58534 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 184 / Friday, September 21, 2012 / Notices 

the 35-month demonstration period of 

the CO2 capture and compression 

system. 

The proposed Parish PCCS Project 

would use an advanced amine-based 

CO2 absorption technology to capture at 

least 90 percent of the CO2 from an up 

to 250–MWe portion of the flue gas 

exhaust from Unit 8 of NRG’s existing 

W.A. Parish Plant in Thompsons, Texas. 

The project would be designed to 

capture approximately 1.6 million tons 

of CO2 per year from the Unit 8 exhaust 

that the facility would otherwise emit. 

The proposed CO2 capture facility 

would be constructed within NRG’s 

existing 4,880-acre W.A. Parish Plant in 

rural Fort Bend County near the small 

town of Thompsons, Texas. A new 

natural gas fired cogeneration plant, 

estimated to be 80 MW in size, would 

also be constructed on the plant 

property to produce the auxiliary power 

and steam needed for operation of the 

proposed CO2 capture system. 

The captured CO2 would be 

compressed and transported via a new, 

approximately 80-mile long, 12-inch 

diameter underground pipeline to the 

existing West Ranch oil field in Jackson 

County, Texas, where it would be used 

for EOR and ultimately sequestered in 

geologic formations from 5,000 to 6,300 

feet below ground surface. The 

proposed CO2 pipeline route crosses 

sparsely populated rural and 

agricultural lands in Fort Bend, 

Wharton, and Jackson Counties and 

would be located along or within 

existing mowed and maintained utility 

rights-of-way for approximately 85 

percent of its length. The West Ranch 

oil field is located near the town of 

Vanderbilt, Texas. Existing wells at the 

West Ranch oil field would be used (i.e., 

refurbished or deepened, as needed) to 

the extent practicable for the proposed 

project. Some new injection wells 

would be drilled in accordance with 

underground injection control 

regulations, and would be installed on 

existing well pads to the extent 

practicable. 

Consistent with DOE’s requirements 

under CCPI Round 3, NRG identified the 

following objectives for the Parish PCCS 

Project: 

• Demonstration of advanced aminebased CO2 absorption technology; 

• Integration of a cogeneration plant 

into the project to meet the specific 

power and steam requirements of the 

CO2 capture system; 

• Demonstration of EOR with CO2

sequestration in a nearby oil field; and 

• Demonstration of a CO2 monitoring 

program. 

DOE prepared this EIS pursuant to the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969 (42 United States Code 

[U.S.C.] 4321 et seq.) and in compliance 

with the Council on Environmental 

Quality implementing regulations for 

NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations 

(CFR) parts 1500 through 1508) and 

DOE’s NEPA implementing procedures 

(10 CFR part 1021). Projects considered 

by DOE for possible CCPI funding 

originate as a private party’s (e.g., 

electric power industry) application 

submitted to DOE in response to 

requirements specified in CCPI funding 

opportunity announcements. DOE’s 

decision is to either accept or reject the 

project as proposed, including the 

proposed technology and the selected 

sites. However, DOE may require 

mitigation measures to reduce a 

project’s potential impacts. 

Consequently, DOE’s consideration of 

reasonable alternatives is limited to the 

technically acceptable application and 

the no action-alternative for each 

selected project. 

Under the no-action alternative, DOE 

would not provide cost-shared funding 

for the proposed Parish PCCS Project. In 

the absence of DOE cost-shared funding, 

NRG could still elect to construct and 

operate the proposed project. Therefore, 

the DOE no-action alternative could 

result in one of two scenarios: 

• The proposed Parish PCCS Project 

would not be built, or 

• The proposed Parish PCCS Project 

would be built by NRG without benefit 

of DOE cost-shared funding. 

DOE assumes that if NRG proceeded 

with project development in the absence 

of DOE cost-shared funding, the project 

would include the features, attributes, 

and impacts as described for the 

proposed project. However, without 

DOE participation, it is possible that the 

project would be canceled. Therefore, 

for the purposes of analysis in the draft 

EIS, the DOE no-action alternative is 

defined as the no-build alternative. This 

means that the project would not be 

built and environmental conditions 

would not change from the current 

baseline (i.e., no new construction, 

resource use, or CO2 capture and storage 

would occur). Therefore, under the noaction alternative, the project 

technologies (i.e., large-scale CO2

capture and geologic storage) may not be 

implemented in the near term. 

