[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21514-21518]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-9021]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement for Implementation of the Carbon Sequestration Program

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to 
prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) pursuant 
to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 Code of Federal 
Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508), and the DOE NEPA regulations (10 
CFR part 1021), to assess the potential environmental impacts from the 
Department of Energy's (DOE's) Carbon Sequestration Program, which is 
being implemented by the Office of Fossil Energy.
    The Carbon Sequestration PEIS will evaluate the issues and impacts 
associated with the demonstration and deployment of technologies to 
implement the key elements of the Program, including: carbon dioxide 
(CO2) capture; sequestration (geologic, oceanic, and 
terrestrial); measurement, monitoring, and verification (MMV); and 
breakthrough concepts. Major initiatives to demonstrate the key 
elements of the Program may require collaboration with Federal 
agencies, State and regional governments, and private sector 
partnerships. The PEIS will analyze impacts of carbon sequestration 
technologies and potential future demonstration activities 
programmatically and will not directly evaluate specific field 
demonstration projects. However, because the PEIS will evaluate issues 
and impacts associated with regional approaches, opportunities, and 
future needs for the Program, findings from the PEIS may be applicable 
to future site-specific projects within the Carbon Sequestration 
Program, for which separate NEPA documents that could tier from the 
PEIS would be prepared. The PEIS will evaluate the potential 
environmental impacts of implementing the Carbon Sequestration Program 
(the Proposed Action), in comparison with other reasonable 
alternatives.

DATES: To ensure that all of the issues related to this proposal are 
addressed, DOE invites Federal agencies, Native American tribes, state 
and local governments, and members of the public to comment on the 
proposed scope and content of the PEIS. Comments must be received by 
June 25, 2004 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 public scoping 
meetings in which agencies, organizations, and the general public are 
invited to present oral comments or recommendations with respect to the 
range of environmental issues, alternatives, analytic methods, and 
impacts to be considered in the PEIS. Public scoping meetings will be 
held in geographic locations throughout the United States (see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION--Public Scoping Process for meeting locations 
and scheduled dates).

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the PEIS and requests to 
participate in the public scoping meetings should be submitted to Heino 
Beckert, Ph.D., NEPA Document Manager for Carbon Sequestration PEIS, 
U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, 3610 
Collins Ferry Road, P.O. Box 880, Morgantown, WV 26507. Individuals who 
want to participate in the public scoping process should contact Dr. 
Beckert directly by telephone: (304) 285-4132; fax: (304) 285-4403; 
electronic mail: [email protected]; or toll-free telephone 
number: (877) 367-1521.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the DOE's Carbon 
Sequestration Program or to receive a copy of the Draft PEIS for review 
when it is issued, contact Dr. Heino Beckert as described in ADDRESSES 
above. For general information on the DOE NEPA process, 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, fax: (202) 586-
7031, or leave a toll-free message at 800-472-2756. Additional NEPA 
information is available at the DOE Web site: http://www. eh.doe.gov/nepa/. Additional information on the Carbon Sequestration Program can 
be found at the following Web site: http://www.netl.doe.gov/coalpower/sequestration/index.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Definitions

