[Federal Register: June 3, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 106)]
[Notices]
[Page 33111-33113]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03jn03-59]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Western Greenbrier Co-Production Demonstration Project, Rainelle,
WV and Notice of Floodplain/Wetlands Involvement
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
and Notice of Floodplain/Wetlands Involvement.
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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), the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and the DOE
NEPA regulations (10 CFR Part 1021), to assess the potential
environmental impacts of a proposed project by Western Greenbrier Co-
Gen LLC (WGC) to design, construct, and operate, in Rainelle,
Greenbrier County, West Virginia, a demonstration facility that would
use an innovative atmospheric-pressure circulating fluidized-bed (ACFB)
boiler as the source of heat for the co-production of electricity,
steam and structural brick. The proposed project, selected under the
Clean Coal Power Initiative competitive solicitation, would be the
first demonstration in the United States of a compact inverted cyclone
configuration for the boiler design. This design has a 40 percent
smaller footprint than a conventional boiler system of similar
capacity.
The proposed power station would produce 85 MW (megawatts) of net
electrical power plus 10,000-30,000 pounds per hour of steam and hot
water. Steam and hot water from the proposed facility would serve an
industrial park, which the host municipality has planned for land
adjoining the power plant. Fuel for the power plant would be coal
wastes from waste piles within the surrounding area. When necessary to
raise the BTU content of the fuel, quality coal would be blended with
the waste coal. The proposed project would also be a first
demonstration of the utilization of coal combustion ash and wood wastes
for the manufacture of molded building blocks, known as
WoodbrikTM, to supply the regional construction materials
market. All ash that is not used in by-product manufacture would be
returned to the coal waste source sites to be used in the mitigation of
acid leachate.
The EIS will evaluate the proposed project and reasonable
alternatives. Because the proposed project would affect a floodplain
and may affect wetlands, the EIS will include a floodplain assessment
and wetlands assessment and DOE will prepare a floodplain statement of
findings in accordance with DOE regulations for compliance with
floodplain/wetlands environmental review requirements (10 CFR part
1022).
The EIS will help DOE decide whether to provide 50 percent
(approximately $107.5 million) of the total estimated funding of $215
million for the proposed project. The purpose of this Notice of Intent
is to inform the public about the proposed project; announce plans for
a public scoping meeting; invite public participation in the EIS
process; and solicit public comments for consideration in establishing
the proposed scope and content of the EIS.
DATES: To ensure that all of the issues related to this proposal are
addressed, DOE invites comments on the proposed scope and content of
the EIS from all interested parties. Comments must be received by July
3, 2003, to ensure consideration. Late comments will be considered to
the extent practicable. In addition to receiving comments in writing
and by telephone [See ADDRESSES below], DOE will conduct a public
scoping meeting in which agencies, organizations, and the general
public are invited to present oral comments or suggestions with regard
to the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be considered in
the EIS. The scoping meeting will be held at Greenbrier West High
School in Charmco, West Virginia on June 19, 2003, beginning at 7 p.m.
(See Public Scoping Process). Greenbrier West High School is located on
U.S. Route 60 approximately 10.3 miles west of I-64 Exit 156 at Sam
Black Church. The public is invited to an informal session at this
location beginning at 4 p.m. to learn more about the proposed action.
Displays and other forms of information about the proposed agency
action and the demonstration plant will be available, and DOE personnel
will be present at the informal session to discuss the proposed project
and the EIS process.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the proposed EIS scope and requests to
participate in the public scoping meeting should be addressed to the
NEPA Document Manager for the Western Greenbrier Co-Production
Demonstration Project: Mr. Mark L. McKoy, National Energy Technology
Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, P.O. Box 880, Morgantown, WV
26507-0880.
People who want to participate in the public scoping process also
may contact Mr. Mark L. McKoy directly at telephone 304-285-4426; toll
free number 1-800-432-8330 (extension 4426); fax 304-285-4403; or e-
mail mmckoy@netl.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain additional information about
this project or to receive a copy of the draft EIS for review when it
is issued, contact Mr. Mark L. McKoy at the address provided above. For
general information on the DOE NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol
M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (EH-42),
U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW.,Washington, DC
20585-0119, Telephone: 202-586-4600, facsimile: 202-586-7031, or leave
a toll-free message at 1-800-472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background and Need for Proposed Agency Action
Since the early 1970s, DOE and its predecessor agencies have
pursued research and development programs that contain long-term, high-
risk activities that support the development of innovative concepts for
a wide variety of coal technologies through the proof-of-concept stage.
