102872 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 

Signed in Washington, DC, on December 

12, 2024. 

Jennifer Hartzell, 

Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer, 

U.S. Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29868 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 Appalachian Hydrogen Hub 

(ARCH2), (DOE/EIS–0569) 

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 Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle) 

to facilitate the design, construction, 

operation, and maintenance of the 

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub (also 

referred to as the Appalachian Regional 

Clean Hydrogen Hub or ARCH2) in the 

Appalachian Region including Ohio, 

Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. 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 (eastern time): 

• Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 6 

p.m.–8 p.m. 

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. 

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-0569- 

appalachian-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– 

2024–0082 and follow the instructions 

for submitting comments. 

• Mail or Hand Delivery Service: 

Send comments in an envelope labeled 

‘‘DOE/EIS–0569’’ and addressed to TRC 

APPALACHIAN HYDROGEN HUB 

Coordinator, Teays Corporate Centre, 

135 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 540, 

Scott Depot, West Virginia 25560 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sarah Moore, Project Manager, Office of 

Clean Energy Demonstrations, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 

20585, email OCED_ARCH2_EIS@

hq.doe.gov, or telephone (202) 309– 

2037. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

In the Infrastructure Investment and 

Jobs Act, commonly known as the 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), 

Congress directed DOE to establish 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 H2Hubs 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 Appalachian Hydrogen 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 

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub planning 

activities. 

The Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, as 

proposed, satisfies certain criteria 

Congress required in the BIL for the 

Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs 

program. The Appalachian Hydrogen 

Hub has the potential to demonstrate 

the production of clean hydrogen from 

fossil fuels. The Appalachian Hydrogen 

Hub proposes to use clean hydrogen in 

a diversity of end uses, including but 

not limited to industry, power 

generation, and transportation. Further, 

the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub would 

create opportunities for skilled training 

and long-term employment for residents 

of the region. In addition, the location 

of the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub in 

the Appalachian Region that includes 

Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia 

meets the criterion requiring geographic 

diversity within the Regional Clean 

Hydrogen Hubs program. The 

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub also 

satisfies the criterion that DOE select a 

Hub in a region of the United States 

with the greatest natural gas resources. 

The Appalachian Hydrogen Hub is 

proposed to consist of a suite of 

demonstration projects involving clean 

hydrogen production, transportation, 

and end uses located within the 

Appalachian Region that includes Ohio, 

Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. 

Battelle is the primary funding recipient 

and lead Appalachian Hydrogen Hub 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 102873 

manager. As currently structured, the 

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub 

encompasses 12 proposed projects, 

including hydrogen production facilities 

that could produce at least 1,700 metric 

tons per day of clean hydrogen 

(autothermal reformation facilities with 

carbon capture, biomass pyrolysis 

facilities, electrolysis facilities, and 

facilities for recovering hydrogen from 

waste gases), hydrogen liquefiers, and a 

range of end uses including residential 

fuel cells, materials handling 

equipment, mobility, and industrial 

uses, including production of ammonia, 

urea, and low-carbon aviation fuel. 

Purpose and Scope of the EIS 

DOE will prepare an EIS (DOE/EIS– 

0569) to evaluate the potential impacts 

to the human environment associated 

with funding the Appalachian Hydrogen 

Hub. The EIS will evaluate the potential 

impacts associated with the types of 

hydrogen infrastructure and 

technologies proposed in the 

Appalachian Hydrogen 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 Appalachian Hydrogen Hub forward 

for project-specific funding decisions 

but will not directly authorize funding 

for specific Appalachian Hydrogen Hub 

projects. 

If DOE decides to provide funding for 

the construction and operation of the 

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, DOE will 

complete additional NEPA reviews to 

evaluate the potential site-specific 

impacts of individual proposed projects 

to 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 

Appalachian Hydrogen 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 Appalachian Hydrogen Hub also 

includes funding a clean hydrogen hub 

that meets certain BIL criteria for the 

H2Hubs. The proposed Appalachian 

Hydrogen Hub meets these criteria by: 

• Demonstrating feedstock diversity 

by including the production of clean 

hydrogen from fossil fuels. 

• 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 Appalachian Region and 

using energy resources that are 

abundant in that region. 

• Being one of at least two H2Hubs 

located in regions of the United States 

with the greatest natural gas resources. 

• 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 construction and 

operation of the Appalachian Hydrogen 

Hub, as proposed by Battelle, in the 

Appalachian region that includes Ohio, 

Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The 

proposed Appalachian Hydrogen Hub 

would include the production, storage, 

delivery, and end-use of clean hydrogen 

using a variety of technologies. 

Hydrogen production technologies 

being considered include autothermal 

reforming with carbon capture, 

electrolysis, pyrolysis, and capture and 

purification of hydrogen byproduct from 

chlor-alkali processes. Methods of 

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

underground storage. Delivery options 

may include refueling stations, 

liquefaction, and trucking, as well as the 

delivery of hydrogen derivatives such as 

ammonia, urea, or low-carbon aviation 

fuel which could include delivery via 

rail, barge, truck, or pipeline. The 

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub is 

considering a broad variety of end-use 

applications, including vehicles (buses, 

medium and heavy-duty trucks), 

materials handling equipment, 

industrial heat, blending to natural gas 

distribution systems, power generation, 

stationary fuel cells, and production of 

hydrogen derivatives, including 

ammonia, urea, and low-carbon aviation 

fuel. Appalachian Hydrogen Hub 

projects 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 

Battelle for the construction and 

operation of the Appalachian Hydrogen 

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 

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub: The 

proposed action alternative as described 

above. 

(2) DOE funding for an expanded 

Appalachian Hydrogen 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 

Appalachian Hydrogen 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 Appalachian Hydrogen 

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 


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102874 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 

significant 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 the EIS would 

not authorize the construction and 

operation of any project in the 

Appalachian Hydrogen Hub. The 

permits and authorizations required for 

the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub projects 

would be identified in subsequent sitespecific 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 October 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 the DOE to 

participate in the development of the 

environmental analysis as a cooperating 

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 11, 

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. 2024–29976 Filed 12–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of a modified system of 

records. 

SUMMARY: As required by the Privacy 

Act of 1974 and the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

Circulars A–108 and A–130, the 

Department of Energy (DOE or the 

Department) is publishing notice of a 

modification to an existing Privacy Act 


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