[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]
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