    For the purpose of this Notice, the following terms are defined:
    Carbon Sequestration--The term given to a suite of technologies 
that can remove carbon dioxide from large point sources, such as power 
plants, oil refineries and industrial processes, or from the air 
itself. The carbon dioxide can then be stored in geologic formations, 
such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs, deep coal seems or saline 
formations. It can also be stored in plants, trees and soils by 
increasing their natural carbon dioxide uptake.
    Carbon Intensity--The ratio of carbon dioxide emissions to economic 
output.
    CO2 Capture--Refers to a range of technologies and 
methods employed to capture carbon dioxide in the process stream or at 
the source of emission. Such technologies may include organic chemical 
absorbents, carbon absorbents, membranes, sodium and other metal-based 
absorbents, electromechanical pumps, hydrates, mineral carbonation, and 
other processes.
    Geologic Sequestration--Refers to a range of technologies and 
methods employed to bind or store carbon dioxide in geologic 
formations, including depleted oil or gas reservoirs, unminable coal 
seams, saline formations, shale formations with high organic content, 
and others.
    Oceanic Sequestration--Refers to a range of technologies and 
methods employed to bind, store, or increase carbon dioxide uptake in 
the ocean. Such technologies may include deep ocean injection of 
captured carbon dioxide gas or the enhancement of free carbon dioxide 
uptake by marine ecosystems through ocean fertilization or other 
methods to enhance natural absorption processes.
    Terrestrial Sequestration--Refers to a range of technologies and 
methods employed to increase carbon uptake by terrestrial ecosystems. 
Such methods may involve changes in land management practices, 
including forestation or reforestation, agricultural practices that 
enhance carbon storage in soils, and other land reclamation methods.
    Measurement, Monitoring, and Verification (MMV)--Refers to a range 
of technologies and methods employed to measure baseline carbon levels 
in geologic formations, oceans, and terrestrial ecosystems; to assess 
ecological impacts of carbon storage; to

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detect leaks or deterioration in carbon dioxide storage processes; and 
to calculate net carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere avoided via 
technologies for capture and sequestration.
    Breakthrough Concepts--Refers to a range of technologies and 
methods emerging from scientific research that may be employed to 
reduce carbon dioxide emissions or otherwise capture and sequester 
carbon. Such technologies and methods may involve processes for 
advanced carbon dioxide capture through biochemistry or enzymes, 
subsurface neutralization of carbon dioxide, or unique systems that may 
enhance carbon sequestration.

Background and Need for Agency Action

    Since 1997, when the DOE's Office of Fossil Energy consolidated its 
funding of research and evaluations for controlling greenhouse gas 
emissions, that office has continued to be engaged in research studies, 
evaluations, and limited field investigations into technologies and 
methods for capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide. These carbon 
sequestration activities received increased emphasis with the 
announcement of the Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) on February 
14, 2002, by President George W. Bush, which calls for an 18 percent 
reduction in the carbon intensity (the ratio of carbon dioxide 
emissions to economic output) of the U.S. economy by 2012. The 
consolidated Carbon Sequestration Program, which is administered for 
the Office of Fossil Energy by the National Energy Technology 
Laboratory (NETL), is seeking to develop a portfolio of technology 
options that have significant potential for achieving the GCCI carbon 
goal.
    The Program now encompasses more than 80 research and development 
projects conducted throughout the United States. The programmatic 
objective is to demonstrate a series of safe and cost-effective 
technologies at a commercial scale by 2012 and to establish the 
potential for deployment leading to substantial market acceptance 
beyond 2012. Because the research and development activities for carbon 
sequestration are demonstrating the potential readiness of technologies 
for field-testing, DOE has initiated planning to prepare a PEIS.
    Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased 
rapidly in recent decades, and the increase correlates to the rate of 
world industrialization. In 1992, the United States and 160 other 
countries ratified the Framework Convention on Climate Change, which 
calls for ``* * * stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the 
atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic 
interference with the climate system.'' What constitutes an acceptable 
level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere remains open to debate, but 
even modest stabilization scenarios would eventually require a 
reduction in worldwide greenhouse gas emissions of 50 to 90 percent 
below current levels (Carbon Sequestration Project Portfolio, available 
on the Carbon Sequestration Web site at: http://www.netl.doe.gov/coalpower/sequestration/index.html).
    Technology solutions that provide energy-based goods and services 
with reduced greenhouse gas emissions are the President's preferred 
approach to achieving the GCCI goal. The GCCI also calls for a progress 
review relative to the goals of the initiative in 2012, at which time 
decisions will be made about additional implementation measures for 
mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. By focusing on greenhouse gas 
intensity as the measure of success, this strategy promotes vital 
climate change research and development (R&D) while minimizing the 
economic impact of greenhouse gas stabilization in the United States.
    In combination with improved energy efficiency of fossil fuel 
utilization and use of low-carbon fuels, carbon sequestration is an 
option for greenhouse gas mitigation. It involves the capture and 
storage of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that would 
otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere. The greenhouse gases can be 
captured at the point of emission, or they can be removed from the air. 
The captured gases can potentially be stored in geologic reservoirs, 
dissolved in deep oceans, converted to rock-like solid materials, or 
absorbed by vegetation and soils for long-term and stable 
sequestration.
    Current annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are 12 percent higher 
than they were in 1992, and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) 
forecasts that growth in U.S. CO2 emissions over the next 20 
years will exceed 30 percent (Annual Energy Outlook, 2004). The 
projected increase is more significant when one considers that in their 
analysis, EIA assumes significant deployment of new energy technologies 
through 2020--for example, a fourfold increase in electricity 
generation from wind turbines, a doubling of ethanol use in 
automobiles, and a 25 percent decrease in industrial energy use per 
unit of output. The need for greenhouse gas emissions reduction could 
be very large within a few decades. If the potential for carbon 
sequestration can be realized, it would greatly reduce the cost of 
greenhouse gas emissions mitigation.
    Approximately one-third of the current U.S. greenhouse gas 
emissions come from power plants, oil refineries, and other large point 
sources, and the percentage will increase in the future with a trend 
toward increased refining and de-carbonization of fuels. At the same 
time, the United States has vast forests and prairies, and is underlain 
by numerous significant saline formations, depleted oil and gas 
reservoirs, and unminable coal seams that have the combined potential 
to store centuries of greenhouse gas emissions. Many options for 
CO2 storage also have the potential to provide value-added 
benefits. For example, tree plantings, no-till farming, and other 
terrestrial sequestration practices can reduce soil erosion and 
pollutant runoff into streams and rivers. Storing CO2 in 
depleted oil reservoirs and unminable coal seams containing methane can 
enhance the recovery of crude oil and natural gas, while leaving a 
portion of the greenhouse gas sequestered. These value-added benefits 
have provided motivation for near-term action and create potentially 
viable opportunities for integrated CO2 capture and storage 
systems.