However, the availability of a technology at the proof-of-concept stage
is not sufficient to ensure its continued development and subsequent
commercialization. Before any technology can be considered seriously
for commercialization, it must be demonstrated. The financial risk
associated with technology demonstration is, in general, too high for
the private sector to assume in the absence of strong incentives. The
Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) was established in 2002 as a
government/industry partnership to implement the President's National
Energy Policy recommendation to increase investment in clean coal
technology. This recommendation addresses a national challenge of
ensuring the reliability of electricity supply while simultaneously
protecting the environment. The goal of the CCPI program is to
accelerate commercial deployment of advanced
[[Page 33112]]
coal technologies that provide the United States with clean, reliable,
and affordable energy. Through cooperative agreements established
pursuant to the CCPI program, DOE would accelerate deployment of
innovative technologies to meet near-term energy and environmental
goals, reduce technological risks to the business community to an
acceptable level, and provide private sector incentives required for
continued activity in innovative research and development.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is for DOE to provide, through a 5-year
cooperative agreement with Western Greenbrier Co-Gen LLC (WGC),
financial assistance for a proposed demonstration project to co-produce
heat and electric power in a new generating station at Rainelle,
Greenbrier County, West Virginia. The new generating station would be
designed for long-term commercial operation (at least 20 years)
following completion of the cooperative agreement with DOE and would
cost approximately $215 million. DOE's share would be approximately
$107.5 million (50 percent).
WGC is proposing to design, construct, and operate an 85 MW
(megawatt) atmospheric-pressure, circulating fluidized-bed boiler
(ACFB) facility that would generate electricity and steam by burning
approximately 1,800 tons per day of waste coal as the primary fuel. A
coal-fired rotary kiln would be coupled with the power plant and would
calcine coal ash and limestone into a cementitious material for use
with wood wastes in the on-site manufacture of structural bricks and
blocks (WoodbrikTM).
The proposed facility would be the first commercial application
within the United States of a fluidized bed combustor that would have a
compact inverted cyclone design. This design would give the boiler
system a 40 percent smaller footprint than a conventional boiler system
of similar capacity, and would reduce structural steel requirements and
construction costs by up to 60 percent. Additionally, the proposed
brick making facility would be the first commercial demonstration of
the WoodbrikTM process in the United States.
In addition to electricity and WoodbrikTM products, the
proposed plant would co-produce steam and hot water and serve as the
anchor tenant for a new environmentally balanced industrial park. This
``Eco-Park'' would use hot water produced from the plant's turbine
exhaust to provide heating for buildings, agricultural activities and
aquacultural activities. Steam would be used for various heating and
industrial processes, which might include hardwood drying.
The source for the waste coal fuel for the plant would be a 4
million ton coal refuse site in Anjean, WV. If the Anjean site is not
available, other nearby sites would supply the coal wastes. Any
additional heating value requirements for the waste coal as a fuel
would be supplied by blending with quality coal. Coal combustion ash
that is not used in by-product manufacture at the proposed facility
would be used to remediate acid drainage from the source coal waste
piles. If successfully demonstrated, this technology could be applied
to many regions of the country for reclaiming contaminated land where
waste coal is currently stockpiled.
The proposed project site comprises approximately 26 acres located
within or adjoining a 30-acre industrial park that is currently under
development by the city of Rainelle. The site is approximately 160
kilometers (100 miles) southeast of the city of Charleston, West
Virginia. The area can be reached by State Highway 60 and is less than
14 miles from I-64. Construction of the proposed plant would be
expected to require approximately 27 months, following eight months of
project definition and nine months of detailed design.
Alternatives
NEPA requires that agencies discuss the reasonable alternatives to
the proposed action in an EIS. The purpose of the agency action
determines the range of reasonable alternatives. In this case, the
Clean Coal Power Initiative was established to help implement the
President's National Energy Policy (NEP) recommendation to increase
investment in clean coal technology by addressing national challenges
of ensuring the reliability of domestic energy supplies while
simultaneously protecting the environment. The CCPI program was
structured to achieve NEP goals by promoting private sector initiatives
to invest in demonstrations of advanced commerce-ready technologies
through the use of Federal, cost-sharing, financial assistance awards.
This approach puts DOE in a much more limited role than if the Federal
government were the owner and operator of the project. In the latter
situation, DOE would be responsible for a comprehensive analysis of
reasonable alternative locations for the project. However, when dealing
with applicants for financial assistance awards under the CCPI program,
the scope of alternatives is necessarily more restricted because DOE
must focus on alternative ways to accomplish its purpose that reflect
both the applications before it and the functions that DOE plays in the
decision process. As a grantor of financial assistance awards under a
competitive open solicitation, DOE must give substantial deference to
each applicant's needs in establishing a project's reasonable
alternatives.
The range of reasonable options to be considered in the EIS for the
WGC Demonstration Project is determined in accordance with the overall
NEPA strategy. Because of DOE's limited role of providing financial
assistance for the proposed Western Greenbrier Co-Production
Demonstration Project, DOE currently plans to give primary emphasis to
the proposed action and the no-action alternative. Under the no-action
alternative, DOE would not provide partial funding for the design,
construction, and operation of the proposed project. In the absence of
DOE funding, the Western Greenbrier Co-Production Demonstration Project
probably would not occur. If the proposed Western Greenbrier Co-
Production Demonstration Project is not built, Western Greenbrier would
need to consider other approaches to meet its goals, which could
include the use of conventional technologies to produce electricity or
using some other currently developing technology. DOE will consider
other alternatives that may be suggested during the public scoping
period.
Under the proposed action, project activities would include
engineering and design, permitting, fabrication and construction, and
testing of facilities that would demonstrate the proposed technologies.
