102878 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 

Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), 

Nevada. The Federal Advisory 

Committee Act requires that public 

notice of this meeting be announced in 

the Federal Register. 

DATES: Wednesday, January 15, 2025; 4– 

8:45 p.m. PST. The opportunity for 

public comment is at 4:10 p.m. PST. 

This time is subject to change; please 

contact the Nevada Site Specific 

Advisory Board (NSSAB) Administrator 

at nssab@emcbc.doe.gov for 

confirmation of time prior to the 

meeting. 

ADDRESSES: Valley Electric 

Association’s Valley Conference Center, 

800 E Highway 372, Pahrump, Nevada 

89048. This meeting will be open to the 

public in-person at the Valley 

Conference Center or virtually via 

Microsoft Teams. To attend virtually, 

please contact Barbara Ulmer, NSSAB 

Administrator, by email nssab@

emcbc.doe.gov or phone (702) 523– 

0894, no later than 4 p.m. PST on 

Monday, January 13, 2025. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barbara Ulmer, NSSAB Administrator, 

by phone: (702) 523–0894 or email: 

nssab@emcbc.doe.gov or visit the 

Board’s internet homepage at 

www.nnss.gov/NSSAB/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of the Board: The purpose of 

the Board is to provide advice and 

recommendations concerning the 

following EM site-specific issues: cleanup activities and environmental 

restoration; waste and nuclear materials 

management and disposition; excess 

facilities; future land use and long-term 

stewardship. The Board may also be 

asked to provide advice and 

recommendations on any EM program 

components. 

Tentative Agenda: 

• Public Comment Period 

• Update from Deputy Designated 

Federal Officer 

• Update from National Nuclear 

Security Administration/Nevada Field 

Office 

• Updates from NSSAB Liaisons 

• Presentations 

Public Participation: The in-person/ 

online virtual hybrid meeting is open to 

the public either in-person at the Valley 

Conference Center or via Microsoft 

Teams. To sign-up for public comment, 

please contact the NSSAB 

Administrator (above) no later than 4 

p.m. PST on Monday, January 13, 2025. 

In addition to participation in the live 

public comment session identified 

above, written statements may be filed 

with the Board either before or within 

seven days after the meeting by sending 

them to the NSSAB Administrator at the 

aforementioned email address. Written 

public comment received prior to the 

meeting will be read into the record. 

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 can 

do so in 2-minute segments for the 15 

minutes allotted for public comments. 

Minutes: Minutes will be available by 

writing or calling Barbara Ulmer, 

NSSAB Administrator, U.S. Department 

of Energy, EM Nevada Program, 100 

North City Parkway, Suite 1750, Las 

Vegas, NV 89106; Phone: (702) 523– 

0894. Minutes will also be available at 

the following website: https://

www.nnss.gov/nssab/nssab-meetings/. 

Signing Authority: This document of 

the Department of Energy was signed on 

December 12, 2024, by Alyssa Petit, 

Deputy Committee Management Officer, 

pursuant to delegated authority from the 

Secretary of Energy. That document 

with the original signature and date is 

maintained by DOE. For administrative 

purposes only, and in compliance with 

requirements of the Office of the Federal 

Register, the undersigned DOE Federal 

Register Liaison Officer has been 

authorized to sign and submit the 

document in electronic format for 

publication, as an official document of 

the Department of Energy. This 

administrative process in no way alters 

the legal effect of this document upon 

publication in the Federal Register. 

Signed in Washington, DC, on December 

12, 2024. 

Jennifer Hartzell, 

Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer, 

U.S. Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29867 Filed 12–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub 

(PNWH2), (DOE/EIS–0571) 

AGENCY: Office of Clean Energy 

Demonstrations, U.S. Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement, notice 

of scoping meetings, request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) announces its intent to 

prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

applicable NEPA implementing 

regulations to assess the potential 

environmental impacts of the proposed 

action of providing financial assistance 

to the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen 

Association (also referred to as the 

PNWH2 Association) to facilitate the 

design, construction, operation and 

maintenance of the Pacific Northwest 

Regional Hydrogen Hub including in the 

states of Washington, Oregon and 

Montana. DOE is issuing this Notice of 

Intent to inform the public about the 

proposed action; announce plans to 

conduct public scoping meetings; invite 

public participation in the scoping 

process; and solicit public comments for 

consideration in establishing the scope 

of the EIS, including the range of 

reasonable alternatives and the potential 

environmental impacts to be analyzed. 