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action is for DOE to continue implementation of its 
Carbon Sequestration Program with a focus on moving toward GCCI goals 
and to eventually help meet the requirements of the Framework 
Convention on Climate Change. To achieve these objectives, the Program 
needs to consider, evaluate, develop, and implement carbon capture and 
carbon storage technologies, including effective measurement, 
monitoring, and verification methods, over a longer-range planning 
horizon. The Program also needs to provide technological viability data 
for the GCCI 2012 technology assessment.
    The Carbon Sequestration Program encompasses all aspects of carbon 
sequestration. DOE's NETL Carbon Sequestration Web site, http://www.netl.doe/coal/power/sequestration/ describes all of these aspects 
of carbon sequestration and provides the public examples of the 
technologies, relationships, and challenges that this PEIS will 
address. The Program has engaged Federal and private sector partners 
that have expertise in certain technology areas; for example, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) and electric utilities in terrestrial 
sequestration; U.S.

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Geologic Survey and the oil industry in geologic sequestration; and the 
National Academy of Sciences in breakthrough concepts. The Office of 
Fossil Energy and the USDA have joint responsibility for terrestrial 
carbon sequestration activities (sequestration in the biosphere). DOE 
has collaborated with other Federal agencies for developing general and 
technical (e.g., terrestrial sequestration, geologic sequestration) 
guidelines for use in voluntary reporting to the Energy Information 
Administration on greenhouse gas emissions, as mandated by Title XVI, 
section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. On a programmatic 
level, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and 
Forest Service have been directly involved in the implementation of 
terrestrial sequestration field projects. The Carbon Sequestration 
Program has also cooperated with the U.S. Department of the Interior's 
(DOI) Office of Surface Mining under a Memorandum of Understanding to 
sequester carbon on abandoned mined lands. The Program's longer-term 
research efforts (breakthrough concepts) are coordinated with DOE's 
Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and within the 
academic research community. Finally, the Program is working with the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess the role that non-
CO2 greenhouse gas emissions abatement actions can play in a 
nationwide strategy for reducing greenhouse gas intensity and to 
identify priority research.
    A strong focus is placed on direct capture of CO2 
emissions from large point sources and subsequent storage in geologic 
formations. These large point sources, such as power plants, oil 
refineries, and industrial facilities, are the foundation of the U.S. 
economy. Reducing net CO2 emissions from these facilities 
complements efforts to reduce emissions of particulate matter, sulfur 
dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, and represents a progression toward 
fossil fuel production, conversion, and use with little or no 
detrimental environmental impact. In addition, measurement, monitoring, 
and verification is emerging as an important crosscutting component for 
CO2 capture and storage systems, and terrestrial offsets are 
a vital component of cost-effective, near-complete elimination of net 
CO2 emissions from many large point sources. See NETL's 
Carbon Sequestration Web site, described above for further information.
    Through the Carbon Sequestration Program, DOE is seeking to develop 
a portfolio of technologies that hold the greatest promise for the 
capture and long-term sequestration of greenhouse gases. The timeline 
for the Program will need to demonstrate the readiness of a variety of 
safe and cost-effective candidate carbon capture and carbon storage 
technologies for consideration in deployment at a commercial scale by 
2012, if needed, with potential deployment leading to substantial 
market acceptance beyond 2012. Wide-scale deployment of these 
technologies will require confirmation and acceptance of their ability 
to slow the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in the near-term while 
