Federal Register: February 18, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 31)
DOCID: fr18fe09-37 FR Doc E9-3411
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Department
NOTICE: NOTICES
DOCID: fr18fe09-37
ACTION: Environmental Impact Statements; Intent:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct a Public Scoping Meeting, and Notice of Proposed Floodplain and Wetland Involvement.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
DATES: To ensure that all of the issues related to this proposal are addressed, DOE invites comments on the proposed scope and content of the EIS from all interested parties. Comments must be postmarked, e mailed, or faxed by March 20, 2009 to ensure consideration. Late comments will be considered to the extent practicable. In addition to receiving written comments (see ADDRESSES below), DOE will conduct a public scoping meeting in which government agencies, privatesector organizations, and the general public are invited to provide comments or suggestions with regard to the alternatives and potential impacts to be considered in the EIS. The public scoping meeting will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 5, 2009, at the Beaumont Civic Center Complex, 701 Main St., Beaumont, Texas (see Public Scoping Process below).
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 CFR Parts 15001508), and the DOE
NEPA implementing procedures (10 CFR Part 1021) to assess the potential
environmental impacts for its proposed action of issuing a Federal loan
guarantee to TX Energy, LLC (TXE) (DOE/EIS0412). TXE submitted an
application to DOE under the Federal loan guarantee program pursuant to
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) to support construction of
the TXE Industrial Gasification Facility near Beaumont, Texas (the Facility).\1\
\1\ The amount requested for the loan guarantee is not being
disclosed at this time because it is business sensitive. Moreover,
should DOE approve a loan guarantee, the amount may differ from the original request.
TXE is a subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company (Eastman) and
proposes to develop the Facility on a 417acre parcel of land. The
Facility would utilize gasification technology with petroleum coke
(petcoke) as the feedstock to produce synthesis gas (a mixture of
carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H
The EIS will evaluate the potential impacts of TXE's proposed project and the range of reasonable alternatives. The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to inform the public about DOE's proposed action; invite public participation in the EIS process; announce plans for a public scoping meeting; and solicit public comments for consideration in establishing the scope and content of the EIS. DOE invites those agencies with jurisdiction by law or special expertise to be cooperating agencies.
The site of the proposed Facility contains floodplains and wetlands, and the footprint of the TXE proposed Facility would affect approximately 52 acres of wetlands and potentially some floodplains. Therefore, DOE hereby gives notice that it will include in the EIS a floodplain and wetland assessment prepared in accordance with the DOE Regulations for Compliance with Floodplain and Wetland Environmental Review Requirements (10 CFR Part 1022).
SUMMARY:
TX Energy, LLC, Industrial Gasification Facility, Beaumont, TX,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
[[Page 7597]]
Background
EPAct 2005 established a Federal loan guarantee program for eligible energy projects that employ innovative technologies. Title XVII of EPAct 2005 authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make loan guarantees for a variety of types of projects, including those that ``avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; and employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to commercial technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued.'' The two principal goals of the loan guarantee program are to encourage commercial use in the United States of new or significantly improved energyrelated technologies and to achieve substantial environmental benefits. Purpose and Need for Agency Action
TXE submitted an application to DOE for a loan guarantee on November 18, 2008, to support construction of the Facility. The purpose and need for agency action is to comply with DOE's mandate under EPAct 2005 by identifying eligible projects that meet the goals of the Act and therefore to determine whether to issue a loan guarantee to TXE to support construction of the proposed Facility.
Proposed Action
DOE's proposed action is to issue a loan guarantee to TXE to
support construction of the TXE proposed Facility. The Facility would
utilize gasification technology with petcoke as the feedstock to
produce syngas (a mixture of CO and H
The Facility is being designed to produce 150 billion standard
cubic feet of syngas per year. Molten sulfur byproduct (150,000 tons
per year) would be sold. A portion of the syngas would be used to
produce 261 million standard cubic feet of H
CO
The balance of the syngas and a portion of the H
The site of the proposed Facility consists of a 417acre parcel of land located at 6275 Highway 347 in Jefferson County, Texas, adjacent to the southeast city limits of Beaumont. Construction laydown and parking areas are estimated to use approximately 150 acres. This includes 100 acres leased from the owner of the adjacent facility to the south and an additional 50 acres of land located at and adjacent to the existing Eastman plant.