DATES: The public scoping period for 

the EIS starts with the publication of 

this Notice of Intent (NOI) and ends on 

March 3, 2025. DOE will hold one 

virtual public scoping meeting at the 

following date and time (pacific time): 

• Wednesday, January 22, 2024 at 6 

p.m.–8 p.m. 

DOE will hold two in-person public 

scoping meetings. Dates, times, and 

locations are to be determined and will 

be shared on the DOE’s web page for 

this EIS no less than 15 days before the 

meetings. 

All meetings are open to the public 

and free to attend. Details on how to 

participate in the virtual and in-person 

public scoping meetings are available on 

the DOE’s web page for this EIS: https:// 

www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0571- 

pacific-northwest-hydrogen-hubmultiple-locations. In defining the scope 

of the EIS, DOE will consider all 

scoping comments received or 

postmarked by March 3, 2025. 

Comments received or postmarked after 

the scoping period end date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Oral or written comments 

may be provided at the public scoping 

meetings or submitted in any of the 

following ways: 

• Through the regulations.gov web 

portal: Navigate to www.regulations.gov 

and search for Docket No. DOE–HQ– 

2024–0094 and follow the instructions 

for submitting comments. 

• Mail or Hand Delivery Service: 

Send comments in an envelope labeled 

‘‘DOE/EIS–0571’’ and addressed to c/o 

AECOM, 3005 Center Green Drive, Ste 

250, Boulder, CO 80301. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Katie O’Shea, Project Manager, Office of 

Clean Energy Demonstrations, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Ave. SW, Washington, 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 102879 

DC 20585, email: OCED_PNWH2_EIS@

hq.doe.gov or telephone (240) 477–0431. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

In the Infrastructure Investment and 

Jobs Act, commonly known as the 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), 

Congress established and funded a 

Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs 

(H2Hubs) program to create regional 

networks of hydrogen producers, 

consumers, and local connective 

infrastructure to accelerate the use of 

hydrogen as a clean energy carrier.The 

Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations 

(OCED) within DOE is implementing the 

Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program 

and will use the NEPA process to help 

it decide whether to provide financial 

assistance for the H2Hubs. 

Congress directed DOE to select 

H2Hubs using certain criteria. 

Specifically, Congress directed DOE to 

select H2Hubs that will use a diversity 

of feedstocks to produce clean 

hydrogen, including at least one H2Hub 

that will demonstrate the production of 

clean hydrogen from fossil fuels, one 

H2Hub that will demonstrate the 

production of clean hydrogen from 

renewables, and one H2Hub that will 

demonstrate the production of clean 

hydrogen from nuclear energy. 

Congress also directed DOE to select 

H2Hubs that will use clean hydrogen in 

a diversity of end uses, including at 

least one H2Hub that will demonstrate 

the use of clean hydrogen in the 

following sectors: electric power 

generation, industrial, residential and 

commercial heating, and transportation. 

Congress required that DOE give priority 

to regional clean hydrogen hubs that are 

likely to create opportunities for skilled 

training and long-term employment to 

the greatest number of residents of the 

region. Congress also directed DOE to 

include geographic diversity, directing 

that DOE locate H2Hubs in different 

regions of the United States, and that 

the H2Hubs are to use the energy 

resources that are abundant in their 

respective regions. Congress further 

required DOE to select, to the maximum 

extent practicable, at least two H2Hubs 

in the regions of the United States with 

the greatest natural gas resources. 

DOE issued a Funding Opportunity 

Announcement (FOA–0002779) to 

solicit applications for H2Hubs. DOE 

selected the Pacific Northwest Hub for 

award negotiations following a rigorous 

Merit Review process to identify 

meritorious applications to the Regional 

Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program based on 

the criteria listed in FOA–0002779. DOE 

has provided limited funding in support 

of preliminary Pacific Northwest Hub 

planning activities. 