ultimately leading to a stabilized emission rate toward the middle of 
the 21st century.
    DOE proposes that the Carbon Sequestration PEIS will evaluate the 
issues and impacts associated with the demonstration and deployment of 
technologies to implement the key elements of the Program: carbon 
dioxide capture; sequestration (geologic, oceanic, and terrestrial); 
MMV; and breakthrough concepts (see Definitions, previous). Major 
initiatives to demonstrate the key elements of carbon sequestration may 
require increased collaboration with Federal agencies, state and 
regional governments, and private sector partnerships. The PEIS will 
analyze impacts of carbon sequestration technologies and future 
demonstration activities programmatically and will not directly 
evaluate specific field demonstration projects. However, because the 
PEIS will evaluate issues and impacts associated with regional 
approaches, opportunities, and future needs for the Program, findings 
from the PEIS may be applicable to future site-specific projects within 
the Carbon Sequestration Program, for which separate NEPA documents 
that could tier from the PEIS would be prepared.

Alternatives

    NEPA requires that agencies evaluate the reasonable alternatives to 
a proposed major Federal action significantly affecting the environment 
in an EIS. The purpose for agency action determines the range of 
reasonable alternatives. At a minimum, DOE expects that alternatives 
will include the Proposed Action and No Action. Under the Proposed 
Action, DOE would proceed to implement the Carbon Sequestration Program 
to achieve GCCI goals with broad participation in a range of technology 
initiatives, including the demonstration and deployment of promising 
technologies for: carbon dioxide capture; sequestration (geologic, 
oceanic, and terrestrial); MMV; and breakthrough concepts on a regional 
and national scale. For the No Action alternative, the Carbon 
Sequestration Program would continue along a path comparable to 
previous research studies, evaluations, and field investigations. 
However, the No Action alternative might jeopardize or limit the most 
effective approaches for sequestration and hinder the identification 
and optimization of approaches that could best achieve Program 
objectives. Under either alternative, individual ongoing and near-term 
future projects will continue and be subject to separate and specific 
NEPA review and documentation.
    Under the Proposed Action, the PEIS would analyze reasonable 
alternatives for implementing the Carbon Sequestration Program. These 
action alternatives would include the range of technologies and 
strategies for implementing key elements of the program, including 
CO2 capture; sequestration (geologic, ocean, and 
terrestrial); MMV; and breakthrough concepts. Each of these 
technologies and strategies are explained in detail on DOE NETL Web 
site. DOE will consider analyzing additional action alternatives that 
may emerge during scoping and further development of the PEIS. For 
example, consideration may be given to alternative schedules for 
implementation of Program components, alternative technologies or 
variations in the mix of technologies to achieve Program objectives, 
variations in the implementation of sequestration methods, variations 
in implementation by geographic region, and other possibilities.
    DOE expects that the PEIS findings with respect to potentially 
significant issues and impacts will inform the DOE decision-making 
process for selecting technologies to be demonstrated and deployed, as 
well as for establishing the timetable for their implementation. To 
that end, DOE is considering analyzing alternatives comprised of 
combinations of technology and strategic options. The PEIS might also 
identify technologies that appear critically flawed or that may have 
serious and unpredictable impacts, which would preclude them from 
further consideration as reasonable alternatives under the Proposed 
Action.
    Finally, the PEIS will provide the framework for future technology 
assessment and field studies for the identification of new Program 
needs and future directions for carbon sequestration efforts. As a 
programmatic document, the PEIS will indicate issues and potential 
impacts to be evaluated more closely in site-specific environmental 
studies for project-specific NEPA documents.

