[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 119 (Thursday, June 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51880-51882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13467]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket Number: DOE-HQ-2024-0018]


Notice of Request for Information Related to the Department of 
Energy's Environmental Justice Strategic Plan

AGENCY: Office of Energy Justice and Equity, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Executive order (E.O.), Revitalizing our 
Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, the Department of 
the Energy (DOE) is drafting its Environmental Justice Strategic Plan 
and soliciting feedback on its draft environmental justice goals 
(included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to provide oral feedback on DOE's 
draft environmental justice goals DOE should evaluate to advance the 
draft environmental justice vision, goals, and objectives during one of 
three public virtual listening sessions. For the latest information on 
the dates and registration, please go to: https://www.energy.gov/justice/calendar-events.

Tentative Dates: Tuesday, July 9, 2024 3-5 p.m. ET.

    Wednesday, July 10, 2024 11-1 p.m. ET.
    Thursday, July 11, 2024 5-7 p.m. ET.
    Comments are being collected both orally and written. Written 
comments are requested on or before July 31, 2024, and must be received 
no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time (ET) on July 31, 2024. Written 
submissions received after that date may not be considered. DOE will 
not reply individually to responders but will consider all comments 
submitted by the deadline.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
    Oral submission: Participate in one of the scheduled virtual 
listening sessions where you have an opportunity to share your 
comments. Sessions will be recorded but engagement tools like 
Mentimeter and Slido will also be used to collect feedback. Register at 
https://www.energy.gov/justice/calendar-events to attend a listening 
session.
    Listening sessions will be 90 minutes and they will be recorded. 
The sessions will start with an overview and then interested persons 
will have the opportunity to provide feedback using a variety of 
engagement tools.
    If you require a reasonable accommodation to attend a listening 
session, please email [email protected] at least ten days prior 
to the session you are interested in attending.
    Electronic submission: Submit electronic public comments via the 
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.
    1. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter DOE-2024-0018 in the search 
field,
    2. Click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, 
and
    3. Enter or attach your comments.
    Email: Electronic submissions may also be sent as an attachment to 
[email protected] with ``DOE EJ Strategic Plan RFI'' in the 
subject line in any of the following unlocked formats: HTML; ASCII; 
Word; RTF; Unicode, or PDF.
    Mail: Written comments may also be submitted by mail to: Department 
of Energy, Office of Energy Justice and Equity, 1000 Independence 
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585.
    Response to this RFI is voluntary. Submissions must not exceed ten 
(10) pages (when printed) in 12-point or larger font, with a page 
number provided on each page. Please include your name, organization's 
name (if any),

[[Page 51881]]