The site includes a combination of previously developed and undeveloped parcels and is bound by transportation land use (Ohio Street, TX347W, U.S. 69/287/97, and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (US 380)) to the west and southwest and the Neches River to the east and northeast. The Neches River forms the eastern site boundary. The site is topographically flat and consists primarily of urban land cover resulting from historical industrial land uses. Land use around the perimeter of the site consists of earlysuccessional and invasive herbaceous, scrub shrub, and tree species; wetland complexes; and open water habitat associated with the Neches River. The vicinity of the subject property consists of industrial, bulk storage, agricultural, commercial, and residential uses. The region is characterized by land uses traditionally associated with industrial chemical production (e.g., petroleum products, methanol, sulfur products), barge traffic, ports, and associated offloading facilities.
The site of the proposed Facility contains floodplains and wetlands, and the footprint of the TXE proposed Facility would affect approximately 52 acres of wetlands and potentially some floodplains. These wetlands include a combination of emergent marsh, scrub shrub, and bottomland hardwood. The eastern and northeastern portions of the site (the areas nearest the Neches River) are located within the 100 year floodplain. DOE will prepare a floodplain and wetland assessment in accordance with its regulations at 10 CFR Part 1022 and include the assessment in the EIS.
Alternatives
In determining the range of reasonable alternatives to be
considered in the EIS for the proposed TXE Facility, DOE identified the
reasonable alternatives that would satisfy the underlying purpose and
need for agency action. DOE currently plans to analyze in detail the
project as proposed by TXE; subalternatives for coal as a feedstock,
solid waste disposal, and CO
DOE will describe TXE's site selection process in the EIS; however,
DOE does not plan to analyze in detail alternative sites considered by
TXE in its site selection process. Key factors considered by TXE in
selecting the site included the region's strong petroleum refining
base, which provides a source for petcoke, a market for H
Under the no action alternative, DOE would not provide the loan guarantee for the TXE project. This option would not contribute to the Federal loan guarantee program goals to make loan guarantees for energy projects that ``avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; and employ new or significantly improved technologies.''
Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues
The following environmental resource areas have been tentatively
identified for consideration in the EIS. This list is neither intended to be allinclusive nor
[[Page 7598]]
a predetermined set of potential environmental impacts. DOE invites
comments on whether other resource areas or potential issues should be considered in the EIS:
Public Scoping Process
To ensure that all issues related to DOE's proposed action are addressed, DOE seeks public input to define the scope of the EIS. The public scoping period will begin with publication of the NOI and end on March 20, 2009. Interested government agencies, privatesector organizations, and the general public are encouraged to submit comments concerning the content of the EIS, issues and impacts to be addressed in the EIS, and alternatives that should be considered. Scoping comments should clearly describe specific issues or topics that the EIS should address to assist DOE in identifying significant issues. Comments must be postmarked, emailed, or faxed by March 20, 2009 to ensure consideration. (See ADDRESSES). Late comments will be considered to the extent practicable. DOE invites those agencies with jurisdiction by law or special expertise to be cooperating agencies.
A public scoping meeting will be held on March 5, 2009, from 5 p.m.
to 9 p.m. at the Beaumont Civic Center Complex, 701 Main St, Beaumont,
Texas. Members of the public and representatives of groups and Federal,
state, local, and tribal agencies are invited to attend. An informal
session at this location will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the
opportunity to present oral comments at 7 p.m. Displays and other forms
of information about the proposed agency action, the EIS process, and
the TXE proposed Facility will be available, with DOE personnel
available for discussions with attendees. DOE requests that anyone who
wishes to present oral comments at the meeting contact Ms. Sharon R.
Thomas by phone, fax, or email (see ADDRESSES). Individuals who do not
make advance arrangements to speak may register at the meeting.
Speakers who need more than five minutes should indicate the length of
time desired in their request. DOE may need to limit speakers to five
minutes initially, but will provide additional opportunities as time
permits. Written comments regarding the scoping process can also be submitted to DOE officials at the scoping meeting.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2009.
Steve Isakowitz,
Chief Financial Officer, Office of the Chief Financial Officer. [FR Doc. E93411 Filed 21709; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 645001P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
To obtain additional information about the TXE project or this EIS or to receive a copy of the draft EIS when it is issued, contact Ms. Thomas by telephone: 2025865335; tollfree number: 18008320885; or electronic mail: Sharon.R.Thomas@hq.doe.gov. For general information on the DOE NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC 20), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585; telephone: 2025864600; facsimile: 2025867031; electronic mail: askNEPA@hq.doe.gov; or leave a tollfree message at 1 8004722756.