The Pacific Northwest Hub as 

proposed satisfies certain criteria 

Congress required in the BIL for the 

Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs 

program. The Pacific Northwest Hub has 

the potential to demonstrate the 

production of clean hydrogen from 

renewable energy resources. The Pacific 

Northwest Hub will use clean hydrogen 

in a diversity of end uses, including but 

not limited to industry, power 

generation, and transportation. Further, 

the Pacific Northwest Hub would create 

opportunities for skilled training and 

long-term employment for residents of 

the region. In addition, the location of 

the Hub in the Pacific Northwest region 

meets the criterion requiring geographic 

diversity within the Regional Clean 

Hydrogen Hubs program. The Pacific 

Northwest Hub also satisfies the 

criterion that DOE select hubs that use 

the energy resources that are abundant 

in their respective regions. 

The Pacific Northwest Hub is 

proposed to consist of a suite of 

demonstration projects involving clean 

hydrogen production, transportation, 

and end uses located within the Pacific 

Northwest. The Pacific Northwest 

Association is the primary funding 

recipient and lead Pacific Northwest 

Hub manager. As currently structured, 

the Hub encompasses approximately 10 

projects, including clean hydrogen 

production facilities that could produce 

300–400 metric tons per day of clean 

hydrogen, hydrogen liquefiers, 

connective infrastructure including 

refueling stations and pipelines, and a 

range of end uses including fuel cell 

electric trucks, fuel cell electric buses, 

cargo handling equipment, and 

stationary fuel cells. 

Purpose and Scope of the EIS 

DOE will prepare an EIS (DOE/EIS– 

0571) to evaluate the potential impacts 

to the human environment associated 

with funding the Pacific Northwest Hub. 

The EIS will evaluate the potential 

impacts associated with the types of 

hydrogen infrastructure and 

technologies proposed in the Pacific 

Northwest Hub, such as impacts from 

electricity and water usage and rates of 

emissions, that are inherent to the 

technologies and infrastructure 

regardless of where they may be 

deployed. The EIS will help inform 

DOE’s decision as to whether to carry 

the Pacific Northwest Hub forward for 

project-specific funding decisions but 

will not directly authorize funding for 

specific Pacific Northwest Hub projects. 

If DOE decides to provide funding for 

the construction and operation of the 

Pacific Northwest Hub, DOE will 

analyze the potential site-specific 

environmental effects of individual 

proposed projects and make site-specific 

funding decisions. In addition to being 

subject to DOE’s NEPA review, with 

associated public scoping and comment 

periods as appropriate, individual 

projects will be required to adhere to the 

requirements of all applicable Federal, 

State, and local laws and regulations. 

Purpose and Need for the Proposed 

Action 

The purpose and need for DOE’s 

action is to comply with its statutory 

mandate in BIL to catalyze investment 

in the production, processing, delivery, 

storage, and end-use of clean hydrogen; 

and contribute to the development of a 

national clean hydrogen network. The 

proposed action of funding the Pacific 

Northwest Hub would fulfill this 

mandate by accelerating the deployment 

of clean hydrogen technologies and 

enabling infrastructure to attract greater 

investments from the private sector and 

promote substantial U.S. manufacturing 

of numerous hydrogen technologies. 

DOE’s purpose and need in funding 

the Pacific Northwest Hub also includes 

funding a clean hydrogen hub that 

meets certain BIL criteria for the 

regional hubs program. The proposed 

Pacific Northwest Hub meets these 

criteria by: 

• Demonstrating feedstock diversity 

by including the production of clean 

hydrogen from renewable energy 

sources. 

• Demonstrating end use diversity by 

including the use of clean hydrogen in 

the electric power generation, industry, 

and transportation sectors. 

• Enabling DOE to meet the 

geographic diversity criterion by being 

located in the Pacific Northwest region 

and using energy resources that are 

abundant in that region. 

• Creating opportunities for skilled 

training and long-term employment for 

residents in the region. 

