DOE prepared this Environmental Assessment (EA) to assess the potential impacts to the human and natural environment of its Proposed Action - providing financial assistance to Burns & McDonnell Engineering under a cooperative agreement. DOE's objective is to support the development of innovative technologies that when deployed commercially, will enable industry to reduce natural gas requirements for chemical feed stocks and increase opportunity fuels. Under the terms of the cooperative agreement, DOE would provide $1,655,945 for Burns & McDonnell Engineering to facilitate the development and demonstration of a biomass energy center at the Frito-Lay manufacturing plant. It would consist of a fuel storage area, a boiler building, and a pipe rack to connect the center to existing plant utilities. The center would use a traditional stoker fired (saturated steam) boiler, which would burn a combination of dried wood waste, green wood waste, and less than 7% of tire derived fuel. The boiler would have an output of up to 78.3 Million British Thermal Units per hour. The proposed biomass energy center would be integrated into the Frito-Lay manufacturing plant's existing site procedures and operations. The plant's existing air emissions permit would be revised and resubmitted to include the energy center. No other permit changes are anticipated to be needed. Currently undeveloped land (0.137 acres) would be developed to accommodate the energy center.