[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 228 (Wednesday, December 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68244-68246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25724]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Request for Information (RFI) on Using a Consent-Based 
Siting Process To Identify Federal Interim Storage Facilities

AGENCY: Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition, Office of Nuclear 
Energy, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), U.S. Department of Energy 
(DOE), requests information on how to site Federal facilities for the 
temporary, consolidated storage of spent nuclear fuel using a consent-
based approach. DOE anticipates that communities; governments at the 
local, State, and Tribal levels; members of the public; energy and 
environmental justice groups; organizations or corporations; and other 
stakeholders may be interested in responding to this Request for 
Information (RFI). We especially welcome insight from people, 
communities, and groups that have historically not been well-
represented in these discussions. Responses to the RFI will inform 
development of a consent-based siting process, overall strategy for an 
integrated waste management system, and possibly a funding opportunity.

DATES: Responses to the RFI must be received by March 4, 2022 by 5:00 
p.m. (ET).

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments electronically to 
[email protected]. Include ``RFI: Consent-Based Siting and 
Federal Interim Storage'' in the subject line of the email. Email 
attachments can be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) file or an 
Adobe PDF (.pdf) file, prepared in accordance with the detailed 
instructions in the RFI. Documents submitted electronically should 
clearly indicate which topic areas and specific questions are being 
addressed, and should be limited to no more than 45MB in size.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please send any questions to 
[email protected], or to Alisa Trunzo at 301-903-9600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 68245]]

Background

    In 2015, DOE began developing a consent-based process for siting 
storage or disposal facilities collaboratively with members of the 
public, communities, stakeholders, and governments at the Tribal, 
State, and local levels. As part of this initiative, the Department 
issued an Invitation for Public Comment (www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/12/f34/Summary of Public Input Report FINAL.pdf) and 
conducted a series of public meetings to seek feedback and inform 
future efforts. Based on that feedback, as well as the findings of 
several expert groups, DOE developed and requested public comment on 
the Draft Consent-Based Siting Process for Consolidated Storage and 
Disposal Facilities for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive 
Waste (the ``Draft Consent-Based Siting Process,'' www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Draft Consent-Based Siting Process and 
Siting Considerations.pdf) in January 2017.
    In the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Congress appropriated 
funds to the Department for interim storage activities. Interim storage 
is an important component of a waste management system and will enable 
near-term consolidation and temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel. 
This will allow for removal of spent nuclear fuel from reactor sites, 
provide useful research opportunities, and build trust and confidence 
with stakeholders and the public by demonstrating a consent-based 
approach to siting.
    DOE anticipates that an interim storage facility would need to 
operate until the fuel can be moved to final disposal. The duration of 
the interim period depends on the completion of a series of significant 
steps, such as the need to identify, license, and construct a facility, 
plus the time needed to move the spent nuclear fuel.

Questions for Input

    Given Congressional appropriations to move forward with interim 
storage activities, we are seeking input on using a consent-based 
process to site federal interim storage facilities. We will use 
responses to this RFI, along with comments received in 2017 on the 
Draft Consent-Based Siting Process (www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Draft Consent-Based Siting Process and Siting 
Considerations.pdf), to help develop a consent-based siting process for 
use in siting federal interim storage facilities, the overall strategy 
for development and operation of an integrated waste management system, 
and possibly a funding opportunity.
    Respondents to this RFI do not need to address every question, but 
DOE welcomes input in all of the following areas.

Area 1: Consent-Based Siting Process

    1. How should the Department build considerations of social equity 
and environmental justice into a consent-based siting process?
    2. What role should Tribal, State, and local governments and 
officials play in determining consent for a community to host a federal 
interim storage facility?
    3. What benefits or opportunities could encourage local, State, and 
Tribal governments to consider engaging with the Department as it works 
to identify federal interim storage sites?
    4. What are barriers or impediments to successful siting of federal 
interim storage facilities using a consent-based process and how could 
they be addressed?
    5. How should the Department work with local communities to 
establish reasonable expectations and plans concerning the duration of 
storage at federal interim storage facilities?
    6. What organizations or communities should the Department consider 
partnering with to develop a consent-based approach to siting?
    7. What other issues, including those raised in the Draft Consent-
Based Siting Process (www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Draft 
Consent-Based Siting Process and Siting Considerations.pdf), should the 
Department consider in implementing a consent-based siting process?

