[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52442-52444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13767]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Intent and Request for Information Regarding 
Computational Tools To Support Class VI Permitting

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI); request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), 
Department of Energy (DOE or Department), on behalf of the National 
Energy Technology Laboratory, is issuing this NOI to notify interested 
parties of its intent to develop and release a revised and updated 
version of the report ``Rules and Tools Crosswalk: A Compendium of 
Computational Tools to Support Geologic Carbon Storage Environmentally 
Protective UIC Class VI Permitting.'' The Department also seeks input 
from all stakeholders through this RFI regarding additional relevant 
computational tools (or updated information on already documented 
tools) that should be considered as the authors prepare the new release 
of the aforementioned report.

DATES: Written comments and information are requested by July 24, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments electronically to 
[email protected] and include ``Computational Tools to Support Class VI 
Permitting'' in the subject line of the email. Responses must be 
provided as attachments to an email. Only electronic responses will be 
accepted. The report is available at: https://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analysis/details?id=af3aa712-dcea-4abd-b2a4-c52f2550ac74.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to Brian 
Strazisar, [email protected] or (412) 386-9218.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology 
Laboratory (NETL), in collaboration with representatives from the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Lawrence Berkeley National 
Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National 
Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and four Regional 
Initiatives to Accelerate Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage 
(CCUS), released the report, ``Rules and Tools Crosswalk: A Compendium 
of Computational Tools to Support Geologic Carbon Storage 
Environmentally Protective UIC Class VI Permitting,'' available at 
https://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analysis/details?id=af3aa712-dcea-4abd-b2a4-c52f2550ac74. This report was published on NETL's website and 
posted on the U.S. EPA's Underground Injection Control Program's 
website for Class VI (Geologic Sequestration) Permit Application and 
Permitting Tools, available at: https://www.epa.gov/uic/class-vi-geologic-sequestration-permit-application-and-permitting-tools. The 
report summarizes computational tools and methods that may be used to

[[Page 52443]]

address specific requirements of the Underground Injection Control 
(UIC) Class VI (Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide) permit 
application process and is intended to serve as a resource for 
stakeholders. The report highlights available computational tools that 
may have relevance to elements of the permit application, including 
siting, construction, operation, testing, monitoring, and closure of 
Class VI wells, as codified in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (40 
CFR 146.81 et seq.). The compilation of computational tools is intended 
to be an informational resource for practitioners seeking to understand 
or develop a Class VI permit application and is not intended to be 
exhaustive. Reference to any computational tool should not be seen as 
an endorsement of that tool by the report coauthors or their 
organizations. Similarly, a lack of reference to any tool should not be 
seen as a repudiation of that tool by the coauthors or their 
organizations.

II. Notice of Intent

    NETL intends to use feedback from this RFI, together with other 
gathered sources of information, to develop a revised and updated 
version of the report ``Rules and Tools Crosswalk: A Compendium of 
Computational Tools to Support Geologic Carbon Storage Environmentally 
Protective UIC Class VI Permitting.'' The revised report will be made 
publicly accessible as a DOE NETL web-based product and may also be 
made available by other co-authoring institutions.

III. Questions for Request for Information

    NETL and the U.S. EPA are seeking information from stakeholders on 
additional relevant computational tools (or updated information on 
already documented tools) that should be considered as the authors 
prepare a new release of this report. NETL specifically welcomes 
responses to the questions listed below. Responses received within 30 
days of this notice will be considered for inclusion in the next 
release of this report; additional input will be accepted on an ongoing 
basis and considered for inclusion in any subsequent versions of the 
report.

Specific Information Requested

Tool Name
    1. What is the commercial or common name for the tool?
Developer/Owner
    2. What entity developed the tool and/or is responsible for its 
distribution?
Tool Type
    3. Please specify the type of tool that is being described 
(numerical reservoir simulator, stochastic model, etc.)
Description
    4. Provide a high-level description of the tool (please also 
include any relevant publicly available URLs).
Tool Licensing and Access
    5. How is the tool licensed?
    6. Where can it be downloaded or purchased?
Model Input
    7. What type of information is needed to run the model?
Model Output
    8. What type of information does the model produce?
Risks Behavior Considered
    9. What kinds of risks or behaviors does the model simulate? (e.g., 
leakage risk, environmental risk, induced seismicity, etc.)
Relevant Permitting Phase
    10. During which phases of a Class VI permit would the tool be 
used? (e.g., site screening, site characterization, injection, post-
injection)
Class VI Permit Element Addressed
    11. What specific aspects of a Class VI permit does the tool 
address? (e.g., Area of Review, Post Injection Site Care, Monitoring 
Plan, etc.)
How the Tool Is Used
    12. Please provide general comments on how the tool can be used in 
a Class VI permitting workflow.
Last Updated
    13. When was the tool last updated?
Ongoing Development
    14. Is the tool still under development?
    15. Does it have an active user community?
    16. Support for the tool still available?
Ease of Use
    17. Does the tool have a graphical user interface?
    18. Do users need computer programming skills to use the tool?
    19. What other skills may be needed to run the tool?
Computational Speed
    20. Is the model designed for computational efficiency?
    21. How long do simulations typically take to run?
    22. Are computational speeds limiting in any way?
Tool Verification
    23. Has the tool been verified for accuracy?
    24. If so, where can this documentation be found?
Related References
    25. Please provide a list of websites, manuals, and publications 
where additional information about the tool and its application can be 
found.

IV. Response Guidelines

    NOI/RFI responses shall include:
    1. NOI/RFI title and reference number;
    2. Name(s), phone number(s), and email address(es) for the 
principal point(s) of contact;
    3. Institution or organization affiliation and postal address; and
    4. Clear indication of the specific information you are providing.
    Responses including confidential business information will be 
handled per guidance in Section V.

V. 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 June 17, 
2024, by Bradford Crabtree, Assistant Secretary, Office of Fossil 
Energy and Carbon Management, 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.


[[Page 52444]]


    Signed in Washington, DC, on June 18, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-13767 Filed 6-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P