[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 37734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15511]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


Bioenergy Technologies Office; Request for Information (RFI) 
Regarding Integrated Biorefinery Lessons Learned and Best Practices

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Bioenergy Technologies 
Office (BETO), invites public comment on its Request for Information 
(RFI) regarding Integrated Biorefinery Lessons Learned and Best 
Practices. The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from 
industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and 
other stakeholders on issues related to lessons learned and best 
practices developed during the design, financing, construction, 
commissioning, startup, shakedown and operations of pilot-, 
demonstration-, and commercial-scale integrated biorefineries.

DATES: Comments regarding the RFI must be received on or before July 
15, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be emailed to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy (EERE), within the Department of Energy (DOE), 
accelerates development and facilitates deployment of energy efficiency 
and renewable energy technologies. EERE, through its Bioenergy 
Technologies Office (BETO) is seeking public comment on Integrated 
Biorefinery Lessons Learned and Best Practices. Since 2006, many 
companies that specialize in converting biomass to fuels and products 
have taken the next step to build and operate integrated pilot-, 
demonstration-, and commercial-scale facilities. During the design, 
financing, and construction of these projects many lessons learned and 
best practices have been developed. BETO compiles and updates the 
lesson learned and best practices information from its portfolio of 
integrated biorefinery projects as they move forward towards 
completion.
    At a series of recent workshops conducted by BETO to garner 
industry input on potential Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), 
BETO was repeatedly informed that the dissemination of lessons learned 
and best practices was of great interest to the bioindustry. BETO 
recognizes that some lessons learned and best practices may be 
considered business sensitive, proprietary, privileged or otherwise 
confidential information. As such, BETO does not generally release this 
type of information without prior approval. However, lessons learned 
and best practices that are of a general and common nature can be 
shared and it is BETO's objective to help advance the state of the 
bioenergy technology industry as a whole by compiling and disseminating 
this type of high-level, cross-cutting information.
    One way in which BETO is attempting to focus its efforts in this 
area is to request industry input through this Request for Information 
(RFI). BETO hopes to collect information regarding what lessons learned 
and best practices the industry has developed and is interested in, 
discover what lessons learned and best practices the industry is 
willing to share, and provide a forum in which to share this 
information with the bioenergy community. Assuming sufficient interest 
is provided in response to this RFI and meaningful data can be 
collected, BETO anticipates inaugurating an interactive forum focused 
on lessons learned and best practices at its upcoming Biomass 2014 
Conference (http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/biomass-2014-growing-future-bioeconomy), which is currently scheduled to be held on July 29-
30, 2014 in Washington, DC. In its RFI, DOE requests comments, 
information, and recommendations on Lessons Learned and Best practices 
associated with the design financing, construction, commissioning, 
startup, shakedown and operations of pilot-, demonstration-, and 
commercial-scale integrated biorefineries. Because information received 
in response to this RFI may be used to structure future programs and 
FOAs and/or otherwise be made available to the public, respondents are 
strongly advised to clearly and conspicuously mark any business 
sensitive, proprietary, privileged or otherwise confidential 
information in their response. The RFI, titled, ``Integrated 
Biorefinery Lessons Learned and Best Practices'', is available at: 
https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on: June 25, 2014.
Jonathan Male,
Technology Office Director, Bioenergy Technologies Office, Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2014-15511 Filed 7-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P