In order to enable OFE to comply with NEPA, a petitioner must include the information indicated in this section if a permanent exemption is requested. Material which has been prepared pursuant to any Federal, State or local requirement for environmental information for this unit or site may be incorporated by reference and appended to the petition. Guidelines issued by OFE for environmental reports should be used in preparing this analysis (44 FR 63740, November 5, 1979). These guidelines, which are also available in the OFE public document room, have been designed to insure that environmental reports follow the format prescribed by Council on Environmental Quality final regulations implementing NEPA. The guidelines are subject to discussion at a prepetition conference and to modification according to the facts of a particular case.
(a) All petitions for permanent exemptions must contain the following information:
(1) A description of the facility, including site location, and surroundings, alternative site(s), the facility's current proposed operations, its fuel capability, and its pollution abatement systems and equipment (including those systems and equipment necessary for all fuel scenarios considered);
(2) A description of the existing environment, including air, water, and land resources;
(3) Direct and indirect environmental impacts of the proposed action including impacts of alternative fuel scenarios, and no build alternatives.
(4) Regulatory requirements governing the facility, including a description of Federal, State and local requirements for air, water, noise and solid waste disposal which must be met for each fuel considered.
(b) For exemptions for cogeneration, the information enumerated below is to be submitted in lieu of the information required by paragraph (a) of this section. However, submission of the following information merely establishes a rebuttable presumption that the grant or denial of the exemption would have no significant environmental impact. OFE may, in individual cases, during the course of the administrative proceeding, determine that additional environmental information is required. In such cases, the petitioner will be required to submit the information described in paragraph (a) of this section.
(1) A certification that the petitioner will, prior to operating the unit under the exemption, secure all applicable environmental permits and approvals pursuant to, but not limited to, the following: Clean Air Act, Rivers and Harbors Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; and
(2) Information required by the following environmental checklist must be provided and certified as accurate:
Environmental Checklist for FUA Certification Exemptions Instructions
All questions are to be answered by placing a check in the appropriate box. N/A represents (not applicable). Although it is not required, the petitioner may elaborate on any question in writing on a separate sheet of paper. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Is your facility located in, or will it
affect a wetland (Protection of Wetlands
Executive Order No. 11990)?.................(2) Is your facility located in, or will it
affect, a 100-year floodplain (Floodplain
Management Executive Order No. 11988)?......(3) Will your facility affect a designated
wild, scenic, or recreation river (Wild and
Scenic Rivers Act)?.........................(4)(A) Is your facility located within a
county in which critical habitat for
threatened or endangered species are known
to exist (Endangered Species Act)?..........(4)(B) Has a qualified biologist determined
that your facility will not affect any
species on the Threatened and Endangered
Species list?...............................(5) Is your facility located on, or will it
affect land that has been classified as
prime or unique farmland or rangeland by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture?.............(6) Is your facility located on, or will it
affect, historical archaeological, or
cultural resources that have been designated
pursuant to the National Historic
Preservation Act?...........................------------------------------------------------------------------------ [46 FR 59903, Dec. 7, 1981, as amended at 47 FR 15315, Apr. 9, 1982; 51 FR 18866, May 22, 1986; 52 FR 658, Jan. 7, 1987; 54 FR 52894, Dec. 22, 1989]