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Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues

    DOE intends to address the issues listed below when considering the 
potential impacts of the Carbon Sequestration Program alternatives and 
technologies for CO2 capture, sequestration, MMV, and 
breakthrough concepts. This list is neither intended to be all-
inclusive nor a predetermined set of potential impacts. DOE invites 
comments from Federal agencies, Native American tribes, state and local 
governments, other interested parties, and the general public on these 
and any other issues that should be considered in the PEIS. The 
environmental issues include:
    (1) Potential impacts on atmospheric resources and air quality from 
technologies used to capture and sequester carbon dioxide, including 
emissions from associated activities and the construction and operation 
of support facilities;
    (2) Potential impacts on aesthetic and scenic resources from the 
construction and operation of facilities and support equipment, 
including pipelines and utility corridors;
    (3) Potential impacts on vegetation, wildlife, wildlife habitat, 
marine ecosystems, and species protected by the Endangered Species Act 
or Marine Mammal Protection Act that may result from implementing the 
Program, including the construction and operation of facilities, 
support equipment, ocean platforms, pipelines, utility corridors, and 
changes in land management practices;
    (4) Potential impacts on cultural and historic resources from the 
construction and operation of facilities and support equipment, 
including land-disturbing activities for the construction of 
facilities, access roads, pipelines, and utility corridors;
    (5) Potential changes in land use to provide new facilities, access 
roads, pipelines, and utility corridors, and changes in commercial and 
industrial development patterns that may occur in areas considered 
suitable for the implementation of respective technologies;
    (6) Potential increases in uses of fuels, solvents, and hazardous 
materials, as well as increases in solid and liquid waste streams from 
facilities and equipment uses;
    (7) Human health and safety issues associated with the construction 
and operation of new facilities, access roads, ocean platforms, 
pipelines, and utility corridors.
    (8) Human health and safety issues related to potential unplanned 
instantaneous release or slow leakage of CO2 from pipelines, 
facility infrastructure, and sequestration media.
    (9) Potential socioeconomic impacts from the energy demands for 
CO2 capture facilities, from the effects of geologic 
sequestration on oil and gas production, from the effects of ocean 
sequestration on fishing and tourism, from changes in land management 
practices for terrestrial sequestration, from the potential creation of 
a commodity market for trading in CO2 reduction credits, and 
from other factors associated with the implementation of the Program, 
including environmental justice issues that may result from the siting 
of facilities;
    (10) Potential impacts on utility infrastructure resulting from the 
demands of new facilities and equipment;
    (11) Impacts on water resources and quality resulting from land-
disturbance and runoff during construction and operation of facilities, 
equipment, access roads, and utility corridors associated with the 
Program; geologic sequestration may have impacts on groundwater 
resources, and ocean CO2 sequestration may have impacts on 
aquatic chemistry and marine ecosystems;
    (12) Soil contamination, erosion, and sedimentation may result from 
construction and operation of facilities, equipment, access roads, and 
utility corridors associated with the implementation of the Program; 
changes in land management practices may also affect soils; and
    (13) Potential hydrologic fractures in formations due to 
CO2 injection that may affect aquifers and could cause small 
and localized seismic hazards.

