DOE/EA-1862 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE ONEIDA SEVEN GENERATIONS CORPORATION: ENERGY RECOVERY PROJECT, GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Golden Field Office NOVEMBER 2011 DOE/EA-1862 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE ONEIDA SEVEN GENERATIONS CORPORATION: ENERGY RECOVERY PROJECT, GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Golden Field Office NOVEMBER 2011 COVER SHEET RESPONSIBLE AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy TITLE: Environmental Assessment for Oneida Seven Generations Corporation: Energy Recovery Project, Green Bay, Wisconsin (DOE/EA-1862) CONTACT: For more information on this Environmental Assessment (EA), please contact: Melissa Rossiter NEPA Document Manager Golden Field Office U.S. Department of Energy 1617 Cole Blvd. Golden, CO 80401-3305 Desk Phone: (720) 356-1566 Blackberry: (720) 291-1602 [email protected] ABSTRACT: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Federal funding to the Wisconsin Department of Commerce under the DOE’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) State Energy Program (SEP). The Recovery Act appropriated $3.1 Billion to the SEP. States are allocated funding via formula grants. Wisconsin was allocated $55,488,000 and has broad discretion in selecting projects to receive SEP funding. Wisconsin is proposing to provide a $2 million loan under its SEP to an Oneida Seven Generations Corporation (Oneida) project to construct and operate a solid waste-to-electricity power plant. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), an agency of the Department of the Interior (DOI), has already provided $584,000 in Federal funding to Oneida for this project. BIA is also considering providing a loan guarantee of up to $19 million. BIA made the initial award to Oneida to support preliminary planning and studies. These elements of the proposed project do not significantly impact the environment and the initial funding does not commit the government to this project in advance of the conclusion of the EA. Before Wisconsin can provide the SEP funds to Oneida, DOE must first determine if authorizing Wisconsin to use SEP funds for the project (Proposed Action) would result in environmental impacts. For this EA, the Proposed Action also includes BIA’s decision to authorize the loan guarantee. Oneida’s Energy Recovery Project (proposed project) would construct and operate a solid waste- to-electricity power plant on vacant property within the Bayport Industrial Center in the City of Green Bay, Brown County, Wisconsin. This energy recovery process would involve bringing municipal solid waste into the plant for sizing (shredding), sorting (removing recyclable material), and conveying into one of three pyrolytic gasification systems. In these “closed systems,” the waste would be heated under controlled conditions to decompose through pyrolysis and produce flammable synthesis gas (syngas) consisting primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane, and propane. This syngas would be collected and used as fuel to maintain operation of the pyrolytic systems and to fire three reciprocating internal combustion engine generators. Each generator would have a rated capacity of 1.54 megawatts of electricity, for a combined capacity of almost 5 megawatts. DOE/EA-1862 iii November 2011 Oneida would sell the energy to a local electrical utility. The engine-generator sets would include air pollution control equipment to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. This EA analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the proposed construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning of the proposed project and the alternative of not implementing this project (the No-Action Alternative), under the assumption that the project would not go forward without the SEP or BIA funding. AVAILABILITY: This EA is available on the DOE Golden Field Office Reading Room Website at http://www.eere.energy.gov/golden/Reading_Room.aspx and the DOE NEPA Website, http://nepa.energy.gov/DOE_NEPA_documents.htm. DOE/EA-1862 iv November 2011 Contents CONTENTS Section Page ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................ ix 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 1.1 National Environmental Policy Act ...................................................................................1 1.2 Background ........................................................................................................................2 1.3 Purpose and Need ...............................................................................................................5 1.3.1 DOE’s and BIA’s Purpose and Need .............................................................................5 1.3.2 State of Wisconsin’s Purpose and Need ........................................................................5 1.4 Public and Agency Involvement ........................................................................................6 1.4.1 Scoping and draft environmental assessment ................................................................6 1.4.1.1 Scoping ......................................................................................................................6 1.4.1.2 Draft Environmental Assessment ..............................................................................8 1.4.2 State Historic Preservation Officer ..............................................................................17 1.4.3 Tribal Governments .....................................................................................................17 1.4.4 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ....................................................................................18 2. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................19 2.1 DOE and BIA's Proposed Action .....................................................................................19 2.2 Proposed Project ...............................................................................................................19 2.2.1 Energy Recovery Process Overview ............................................................................20 2.2.2 Construction .................................................................................................................24 2.2.3 Operations ....................................................................................................................25 2.2.4 Decommissioning ........................................................................................................29 2.3 Alternatives ......................................................................................................................30 2.3.1 DOE’s and BIA’s Proposed Action .............................................................................30 2.3.2 No-Action Alternative .................................................................................................30 2.3.3 Alternatives Considered by the Project Proponent ......................................................31 3. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ...........................33 3.1 Environmental Resources Evaluated and Dismissed from Further Analysis ...................33 3.1.1 Geology and Soils ........................................................................................................33 3.1.2 Water Resources – Groundwater .................................................................................33 3.1.3 Intentional Destructive Acts ........................................................................................34 3.1.4 Decommissioning ........................................................................................................34 3.2 Considerations Carried Forward for Further Analysis .....................................................34 3.2.1 Land Use ......................................................................................................................35 3.2.1.1 Affected Environment .............................................................................................35 3.2.1.2 Discussion of Impacts .............................................................................................39 3.2.2 Air quality ....................................................................................................................41 3.2.2.1 Affected Environment .............................................................................................41 3.2.2.2 Discussion of Impacts .............................................................................................45 3.2.2.3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions .....................................................................................54 3.2.2.4 Air Quality Conformity ...........................................................................................59 3.2.3 Water Resources – Surface Water ...............................................................................59 3.2.3.1 Affected Environment .............................................................................................59 3.2.3.2 Discussion of Impacts .............................................................................................63 DOE/EA-1862 v November 2011 Contents 3.2.4