[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 48 (Friday, March 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13396-13397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5694]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Availability of the Draft 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 Availability and Public Hearing.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces 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, as well as the date, location and time for a
public hearing. The draft environmental impact statement (EIS) analyzes
the potential environmental impacts of a project proposed by American
Electric Power (AEP) Service Corporation, which was selected by DOE to
receive financial assistance under the Clean Coal Power Initiative
(CCPI) program. DOE's Proposed Action is to provide cost-shared funding
to AEP under the CCPI. DOE proposes to provide up to $334 million of
the project cost to support the construction and operation of AEP's
Mountaineer Commercial Scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project
(Mountaineer CCS II Project). AEP's proposed project would construct a
commercial-scale CCS system at its Mountaineer Power Plant (a 1,300-
megawatt [MW] coal-fired power plant) and other AEP-owned properties in
Mason County, West Virginia, near the town of New Haven. The project
would capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the existing
pulverized coal-fired power plant, transport the captured
CO2 by pipeline to well locations, and inject it into deep
saline geologic formations for permanent geologic storage.
DATES: DOE invites the public to comment on the Draft EIS during the
public comment period, which ends April 18, 2011. DOE will consider all
comments postmarked or received during the comment period in preparing
the Final EIS, and will consider late comments to the extent
practicable. In addition to receiving comments in writing and by e-mail
[See ADDRESSES], DOE will conduct a public hearing at which government
agencies, private-sector organizations, Native American Tribes and
individuals are invited to present oral and written comments on the
Draft EIS. The public hearing will be held at the New Haven Elementary
School at 138 Mill Street in New Haven, West Virginia, on March 30,
2011. Oral comments will be heard during the formal portion of the
public hearing beginning at 7 p.m. The public is also invited to an
informal session to learn more about the project and DOE's Proposed
Action at the same location beginning at 6 p.m. Various displays and
other information about DOE's Proposed Action and AEP's Mountaineer CCS
II Project will be available. Representatives from DOE and AEP will
discuss the proposed project, the CCPI program, and the EIS process at
the informal session.
ADDRESSES: Requests for information about the Draft EIS, requests to
receive paper or electronic copies of it or to provide comments on the
Draft EIS should be directed to: Mr. 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. Requests or comments can also be made by electronic mail
at [email protected]; by telephone (412) 386-7435, toll-
free 1-877-812-1569; or by fax (304) 285-4403.
The Draft EIS is available on DOE's NEPA Web page at: http://nepa.energy.gov/DOE_NEPA_documents.htm; and on the National Energy
Technology Laboratory's Web page at: http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/others/nepa/index.html. Copies of the Draft EIS will also
be available at the locations listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this Notice. Written comments on the Draft EIS should be
marked ``AEP Mountaineer CCS Project'' and sent to Mark W. Lusk, NEPA
Document Manager, by one of the methods listed above. Oral comments on
the Draft EIS will be accepted by telephone at the numbers listed
above, or during the public hearing scheduled for the date and location
provided in the DATES section of this Notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this
project or the Draft EIS, please contact Mr. Mark W. Lusk (see
ADDRESSES). For general information on the DOE NEPA process, please
contact Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and
Compliance (GC-54), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585; telephone (202) 586-4600; fax (202)
586-7031; or leave a toll-free message (1-800-472-2756).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE's Proposed Action is to provide $334
million in cost-shared financial assistance to AEP to support the
construction and operation of AEP's Mountaineer CCS II Project. This
financial assistance would constitute about 50 percent of the estimated
total project cost during the 46-month demonstration period. Through a
cooperative agreement with DOE, AEP would construct a CO2
capture facility using Alstom's chilled ammonia process (CAP) at the
Mountaineer Plant. Alstom's CAP is a proprietary process for removing
CO2 from combustion flue gas. The capture facility would be
located within the boundaries of the existing Mountaineer Plant and
would occupy approximately 11.5 acres. The capture facility would
process a slipstream of the plant's flue gas, equivalent in quantity to
the emissions from a 235-MW power plant. Each year, approximately 1.5
million metric tons of CO2 would be captured, treated, and
compressed into a highly concentrated form suitable for geologic
storage. The processed CO2 would be transported by pipeline
(primarily underground) to injection wells on AEP properties located
within approximately 12 miles of the Mountaineer Plant. The captured
CO2 would be injected into deep saline formations for
permanent storage, approximately 1.5 miles below ground.
Consistent with DOE's objectives in CCPI Round 3, the Mountaineer
CCS Project would be designed to:
Remove approximately 90 percent of the CO2 from
the 235-MW slipstream;
Demonstrate a commercial-scale deployment of the CAP for
CO2 capture; and
Demonstrate the injection, permanent geologic storage, and
monitoring of CO2 in deep underground saline formations.
Existing infrastructure (e.g., roadways, utilities) at the Mountaineer
Plant would be used to the extent possible. However, upgrades to, and
construction of, additional infrastructure may be required. Major new
equipment would include absorbers, regenerators, strippers, pumps, heat
exchangers, compressors, and a refrigeration system. In addition, the
CO2 capture system would include reagent and refrigerant
unloading equipment, water-handling equipment, a control room,
maintenance and administrative facilities, and a laboratory. All of
these would be located at the Mountaineer Plant. Carbon dioxide
injection wells and pipelines would be located along existing rights-
of-way (ROWs) to the extent possible and on other AEP properties in the
area.
[[Page 13397]]
DOE prepared this Draft EIS in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the
Council on Environmental Quality's regulations that implement the
procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and DOE's
procedures implementing NEPA (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
is limited to considering the application as proposed by the private
party; 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
applications and the No Action Alternative for each selected project.
Under the No Action Alternative, DOE would not provide cost-shared
funding for the project beyond that required to complete the NEPA
process. Although AEP could still elect to construct and operate the
proposed project, without DOE funding the project would likely be
canceled. Therefore, for purposes of analysis in the Draft EIS, the No
Action Alternative is assumed to be equivalent to a ``no build''
alternative, meaning that environmental conditions would remain as they
are (no new construction, resource utilization, emissions, discharges,
or wastes generated). The No Action Alternative would not contribute to
the goal of the CCPI program, which is to accelerate commercial
deployment of advanced technologies that provide the United States with
clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
The Draft EIS analyzes the environmental consequences that may
result from the Proposed Action, including options for pipeline routes
and injection well sites, 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.
Copies of the Draft EIS have been distributed 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 New Haven Public Library, 106 Main Street, New Haven, WV
25265, and at the Meigs County Library District, 216 West Main Street,
Pomeroy, OH 45769. The Draft EIS will also be available on the Internet
at: http://nepa.energy.gov/DOE_NEPA_documents.htm; or http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/others/nepa/index.html.
Issued in Washington, DC on March 8, 2011.
Mark J. Matarrese,
Director, Office of Environment, Security, Safety & Health, Office of
Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 2011-5694 Filed 3-10-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P