Consequently, timely commercialization 

of these technologies for large-scale, 

coal-fired electric generation facilities 

would be postponed and may not be 

realized. This scenario would not 

contribute to the CCPI goals to invest in 

the demonstration of advanced coalbased power generation technologies 

that capture the CO2 emissions and 

either sequester them or put them to 

beneficial use. 

The draft EIS analyzes the 

environmental consequences that may 

result from the proposed action and the 

no action alternative. Potential impacts 

identified during the scoping process 

and analyzed in the draft EIS relate to 

the following: Air quality and climate; 

greenhouse gases; geology; 

physiography and soils; groundwater; 

surface water; wetlands and floodplains; 

biological resources; cultural resources; 

land use and aesthetics; traffic and 

transportation; noise; materials and 

waste management; human health and 

safety; utilities; community services; 

socioeconomics; and environmental 

justice. DOE also intends to use the 

NEPA process and the analyses 

completed for the draft EIS to satisfy the 

requirements of Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act and 

DOE regulations regarding impacts to 

floodplains and wetlands. 

DOE distributed copies of the draft 

EIS to Members of Congress; Native 

American tribal governments; federal, 

state, and local officials; and agencies, 

organizations, and individuals who may 

be interested or affected. Copies of the 

draft EIS are available for review at the 

George Memorial Library, 1001 

Golfview Drive, Richmond, TX 77469; 

the Albert George Branch Library, 9230 

Gene Street, Needville, TX 77461; the 

Wharton County Library, 1920 North 

Fulton Street, Wharton, TX 77488; and 

the Jackson County Memorial Library, 

411 North Wells Street, Room 121, 

Edna, TX 77957. The draft EIS will also 

be available on the Internet at http:// 

www.netl.doe.gov/publications/others/ 

nepa/index.html or http://energy.gov/ 

nepa/nepa-documents. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on September 

14, 2012. 

Mark J. Matarrese, 

Director, Office of Environment, Security, 

Safety & Health, Office of Fossil Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2012–23320 Filed 9–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Electricity Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery 

and Energy Reliability, Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Electricity Advisory 

Committee (EAC). The Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463, 86 Stat. 

770) requires that public notice of these 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 184 / Friday, September 21, 2012 / Notices 58535 

meetings be announced in the Federal 

Register. 

DATES: Monday, October 15, 2012, 1:15 

p.m.–5:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 16, 

2012, 8 a.m.–4:20 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: Capital Hilton Hotel, 1001 

16th Street NW., Washington, DC 20005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Matthew Rosenbaum, Office of 

Electricity Delivery and Energy 

Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Forrestal Building, Room 8G–017, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585; telephone: (202) 

586–1060 or by email: 

matthew.rosenbaum@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of the Committee: The 

Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC) 

was established in accordance with the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 

U.S.C., App. 2, to provide advice to the 

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 

implementing the Energy Policy Act of 

2005, executing the Energy 

Independence and Security Act of 2007, 

and modernizing the nation’s electricity 

delivery infrastructure. 

Tentative Agenda: The meeting of the 

EAC is expected to include discussion 

of the activities of the Energy Storage 

Technologies Subcommittee, the Smart 

Grid Subcommittee, the Transmission 

Subcommittee, and discussions of EAC 

Work Force issues and special Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) 

topics. 

October 15, 2012 

1:15 p.m.–1:45 p.m. Registration 

1:45 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Welcome and 

Introductions 

2:00 p.m.–2:20 p.m. Update on the 

Office of Electricity Delivery and 

Energy Reliability’s 2012 Current 

Programs and Initiatives 

2:20 p.m.–2:40 p.m. Transmission 

Institutional Issues 

2:40 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Grid Tech Team— 

Objectives and Status 

3:00 p.m.–3:20 p.m. EAC Discussion of 

Current DOE Programs and Special 

Initiatives 

3:20 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Break 

3:30 p.m.–4:40 p.m. Panel Discussion 

on Next Generation Energy 

Management Systems (EMS) 