Proposed Action, No Action, and 

Preliminary Alternatives 

Proposed Action 

DOE’s proposed action is to provide 

funding to support the development of 

the Pacific Northwest Hub, as proposed 

by PNWH2 Association. The Pacific 

Northwest Hub intends to produce clean 

hydrogen through a variety of hydrogen 

production technologies, storage, 

delivery, and end-use applications, all 

within the Pacific Northwest region. 

Hydrogen production technologies 

being considered include various forms 

of electrolysis, the application of 


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102880 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 

electrical energy to water to generate 

pure oxygen and hydrogen. Methods of 

hydrogen storage may include aboveground tanks, tube trailers, and/or 

storage using ‘‘line pack’’, in which a 

pipeline holds hydrogen when the 

pipeline is not in use for transporting 

hydrogen. Delivery options being 

considered include pipelines, refueling 

stations, liquefaction, and trucking. A 

broad variety of end-use applications 

are being considered, including fuel cell 

electric trucks, fuel cell electric buses, 

cargo handling equipment, industrial 

heat, blending to natural gas 

distribution systems, power generation, 

data centers, stationary fuel cells, and 

production of hydrogen derivatives, 

including ammonia. 

Specific Pacific Northwest Hub 

project details and site locations are in 

development, DOE will evaluate 

specific projects and site locations in 

subsequent tiered NEPA reviews. 

No Action Alternative 

Under the No Action Alternative, 

DOE would not provide funding to the 

PNWH2 Association for the 

construction and operation of the 

Pacific Northwest Hub, with the 

assumption that the H2Hub would not 

be developed. The no action alternative 

provides a benchmark for comparison 

with environmental impacts of the other 

alternatives. 

Preliminary Action Alternatives 

The EIS will evaluate reasonable 

alternatives that are technically and 

economically feasible and meet the 

purpose and need for the proposed 

action. Preliminarily, DOE has 

identified three alternatives that 

potentially address the purpose and 

need stated above: 

1. DOE funding for the proposed 

Pacific Northwest Hub: The proposed 

action alternative as described above. 

2. DOE funding for an expanded 

Pacific Northwest Hub: An action 

alternative that considers the hydrogen 

technologies and infrastructure in the 

proposed action plus reasonably 

foreseeable clean hydrogen technologies 

and infrastructure that, while not 

currently considered in the proposed 

action, could be proposed for DOE 

funding. 

3. DOE funding for a reduced Pacific 

Northwest Hub: An action alternative 

that is smaller in scope wherein DOE 

would fund only a portion of the 

proposed action. 

Summary of Potential Impacts 

DOE’s analysis in the EIS will focus 

on potentially significant environmental 

impacts from construction and 

operation of the Pacific Northwest Hub’s 

proposed types of hydrogen 

technologies and infrastructure, as well 

as the potential cumulative impacts 

resulting from reasonably foreseeable 

past, present, and future projects in the 

same region. Accordingly, in the EIS, 

DOE anticipates evaluating potential 

non-site-specific impacts related to: (1) 

land use and infrastructure, (2) 

atmospheric conditions and air quality, 

(3) climate change and greenhouse 

gasses, (4) hydrologic conditions and 

water quality, (5) geology, seismicity 

and soils, (6) socioeconomic conditions, 

(7) environmental justice, (8) energy 

resources, (9) noise and vibration, (10) 

transportation and accidents, (11) 

intentional destructive acts, and (12) 

human health and safety. This list is not 

intended to be all-inclusive or to imply 

a predetermination of potential impacts. 

DOE invites interested stakeholders to 

suggest specific issues, including 

possible mitigation measures, within 

these general categories or others, to be 

considered in the EIS. 

Anticipated Permits and Authorizations 

DOE does not anticipate that permits 

and authorizations will be needed for 

agency action because it will not 

authorize the construction and 

operation of any project to be included 

in the Pacific Northwest Hub. The 

permits and authorizations required for 

those projects will be identified in 

subsequent site-specific NEPA analyses 

for those projects. 

Schedule for Decision-Making Process 

After the draft EIS is completed, DOE 

will publish a notice of availability 

(NOA) and request public comments on 

the draft EIS. DOE currently expects to 

issue the NOA in August 2025. After the 

public comment period ends, DOE will 

review and respond to comments 

received and will develop the final EIS. 