Public Scoping Process

    DOE will hold eight public scoping meetings for the Carbon 
Sequestration PEIS throughout the United States. The objective of the 
scoping meetings is to seek input from attendees that will be used to 
refine the issues and focus the Draft PEIS evaluations. The meeting 
schedules, including any changes to meeting locations or dates, will be 
published in the Federal Register, the respective local media, and 
DOE's monthly Carbon Sequestration Newsletter, and be posted at the DOE 
Carbon Sequestration Web site: http://www.netl.doe.gov/coalpower/sequestration/index.html. The dates and locations for the meetings are 
as follows:
     May 6, 2004: Alexandria, Virginia. Hilton 
Alexandria Mark Center, 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22311.
     May 18, 2004: Columbus, Ohio. Greater Columbus 
Convention Center, 400 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215.
     May 19, 2004: Chicago, Illinois. Holiday Inn--
Rolling Meadows, 3405 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008.
     May 25, 2004: Houston, Texas. Humble Civic 
Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble, TX 77338.
     May 27, 2004: Sacramento, California. Lions 
Gate, 3410 Westover St., McClellan, CA 95652-1005.
     June 2, 2004: Atlanta, Georgia. Hilton Atlanta 
Northeast, 5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross, GA 30092.
     June 8, 2004: Bozeman, Montana. (Open House 
starting at 5 p.m.), Bozeman High School, 205 N. 11th Avenue, Bozeman, 
MT 59715.
     June 10, 2004: Grand Forks, North Dakota. 
Northland Community & Technical College, 2022 Central Avenue, NE., East 
Grand Forks, MN 56721.
    The scoping meetings will begin at 7 p.m. and will conform to NEPA 
guidance and DOE Public Participation policies. Unless otherwise noted, 
each meeting will be preceded by an informal information session from 4 
p.m. until approximately 7 p.m. providing an opportunity for 
individuals to learn more about the Carbon Sequestration Program and 
the NEPA process and to talk with Program participants. Graphic 
displays and presentation materials will be made available to the 
public during the meetings. The scoping meetings will include 
presentations about the Carbon Sequestration Program and the NEPA 
process, followed by an opportunity for attendees to speak on behalf of 
organizations or themselves. To ensure that all individuals wishing to 
speak have an adequate opportunity to do so, each speaker will be 
allotted five minutes. Depending upon the number of persons wishing to 
speak, additional time may be provided. All spoken comments will be 
recorded during the meetings and a transcript prepared; however, 
speakers are encouraged to provide written versions of their prepared 
comments for the record. Comment cards also will be available at the 
meetings for written comments. The comment cards may be submitted at 
the meeting or mailed to DOE (see ADDRESSES) within the established 
public comment period. Written and spoken comments will be given equal 
consideration.

Preliminary PEIS Schedule

    DOE plans to complete the Draft PEIS by Summer 2005 and will 
announce its availability in the Federal Register and other media when 
published. Agencies,

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organizations, and the public will then have an opportunity to submit 
comments. DOE will also hold public hearings for the Draft PEIS at 
locations comparable to those for the scoping meetings. The public 
hearings will be held during the weeks following publication of the 
Draft PEIS and will be announced in the Notice of Availability for the 
Draft PEIS and other media. DOE will consider all substantive comments 
received at public meetings or otherwise during preparation of the 
Final PEIS, which DOE plans to issue by the Spring of 2006.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2004.
Beverly A. Cook,
Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 04-9021 Filed 4-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P