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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3459-3460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1351]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Cancellation of the Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Mountaineer Commercial Scale Carbon Capture and Storage Project, Mason 
County, WV

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy 
is cancelling the environmental impact statement (EIS) under the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

[[Page 3460]]

(NEPA) for the Mountaineer Commercial Scale Carbon Capture and Storage 
(CCS) Project in Mason County, WV (DOE/EIS-0445). DOE selected this 
project proposed by American Electric Power (AEP) under the Round 3 
solicitation of the Clean Coal Power Initiative. DOE's proposed action 
was to provide $334 million in cost-shared financial assistance to AEP 
to support the construction and operation of AEP's proposed project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on the 
cancellation of this EIS, contact Mark W. Lusk, NEPA Document Manager, 
U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, 3610 
Collins Ferry Road, M/S B07, P.O. Box 880, Morgantown, WV 26507-0880; 
by email at Mark.Lusk@netl.doe.gov; toll-free number at 1-(800) 553-
7681; or facsimile at (304) 285-4403. For general information on the 
DOE's NEPA review process, contact 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 or 1-(800) 472-2756, facsimile (202) 586-7031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOE's Office of Fossil Energy is 
cancelling the EIS for the proposed Mountaineer Commercial Scale CCS 
Project in Mason County, WV. DOE selected this project, as proposed by 
AEP, under a competitive solicitation in Round 3 of the Clean Coal 
Power Initiative. DOE's proposed action was to provide $334 million in 
cost-shared financial assistance to AEP to support the construction and 
operation of AEP's proposed project. On June 7, 2010, DOE announced its 
intent (75 FR 32171) to prepare an environmental impact statement for 
the proposed project and held a public scoping meeting.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability 
of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mountaineer 
Commercial Scale Carbon Capture and Storage Project (DOE/EIS-0445D) for 
public review and comment on March 4, 2011 (76 FR 12108). DOE also 
announced availability of the draft EIS and provided the location and 
time for a public hearing in a separate announcement on March 11, 2011 
(76 FR 13396). The planned public hearing was postponed in late March 
2011 due to the uncertainty of AEP's plans. DOE received a letter from 
AEP, dated July 7, 2011, announcing its intent to terminate its 
cooperative agreement with DOE at the end of Phase I, ``Project 
Definition,'' citing unfavorable economic conditions and regulatory 
uncertainty. AEP completed its Phase I obligations to DOE and is in the 
process of completing final reporting in accordance with the 
cooperative agreement.

    Issued in Pittsburgh, PA, on December 20, 2011.
Anthony V. Cugini,
Director, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Office of Fossil 
Energy.
[FR Doc. 2012-1351 Filed 1-23-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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