[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