Upon completion of the demonstration phase, the facility would continue
commercial operation.
Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues
The following environmental issues have been tentatively identified
for analysis in the EIS. This list was developed from analyses of the
proposed technology, the scope of the proposed project, and similar
projects. It is presented to facilitate public comment on the planned
scope of the EIS and is neither intended to be all-inclusive nor a
predetermined set of potential impacts. Additions to or deletions from
this list may occur as a result of the public scoping process.
Environmental issues include:
(1) Air quality impacts: potential impacts resulting from air
emissions during operation of the power plant and kiln, impacts on
local sensitive
[[Page 33113]]
receptors, increases in local smog and haze, water vapor plumes, dust
from construction and transportation, impacts on special-use areas;
(2) Noise and light impacts: potential impacts resulting from
construction, transportation of materials, and plant operation;
(3) Traffic Issues: potential impacts resulting from the
construction and operation of the proposed facility including changes
in local traffic patterns, deterioration of roads, traffic hazards,
traffic controls;
(4) Floodplains and wetlands: potential impacts on flood flow
resulting from earthen fills, access roads and dikes constructed within
the floodplain; impacts to wetlands;
(5) Visual impacts associated with plant structures: views from
neighborhoods, impacts on scenic views, impacts from water vapor plumes
and haze; internal and external perception of the local community;
(6) Reclamation impacts: potential impacts resulting from recovery
of coal waste and from the reclamation of the waste coal source sites;
mitigation of acid drainage from coal waste piles, and other
environmental improvements;
(7) Water quality: potential impacts resulting from wastewater
utilization and discharge, water usage, and reclamation of waste coal
sites;
(8) Infrastructure and land use, including potential environmental
and socioeconomic effects of plant construction, delivery of feed
materials, recovery of waste coal, steam and heat distribution,
electric power generation and transmission, WoodbrikTM production and
distribution, and site restoration;
(9) Water usage: water consumption, potential effects on surface
and groundwater resources and withdrawal of water from the municipal
sewage treatment plant;
(10) Solid Waste: pollution prevention and waste management,
including ash, slag, and wastewater treatment facility sludge;
(11) Cumulative effects that result from the incremental impacts of
the proposed project when added to the other past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable future projects;
(12) Ecological: Potential on-site and off-site impacts to
vegetation, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic wildlife, threatened and
endangered species, and ecologically sensitive habitats;
(13) Connected actions: Use of heat and energy from the plant for
the adjoining Eco-Park;
(14) Compliance with regulatory requirements and environmental
permitting; and
(15) Environmental monitoring.
Parts or all of the proposed power plant and brick manufacturing
facility would occupy a floodplain along Sewell Creek, in Rainelle,
West Virginia. Parts of the proposed facilities may occupy
jurisdictional wetland areas on the floodplain. Therefore, in
accordance with DOE regulations (10 CFR Part 1022), the final EIS will
include a floodplain and wetlands assessment and a floodplain statement
of findings.
Public Scoping Process
To ensure that all issues related to this proposal are addressed,
DOE seeks public input to define the scope of the EIS. The public
scoping period will end on July 3, 2003. Interested agencies,
organizations and the general public are encouraged to submit comments
or suggestions concerning the content of the EIS, issues and impacts to
be addressed in the EIS, and alternatives that should be considered.
Scoping comments should clearly describe specific issues or topics that
the EIS should address to assist DOE in identifying significant issues.
Written, e-mailed, faxed, or telephoned comments should be communicated
by July 3, 2003 (see ADDRESSES).
DOE will conduct a public scoping meeting at Greenbrier West High
School in Charmco, West Virginia on June 19, 2003 beginning at 7 p.m.
Greenbrier West High School is located on U.S. Route 60 approximately
10.3 miles west of I-64 Exit 156 at Sam Black Church. In addition, the
public is invited to an informational session at this location
beginning at 4 p.m. to learn more about the proposed action. Displays
and other information about the proposed agency action and location
will be available, and DOE personnel will be present to discuss the
proposed action and the NEPA process.
The formal scoping meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on June 19, 2003.
Members of the public who wish to speak at this public scoping meeting
should contact Mr. Mark L. McKoy, either by phone, fax, computer, or in
writing (see ADDRESSES in this Notice). Those who do not arrange in
advance to speak may register at the meeting (preferably at the
beginning of the meeting) and may speak after previously scheduled
speakers. Speakers who want more than five minutes should indicate the
length of time desired in their request. Depending on the number of
speakers, DOE may need to limit speakers to five minutes initially and
provide additional opportunities as time permits. Speakers may also
provide written materials to supplement their presentations. Oral and
written comments will be given equal consideration.
DOE will begin the meeting with an overview of the proposed Western
Greenbrier Co-Production Demonstration Project. The meeting will not be
conducted as an evidentiary hearing, and speakers will not be cross-
examined. However, speakers may be asked questions to help ensure that
DOE fully understands the comments or suggestions. A presiding officer
will establish the order of speakers and provide any additional
procedures necessary to conduct the meeting.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 28th day of May, 2003.
Beverly A. Cook,
Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 03-13857 Filed 6-2-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P