[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 2933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00800]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice for Request for Information on Progression to Net-Zero 
Emission Propulsion Technologies for the Rail Sector; Reopening of 
Public Comment Period

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

ACTION: Request for information; reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) published a request for 
information (RFI) on November 27, 2023, inviting interested parties to 
provide input regarding the state of technology on the progression to 
net-zero emission propulsion technologies for the rail industry. DOE 
requested public comments by January 12, 2023. DOE received requests 
for an extension of the public comment period. DOE reviewed the 
requests and has determined it is necessary and appropriate to reopen 
the comment period to allow comments to be submitted until February 12, 
2024.

DATES: The comment period for the RFI published on November 27, 2023 
(88 FR 82870), which closed on January 12, 2024, is reopened. Responses 
to this RFI must be received no later than February 12, 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/Default.aspx#FoaIdf0ca0a9f-6e0e-4175-b20a-1bdbb682d705.

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.
    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 January 11, 2024, by Jeffery 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 January 11, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-00800 Filed 1-16-24; 8:45 am]
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