and cite ``DOE EJ Strategic Plan RFI'' in all correspondence.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of 
the referenced materials. All comments and submissions, including 
attachments and other supporting materials, will become part of the 
public record and subject to public disclosure. Relevant comments will 
generally be available on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
www.regulations.gov. DOE will not accept comments accompanied by a 
request where part or all of the material be treated confidentially 
because of its business proprietary nature or for any other reason. 
Therefore, do not submit confidential business information or otherwise 
sensitive, protected, or personal information, such as account numbers, 
Social Security numbers, or names of other individuals.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this RFI contact: 
email [email protected], call Kelly Crawford, Senior Advisor for 
Energy & Environmental Justice, Department of Energy, Office of Energy 
Justice and Equity at (202) 586-2533 or submit via mail to Department 
of Energy, Office of Energy Justice and Equity, 1000 Independence 
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585. Direct media inquiries to DOE's Office 
of Public Affairs at (202) 586-4940. Users of telecommunication devices 
for the deaf, or a text telephone, may call the Federal Relay Service 
toll free at 1-800-877-8339.
    Accessible Format: DOE will make the RFI available in alternate 
formats, such as Braille or large print, upon request by persons with 
disabilities.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through the development of this Strategic 
Plan, DOE will:
    Conceptualize the unique way in which equity intersects with the 
energy system and to develop the concept of energy justice.
     Explore objectives and initiatives towards strategic goal 
by examining internal and external perspectives through the lens of 
these widely held pillars of energy justice: Procedural Justice, 
Recognition Justice, Distributive Justice, and Restorative Justice
     Acknowledge DOE's history, recognizing the opportunities 
to redress these unique historical environmental harms.
     Discuss the role of equity in the context of energy 
systems and address the evolution of language and definitions in the 
space.
     Clarify terminology for reference and to orient the 
relationship of this plan to the Equity Action Plan.
     Discuss the Role of Justice 40 as a tool to implement 
Energy Justice and Environmental Justice at DOE.
     The information provided in response to this Request for 
Information will inform the preparation of that plan.
    The Department of Energy is seeking public input to assist in 
carrying out certain of its responsibilities under sections 3(a)(vii) 
and (xi) of E.O. 14096, issued on April 21, 2023 (88 FR 25251). This 
RFI addresses the specific responsibilities cited as follows. Other 
topics in E.O. 14096 are being addressed separately by DOE and other 
agencies. This request for information pertains solely to collecting 
feedback on the proposed strategic goals. The public is encouraged to 
provide input in response to the questions listed to help the 
Department understand the potential environmental justice impact of its 
Strategic Plan.
    E.O. 14096 section 4(b) directs Federal agencies to ``set forth the 
agency's vision, goals, priority actions, and metrics to address and 
advance environmental justice.'' The Environmental Justice Strategic 
Plan ``shall . . . identify and address opportunities through 
regulations, policies, permits, or other means to improve 
accountability and compliance with any statute the agency administers 
that affects the health and environment of communities with 
environmental justice concerns.'' Among those actions, section 4(a) 
directs DOE to create an Environmental Justice Strategic Plan no later 
than 18 months after the date of the E.O. and every four years 
thereafter. The Strategic Plan shall be submitted to the Chair of the 
White House Council on Environmental Quality and made available to the 
public online.
    DOE seeks to establish new goals and objectives to support 
resilient communities and provide meaningful public participation for 
all persons in DOE decision-making processes that may affect human 
health or the environment. DOE's environmental justice program must 
evolve as the environmental justice landscape evolves due to climate 
change, new scientific developments, and an increased policy focus on 
environmental justice and equity throughout the Federal Government. In 
brief, new and more ambitious approaches are essential, with concrete, 
meaningful steps needed to advance energy and environmental justice.
    To help guide input, DOE would appreciate feedback on the following 
suggested questions:
    1. Do the draft environmental justice strategic goals provided as 
follows address your interests and concerns about the advancement of 
environmental justice by the Department of Energy? Why or why not?
    Goal 1: Build cultural & technical capacity of Department of Energy 
staff and leadership.
    Goal 2: Respect and honor cultural implications of our energy 
system.
    Goal 3: Recognize and repair harms to communities and to the 
environment.
    Goal 4: Enhance public participation in agency decision making.
    Goal 5: Substantively address unique harms of the energy system 
such as energy insecurity, energy democracy and energy poverty.
    2. What actions should the Department of Energy undertake to 
advance environmental justice?
    3. What performance measures or metrics should the Department of 
Energy establish to monitor progress towards advancing environmental 
justice?
    4. What are examples of successful collaborations between Federal 
agencies and Tribal, Territorial, local, and State governments or 
communities with environmental justice concerns?
    5. How can DOE better engage and collaborate effectively with 
Tribes, both federally and non-federally recognized, Native Hawaiian 
organizations, and Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous migrant 
communities?
    6. How can DOE better assist communities, local governments, and 
community benefit organizations with drafting and developing CBPs as 
they apply for DOE grants?
    7. How can DOE assist communities that are beneficiaries of 
Community Benefits Plans?
    8. How can DOE ensure successful implementation, compliance or 
enforcement of Community Benefit Plans?
    9. What are examples of regional approaches to building community 
capacity supporting energy democracy?
    Any information obtained from this RFI is intended for Government 
planning and strategy development. Response to this RFI is voluntary. 
Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish. 
Comments of ten (10) pages or fewer are requested.
    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.

[[Page 51882]]

Submit these documents via email to [email protected]. 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 June 5, 
2024, by Shalanda H. Baker, Director, Office of Energy Justice and 
Equity, 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 June 14, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-13467 Filed 6-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P