[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73756-73757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28079]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9307-01-OAR]


Announcing Upcoming Virtual Meeting on Biofuel Greenhouse Gas 
Modeling

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency announces an upcoming 
workshop on biofuel greenhouse gas (GHG) modeling. This is a virtual 
meeting and open to the public. The purpose of this workshop is to 
solicit information on the current scientific understanding of 
greenhouse gas modeling of land-based biofuels used in the 
transportation sector. The

[[Page 73757]]

information gathered as part of this workshop will be used to inform a 
range of current and future actions, including EPA's methodology for 
quantifying the greenhouse gas emissions under the Renewable Fuels 
Standard. Through this workshop, we will initiate a public process for 
getting input on (i) how to incorporate the best available science into 
an update of our lifecycle analysis (LCA) of biofuels, and (ii) what 
steps EPA should take next in this work area. The meeting is being 
conducted by EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality in 
consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department 
of Energy.

DATES: EPA will hold a virtual public meeting on Monday, February 28, 
2022 and Tuesday, March 1, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern 
Standard Time (EST) each day. Please monitor the website https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/workshop-biofuel-greenhouse-gas-modeling for any changes to meeting logistics. The final 
meeting agenda will be posted on the website. In addition, EPA will be 
accepting comments related to the questions described in the 
Supplementary Information section below via the federal docketing 
system. Comments identified by docket ID number: OAR-2021-0921, must be 
received on or before April 01, 2022.

ADDRESSES: For information on the public meeting or to register to 
attend, please visit https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/workshop-biofuel-greenhouse-gas-modeling. Submit your comments, 
identified by docket identification (ID) number: OAR-2021-0921, using 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not electronically 
submit any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or information whose disclosure is restricted by 
statute. Comments submitted to the EPA, including any personal 
information that is in the body of the submission, will be publicly 
posted to https://www.regulations.gov and are also made available for 
in-person viewing at the EPA Docket Center's Reading Room. There are 
some exceptions. Please see additional instructions on commenting or 
visiting the docket, along with more information about dockets 
generally, available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Please note that due to the public health concerns related to 
COVID-19, the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC) and Public Reading Room are 
closed to visitors with limited exceptions. The EPA/DC staff continue 
to provide remote customer service via email, phone, and webform. For 
the latest status information on EPA/DC services and docket access, 
visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wishes to 
attend the meeting please visit https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/workshop-biofuel-greenhouse-gas-modeling to register 
for the workshop no later than February 27, 2022.
    Further information concerning this public meeting and general 
information can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/workshop-biofuel-greenhouse-gas-modeling. Other 
related inquiries can be directed to Diana Galperin, Office of 
Transportation and Air Quality, at 202-564-5687 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Participation in virtual public meetings. Please note that EPA is 
deviating from its typical approach because the President has declared 
a national emergency. Because of current CDC recommendations, as well 
as state and local orders for social distancing to limit the spread of 
COVID-19, EPA cannot hold in-person public meetings at this time.
    For individuals with disabilities: For information on access or 
services for individuals with disabilities, please email 
[email protected]. To request accommodate of a disability, please 
email [email protected], preferably at least 10 business days prior 
to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your 
request.
    Background: Biofuel greenhouse gas modeling is used by EPA and 
other federal agencies for research and policy decision purposes across 
a variety of programs. For example, EPA is required to model the 
lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels under the RFS Program 
when determining whether an individual biofuel meets the greenhouse gas 
emission reduction requirement established by the Clean Air Act. In 
addition, EPA is required to more broadly evaluate the greenhouse gas 
emissions associated with the overall RFS program when setting future 
volume obligations. Finally, the greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels 
are an important consideration of emerging policies designed to meet 
deep decarbonization goals.
    This workshop seeks to solicit information on the current 
scientific understanding of greenhouse gas modeling of land-based 
biofuels and how this information can be applied to a range of current 
and future actions. EPA is explicitly seeking comment on the following 
questions: (1) What sources of data exist and how can they be used to 
inform the assumptions that drive GHG estimates; (2) how best to 
characterize the sources of uncertainty associated with quantifying the 
GHG emissions associated with biofuels; and (3) what model(s) are 
available to evaluate the lifecycle GHG emissions of land-based 
biofuels, and do the model(s) meet the Clean Air Act requirements for 
quantifying the direct and significant indirect emissions from 
biofuels.

    Dated: December 21, 2021.
Sarah Dunham,
Office of Transportation and Air Quality.
[FR Doc. 2021-28079 Filed 12-27-21; 8:45 am]
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