 

methods, and operation and 

maintenance strategies, 

2. Establishing and validating the 

infrastructure required for offshore wind 

plant installation and operation, 

3. Evaluating current siting and 

permitting processes and identifying 

opportunities for improvement, 

4. Supporting development of a 

world-leading domestic offshore wind 

industry utilizing innovative 

technologies adapted to the North 

American environment and operating 

parameters, and 

5. Familiarizing the public with the 

concept of offshore wind. 

Given these goals, DOE seeks 

technology demonstration projects that 

combine innovation with developing 

pathways for substantial cost reduction 

opportunities. DOE will review all 

compliant applications, including ones 

with high risk concepts. 

The final FOA will be focused solely 

on offshore wind energy projects. 

Applications for marine and 

hydrokinetic (MHK) energy sources, 

whether stand-alone or combined with 

offshore wind turbine support 

structures, will not be accepted. 

DOE may fund specific technical 

research, engineering, and planning 

activities that demonstrably enhance the 

timely execution of innovative offshore 

wind energy projects and ultimately 

lead to project installation within the 

desired timeline. DOE funds may also 

support capital expenditures within 

these projects for materials or 

equipment that are clearly necessary to 

achieve the technology demonstration 

benefits of the project. Projects will be 

considered from all geographical 

regions, water depths, and technology 

areas including innovative technologies. 

The major goal is to make the levelized 

cost of energy of offshore wind 

competitive with conventional 

electricity. Applicants are encouraged to 

convey how project success will 

advance industry expertise in 

engineering, facility design, installation, 

and performance evaluation, and will 

help improve efficiencies in key 

Federal, State, or local siting, 

permitting, and environmental 

compliance processes such as the 

National Environmental Policy Act. 

This FOA is covered by a special 

protected data statute. The provisions of 

the statute provide for the protection 

from public disclosure, for a period of 

up to 5 years from the development of 

the information, of data that would be 

trade secret, or commercial or financial 

information that is privileged or 

confidential, if the information had been 

obtained from a non-Federal party. 

Generally, the provision entitled, Rights 

in Data—Programs Covered Under 

Special Protected Data Statutes, (10 CFR 

600 Appendix A to Subpart D) would 

apply to an award made under this 

announcement. This provision will 

identify data or categories of data first 

produced in the performance of the 

award that will be made available to the 

public, notwithstanding the statutory 

authority to withhold data from public 

dissemination, and will also identify 

data that will be recognized by the 

parties as protected data. It should be 

understood that all performance, 

engineering, operations and cost data 

first produced under this funding 

opportunity must be delivered to DOE 

and will be made available to the public 

to further the existing knowledge base 

for the benefit of the wind industry. 

DOE and other Federal Agencies may 

be available to provide non-monetary 

assistance in supporting the project, 

such as utilization of Research Leases in 

Federal Waters. Applicants are 

encouraged to indicate how DOE can 

assist in this effort. 

NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE 

ACCEPTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS 

NOTICE. Relevant portions of the draft 

FOA will be available on February 3, 

2012 on the DOE Office of Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

(EERE) Wind Program Web site at: 

wind.energy.gov/ 

financial_opportunities.html. The final 

FOA will be available on or about 

February 29, 2012 through the EERE 

eXCHANGE Web site at https://eereexchange.energy.gov. WWPP intends to 

conduct an informational Webinar after 

the final FOA is released. 

Disclaimer 

This Notice is issued so that 

interested parties are aware of and can 

comment on DOE’s intention to issue 

this FOA. DOE reserves the right to 

change the requirements of any 

proposed FOA, issue a FOA involving 

only a portion of the elements listed, or 

not issue a FOA at all. Any of the 

information contained in this Notice is 

subject to change. Any amounts 

proposed for funding are subject to the 

availability of Congressional 

appropriations. 

Issued in Washington, DC on January 27, 

2012. 

Jose Zayas, 

Program Manager, Wind and Water Power 

Program, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy, Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2012–2264 Filed 1–30–12; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 


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