DOE currently expects to make the final 

EIS available to the public in April 

2026. A record of decision will be 

completed no sooner than 30 days after 

the final EIS is released, in accordance 

with applicable laws and regulations. 

Scoping Process 

This NOI commences the public 

scoping process to identify issues and 

potential alternatives for consideration 

in the EIS. Throughout the scoping 

process, Federal agencies, Tribes, State 

and local governments, and the public 

have the opportunity to help DOE 

identify significant resources and issues, 

reasonable alternatives, mitigation 

measures, and other pertinent 

information that DOE should consider 

in the EIS. DOE will hold public 

scoping meetings at the times and dates 

described above under the DATES

section. DOE will post information on 

how to participate in the virtual and inperson public meetings on the EIS 

website listed previously, in advance of 

the meetings. The public will have the 

opportunity to comment on the scope of 

the EIS. DOE representatives will be 

available to answer questions and 

provide additional information on the 

NEPA process to meeting attendees. In 

addition to providing comments at the 

public scoping meetings, stakeholders 

may submit written comments as 

described in the ADDRESSES section. 

Comments may be broad in nature or 

restricted to specific areas of concern, 

but they should be directly relevant to 

the NEPA process, or potential 

environmental impacts. The scoping 

process allows the public and interested 

parties to shape the EIS impact analysis, 

focusing on the areas of greatest 

importance and identifying areas 

requiring less attention. DOE will 

consider the comments received on the 

scope of the EIS during the 75-day 

scoping period as it prepares the draft 

EIS. 

OCED does not consider anonymous 

scoping comments. Please include your 

name and address as part of your 

scoping comment. All scoping 

comments, including the names, 

addresses, and other personally 

identifiable information included in the 

comment, will be part of the 

administrative record. DOE will protect 

privileged or confidential information 

that you submit when required by 

Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA), which applies 

to trade secrets and commercial or 

financial information that is privileged 

or confidential. Please label privileged 

or confidential information ‘‘Contains 

Confidential Information’’ and consider 

submitting such information as a 

separate attachment. Information that is 

not labeled as privileged or confidential 

may be regarded by DOE as suitable for 

public release. DOE will invite Tribal 

government-to-government 

consultations. 

Request for Comment on Alternatives 

and Effects, as Well as on Relevant 

Information, Studies, or Analyses With 

Respect to the Proposed Action 

Federal, State, and local agencies, 

along with Indian Tribal Nations and 

other stakeholders that may be 

interested in or affected by the proposed 

action, are invited to participate in the 

scoping process and, if eligible, may 

request or be requested by DOE to 

participate in the development of the 

environmental analysis as a cooperating 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 102881 

agency. DOE requests data, comments, 

views, information, analysis, 

alternatives, or suggestions relevant to 

the proposed action from the public; 

affected Federal, Tribal, State, and local 

governments, agencies, and offices; the 

scientific community; industry; or any 

other interested party. 

Specifically, DOE requests 

information on the following topics: 

1. Potential effects that the proposed 

action could have on biological, 

physical, socioeconomic, cultural, or 

other resources. 

2. Other potential reasonable 

alternatives to the proposed action that 

DOE should consider, including 

additional or alternative avoidance, 

minimization, and mitigation measures. 

3. Information on other current or 

planned activities in, or in the vicinity 

of, the proposed action, that could 

impact one another or contribute to 

cumulative impacts. 

4. Other information, studies, or 

analyses relevant to the proposed action 

and its impacts on the human 

environment. 

To promote informed decisionmaking, comments should be as specific 

as possible and should provide as much 

detail as necessary to meaningfully and 

fully inform DOE of why the issues 

raised are important to the agency’s 

review of the proposed action. 

The draft EIS will include as an 

appendix a summary of issues raised in 

public scoping comments that DOE 

considered in preparing the EIS and 

comments outside the scope of the 

analysis. 

Signing Authority 

This document of the Department of 

Energy was signed on December 13, 

2024, by Kelly Cummins, Acting 

Director, Office of Clean Energy 

Demonstrations, pursuant to delegated 

authority from the Secretary of Energy. 