4:40 p.m.–5:20 p.m. EAC Member 

Discussion of Key EMS Issues 

5:20 p.m.–5:30 p.m. Wrap up Day One 

5:30 p.m. Adjourn Day One of Meeting 

October 16, 2012 

8:00 a.m.–8:45 a.m. EAC Transmission 

Subcommittee 2012–2013 

Recommendations and Work Plan 

8:45 a.m.–9:30 a.m. EAC Discussion 

and Decisions on Transmission 

Subcommittee Recommendations 

9:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. Break 

9:45 a.m.–10:30 a.m. EAC Storage 

Subcommittee Report to Congress and 

Work Plan 

10:30 a.m.–11:15 a.m. Session 1: EAC 

Discussion and Decision on Storage 

Subcommittee Report to Congress 

11:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Special FERC 

Topics and Discussion 

12:00 p.m.–1:15 p.m. Lunch on Your 

Own (Local Restaurants) 

1:15 p.m.–1:45 p.m. Key 

Developments in the OE Smart Grid 

Program 

1:45 p.m.–2:30 p.m. EAC Smart Grid 

Subcommittee Recommendations and 

Work Plan 

2:30 p.m.–3:15 p.m. EAC Discussion 

and Decisions on Smart Grid 2012 

Subcommittee Recommendations 

3:15 p.m.–3:45 p.m. EAC Work Force 

3:15 p.m.–3:45 p.m. EAC Discussion of 

Work Force Issues 

4:00 p.m.–4:15 p.m. Public Comments 

(Must register to comment at time of 

check-in) 

4:15 p.m.–4:20 p.m. Wrap Up of 

Meeting 

4:20 p.m. Adjourn 

The meeting agenda may change to 

accommodate EAC business. For EAC 

agenda updates, see the EAC Web site 

at: http://www.oe.energy.gov/eac.htm. 

Public Participation: The EAC 

welcomes the attendance of the public 

at its meetings. Individuals who wish to 

offer public comments at the EAC 

meeting may do so on Tuesday, October 

16, 2012, but must register at the 

registration table in advance. 

Approximately 15 minutes will be 

reserved for public comments. Time 

allotted per speaker will depend on the 

number who wish to speak but is not 

expected to exceed three minutes. 

Anyone who is not able to attend the 

meeting, or for whom the allotted public 

comments time is insufficient to address 

pertinent issues with the EAC, is invited 

to send a written statement to Mr. 

Matthew Rosenbaum. You may submit 

comments, identified by ‘‘Electricity 

Advisory Committee Open Meeting’’, by 

any of the following methods: 

• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: 

Matthew Rosenbaum, Office of 

Electricity Delivery and Energy 

Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Forrestal Building, Room 8G–017, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585. 

• Email: 

matthew.rosenbaum@hq.doe.gov. 

Include ‘‘Electricity Advisory 

Committee Open Meeting’’ in the 

subject line of the message. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name and 

identifier. All comments received will 

be posted without change to http:// 

www.oe.energy.gov/eac.htm, including 

any personal information provided. 

• Docket: For access to the docket, to 

read background documents or 

comments received, go to http:// 

www.oe.energy.gov/eac.htm. 

The following electronic file formats 

are acceptable: Microsoft Word (.doc), 

Corel Word Perfect (.wpd), Adobe 

Acrobat (.pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), 

plain text (.txt), Microsoft Excel (.xls), 

and Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt). If you 

submit information that you believe to 

be exempt by law from public 

disclosure, you must submit one 

complete copy, as well as one copy from 

which the information claimed to be 

exempt by law from public disclosure 

has been deleted. You must also explain 

the reasons why you believe the deleted 

information is exempt from disclosure. 

DOE is responsible for the final 

determination concerning disclosure or 

nondisclosure of the information and for 

treating it in accordance with the DOE’s 

Freedom of Information regulations (10 

CFR 1004.11). 

Note: Delivery of the U.S. Postal Service 

mail to DOE may be delayed by several 

weeks due to security screening. DOE, 

therefore, encourages those wishing to 

comment to submit comments electronically 

by email. If comments are submitted by 

regular mail, the Department requests that 

they be accompanied by a CD or diskette 

containing electronic files of the submission. 

Minutes: The minutes of the EAC 

meeting will be posted on the EAC Web 

page at http://energy.gov/oe/services/ 

electricity-advisory-committee-eac. 

They can also be obtained by contacting 

Mr. Matthew Rosenbaum at the address 

above. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on September 

17, 2012. 

LaTanya R. Butler, 

Acting Deputy Committee Management 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–23322 Filed 9–20–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

Combined Notice of Filings 

Take notice that the Commission has 

received the following Natural Gas 

Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings: 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES