[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 226 (Monday, November 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 82870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26056]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Request for Information (RFI) on Progression to Net-
Zero Emission Propulsion Technologies for the Rail Sector

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

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on 
its Request for Information (RFI) number DE-FOA-0003186 regarding the 
state of technology on the progression to net-zero emission propulsion 
technologies for the rail industry. The purpose of this RFI is to 
aggregate knowledge from rail stakeholders to help direct actions 
regarding future propulsion technologies, infrastructure requirements, 
and coordination among key stakeholders to ensure that the rail sector 
is meeting or exceeding U.S. decarbonization milestones. DOE's Office 
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is specifically 
interested in information on the rail industry's current alternative 
fuels trajectory, the driving forces behind it, and the key barriers to 
achieving this transition.

DATES: Responses to the RFI must be received by January 12th, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are to submit comments electronically to 
[email protected]. Include ``State of the Rail Industry'' in the 
subject line of the email. Only electronic responses will be accepted. 
The complete RFI document is located at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to Ben 
Simon at [email protected] or 240-562-1591. Further instruction can 
be found in the RFI document posted on EERE Exchange.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. National Blueprint for 
Transportation Decarbonization set the goal to achieve net-zero carbon 
emissions in the transportation sector--including rail--by 2050. This 
transformation to net-zero emission technologies requires coordination 
among all aspects of the rail supply chain, including feedstock supply, 
alternative fuel production, locomotive engine manufacturers, safety 
implementation, customer demand, and government regulation. To develop 
a national strategy to decarbonize the rail sector, two critical 
questions must be addressed:
    1--Which alternative rail propulsion technologies are most 
promising?
    2--What is the timeline for the rail sector to transition to net-
zero emission technologies?
    The purpose of this RFI is to understand what is driving the rail 
sector towards adopting alternative propulsion technologies, which 
technologies seem most promising, and what are the key barriers to 
achieving the transition to net-zero emissions by 2050.
    The RFI is available at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdf0ca0a9f-6e0e-4175-b20a-1bdbb682d705.
    Confidential Business Information: Pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11, any 
person submitting information that he or she believes to be 
confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via 
email two well-marked copies: one copy of the document marked 
``confidential'' including all the information believed to be 
confidential, and one copy of the document marked ``non-confidential'' 
with the information believed to be confidential deleted. Submit these 
documents via email. DOE will make its own determination about the 
confidential status of the information and treat it according to its 
determination.
    Signing Authority: This document of the Department of Energy was 
signed on November 20th, by Jeffrey Marootian, Principal Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable 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 21, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-26056 Filed 11-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P