Area 2: Removing Barriers to Meaningful Participation

    1. What barriers might prevent meaningful participation in a 
consent-based siting process and how could those barriers be mitigated 
or removed?
    2. What resources might be needed to ensure potentially interested 
communities have adequate opportunities for information sharing, expert 
assistance, and meaningful participation in the consent-based siting 
process?
    3. How could the Department maximize opportunities for mutual 
learning and collaboration with potentially interested communities?
    4. How might the Department more effectively engage with local, 
State, and Tribal governments on consent-based siting of federal 
interim storage facilities?
    5. What information do communities, governments, or other 
stakeholders need to engage with the Department on consent-based siting 
of federal interim storage facilities?

Area 3: Interim Storage as Part of a Waste Management System

    1. How can the Department ensure considerations of social equity 
and environmental justice are addressed in developing the nation's 
waste management system?
    2. What are possible benefits or drawbacks to co-locating multiple 
facilities within the waste management system or co-locating waste 
management facilities with manufacturing facilities, research and 
development infrastructure, or clean energy technologies?
    3. To what extent should development of an interim storage facility 
relate to progress on establishing a permanent repository?
    4. What other issues should the Department consider in developing a 
waste management system?

Response Preparation and Transmittal Instructions

    Please submit responses to this RFI electronically to 
[email protected] no later than 5:00 p.m. (ET) on March 4, 
2022. Please include in the subject line ``RFI: Consent-Based Siting 
and Federal Interim Storage.'' Responses must be received by March 4, 
2022, for immediate consideration; however, DOE will continue to accept 
responses after that date and will review as time permits. Responses 
may be directly emailed or provided as attachments to an email. It is 
recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be 
compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery; however, no email 
shall exceed a total of 45MB, including all attachments. Responses sent 
as an email attachment must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) or 
Portable Document Format (.pdf) document.
    Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question 
or topic, if applicable. Please clearly state the specific question to 
which you are responding. All proprietary and restricted information 
must be clearly marked. Respondents may answer as many or as few 
questions as they wish. DOE will not respond to individual submissions. 
A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to 
develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.
    Please provide the following information at the start of your 
response:
 Community, organization, or company (if applicable)
 Contact name
 Contact's address, phone number, and email address

[[Page 68246]]

    Data collected from this RFI will not be protected from the public 
view in any way. Individual commentors' names and addresses (including 
email addresses) received as part of this RFI are part of the public 
record. DOE plans to post all comment documents received in their 
entirety at following the close of the public comment period. Any 
person wishing to have their name, address, email address, or other 
identifying information withheld from the public record of comment 
documents must state this request prominently at the beginning of any 
comment document, or else no redactions will be made.

Disclaimer and Important Note

    This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), prize, or 
any other type of solicitation; therefore, DOE is not accepting 
applications at this time. DOE may issue a FOA or other solicitation in 
the future based on or related to the content and responses to this 
RFI; however, there is no guarantee that a FOA or solicitation will be 
issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide 
any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if DOE chooses to 
issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the 
anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of DOE-funded awards, will 
be subject to Congressional appropriations and direction.
    Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be 
used by the Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and 
strategy development. This RFI does not constitute a formal 
solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice 
will be treated as information only. DOE will review and consider all 
responses in its formulation of program strategies for the identified 
materials of interest that are the subject of this request. DOE will 
not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. 
Respondents are advised that DOE is under no obligation to acknowledge 
receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents 
with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to 
this RFI do not bind DOE to any further actions related to this topic.
    If you need assistance in a language other than English, please 
visit www.energy.gov/consentbasedsiting where additional resources will 
be made available or contact [email protected].
    Thank you in advance for your input, and we look forward to 
receiving your responses.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on November 
18, 2021, by Dr. Kathryn Huff, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
the Office of Nuclear Energy, pursuant to delegated authority from the 
Secretary of Energy. That document with the original signature and date 
is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in 
compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on November 19, 2021.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2021-25724 Filed 11-30-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P