That document with the original 

signature and date is maintained by 

DOE. For administrative purposes only, 

and in compliance with requirements of 

the Office of the Federal Register, the 

undersigned DOE Federal Register 

Liaison Officer has been authorized to 

sign and submit the document in 

electronic format for publication, as an 

official document of the Department of 

Energy. This administrative process in 

no way alters the legal effect of this 

document upon publication in the 

Federal Register. 

Signed in Washington, DC, on December 

13, 2024. 

Treena V. Garrett, 

Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. 

Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29994 Filed 12–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the California Hydrogen Hub 

(ARCHES), (DOE/EIS–0570) 

AGENCY: Office of Clean Energy 

Demonstrations, U.S. Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement, notice 

of scoping meetings, request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) announces its intent to 

prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

applicable NEPA implementing 

regulations to assess the potential 

environmental impacts of the proposed 

action of providing financial assistance 

to the Alliance for Renewable Clean 

Hydrogen Energy Systems (also referred 

to as ARCHES) to facilitate the design, 

construction, operation and 

maintenance of the California Hydrogen 

Hub in the state of California. DOE is 

issuing this Notice of Intent to inform 

the public about the proposed action; 

announce plans to conduct public 

scoping meetings; invite public 

participation in the scoping process; 

and solicit public comments for 

consideration in establishing the scope 

of the EIS, including the range of 

reasonable alternatives and the potential 

environmental impacts to be analyzed. 

DATES: The public scoping period for 

the EIS starts with the publication of 

this notice of intent (NOI) and ends on 

March 3, 2025. DOE will hold one 

virtual public scoping meeting at the 

following date and time (pacific time): 

• Tuesday, January 28, 2025 from 

4:30–7:30 p.m. Pacific Time. 

DOE will hold three in-person public 

scoping meetings. Dates, times, and 

locations are to be determined and will 

be shared on the DOE’s web page for 

this EIS no less than 15 days before the 

meetings. 

In addition, DOE will have an open 

virtual public meeting space available 

for the public. This public meeting 

space will open on Monday January 20, 

2025, at ocedarcheseis.com and stay 

open through the duration of the 

scoping period. 

All meetings are open to the public 

and free to attend. Details on how to 

participate in the virtual and in-person 

public scoping meetings are available on 

the DOE’s web page for this EIS: https:// 

www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0570- 

california-hydrogen-hub-multiplelocations. In defining the scope of the 

EIS, DOE will consider all scoping 

comments received or postmarked by 

March 3, 2025. Comments received or 

postmarked after the scoping period end 

date will be considered to the extent 

practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Oral or written comments 

may be provided at the public scoping 

meetings or submitted in any of the 

following ways: 

• Through the regulations.gov web 

portal: Navigate to www.regulations.gov 

and search for Docket No. DOE–HQ– 

2024–0087 and follow the instructions 

for submitting comments; or 

• Mail or Hand Delivery Service: 

Send comments in an envelope labeled 

‘‘DOE/EIS–0570’’ and addressed to 

Jacobs, Attention: Rosa Esquivel, 2600 

Michelson Drive, Suite 500, Irvine, CA 

92612–6506. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kristin Welch, Project Manager, Office 

of Clean Energy Demonstrations, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Ave. SW, Washington, 

DC 20585, email OCED_ARCHES_EIS@

hq.doe.gov, or telephone (240) 981– 

0461. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

In the Infrastructure Investment and 

Jobs Act, commonly known as the 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), 

Congress established and funded a 

Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs 

(H2Hubs) program to create regional 

networks of hydrogen producers, 

consumers, and local connective 

infrastructure to accelerate the use of 

hydrogen as a clean energy carrier. The 

Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations 

(OCED) within DOE is implementing the 

Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program 

and will use the NEPA process to help 

it decide whether to provide financial 

assistance for the H2Hubs. 

Congress directed DOE to select 

H2Hubs using certain criteria. 

Specifically, Congress directed DOE to 

select H2Hubs that will use a diversity 

of feedstocks to produce clean 

hydrogen, including at least one H2Hub 

that will demonstrate the production of 

clean hydrogen from fossil fuels, one 

H2Hub that will demonstrate the 

production of clean hydrogen from 


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