50206 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 30, 2009 / Notices 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–8963–1] 

State Innovation Grant Program, 

Preliminary Notice for Proposals for 

2010 Awards 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA or Agency), National 

Center for Environmental Innovation 

(NCEI) is giving preliminary notice of its 

intention to solicit pre-proposals for a 

2010 grant program to support 

innovation by State environmental 

agencies—the ‘‘State Innovation Grant 

Program.’’ In addition, EPA is asking 

each State environmental regulatory 

agency to designate a point of contact 

speaking on behalf of management (in 

addition to the Commissioner, Director, 

or Secretary) who will be the point of 

contact for further communication about 

the upcoming solicitation. If your point 

of contact from previous State 

Innovation Grant solicitations is to be 

your contact for this year’s competition, 

there is no need to send that 

information again, as all previously 

designated points of contact will remain 

on our notification list for this year’s 

competition. EPA anticipates 

publication of a Solicitation 

Announcement of Federal Funding 

Opportunity on the Federal 

government’s grants opportunities Web 

site (http://www.grants.gov) to announce 

the availability of the next solicitation 

within 45 days. 

DATES: State environmental regulatory 

agencies or agencies within States that 

have received a re-delegation of 

authority from the principal State 

environmental regulatory agency for one 

or more environmental permitting 

programs will have 30 days from the 

date of this pre-announcement notice in 

the Federal Register publication until 

October 30, 2009 to respond with point 

of contact information for the person 

within the agency (in addition to 

Commissioner, Director, or Secretary) 

who will be designated to receive future 

notices about the State Innovation Grant 

competition. We will automatically 

transmit notice of availability of the 

solicitation to people in State agencies 

identified for previous solicitations. 

ADDRESSES: We encourage e-mail 

responses. Information should be 

submitted in writing via e-mail to: 

innovation_state_grants@epa.gov; or fax 

to ‘‘State Innovation Grant Program’’ at 

(202) 566–2220. If you have questions 

about responding to this notice, please 

contact EPA at this e-mail address or fax 

number, or you may call Sherri Walker 

at (202) 566–2186. 

EPA will acknowledge all responses it 

receives to this notice. If you have not 

received an acknowledgment from EPA 

within three (3) days of the end of the 

notice period, please send an e-mail to: 

innovation_state_grants@epa.gov or call 

Sherri Walker at (202) 566–2186. Failure 

to do so may result in your information 

or comments not being received by the 

deadline. EPA will respond to all 

questions in writing, and all comments, 

questions and responses will be posted 

on the EPA State Innovation Grant Web 

site at http://www.epa.gov/innovation/ 

stategrants. Potentially interested 

applicants are advised to monitor this 

Web site for information posted in 

response to questions received prior to 

and during the competition period. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: Historically, the State 

Innovation Grant Program has been used 

to strengthen EPA’s partnership with 

the States by supporting State 

innovation compatible with EPA’s 

Innovation Strategy http:// 

www.epa.gov/innovation/pdf/ 

strategy.pdf. EPA wants to encourage 

states to build on previous experience 

(theirs and others) to undertake strategic 

innovation projects that promote largerscale models with potential for broader 

use for ‘‘next generation’’ environmental 

protection that promise better 

environmental outcomes and other 

beneficial results. EPA is interested in 

funding projects that: (i) Go beyond a 

single facility experiment and provide 

change that is ‘‘systems-oriented;’’ (ii) 

provide better results from a program, 

process, or sector-wide innovation; and 

(iii) promote integrated (multi-media) 

environmental management with a high 

potential for transfer to other states, U.S. 

territories, and tribes. 

Since 2002, EPA has sponsored seven 

State Innovation Grant Program 

competitions that asked for State project 

pre-proposals that supported the general 

theme of innovation in environmental 

permitting. We interpreted this theme 

broadly to include alternatives to 

permitting and the establishment of 

incentives to promote beyond 

compliance performance. To date, the 

program has supported projects 

primarily in three strategic focus areas: 

Application of the Environmental 

Results Programs (ERP) model (http:// 

www.epa.gov/permits/erp/index.htm), 

the application of Environmental 

Management Systems (EMS) (http:// 

www.epa.gov/permits/ems/index.htm) 

and other integration tools in 

permitting, and State performance-based 

environmental leadership programs 

similar to the National Environmental 

Performance Track (PT) Program. EPA’s 

focus on a small number of topics 

within this general subject area 

effectively concentrated the limited 

resources available for greater strategic 

impact. 

Forty awards to States have been 

made from the seven prior competitions 

and information on those projects can 

be found on the EPA Web site at, 

http://www.epa.gov/innovation/ 

stategrants/projects.htm. These projects 

received collectively over eight million 

dollars in assistance. The assistance 

agreement awards for these projects 

were made to State environmental 

regulatory agencies and also to a 

commission within a State with a redelegated authority to administer an 

environmental permitting program. 

Among the grant projects, including 

those with pending awards: twenty (20) 

were provided for development of 

Environmental Results Programs (ERP), 

eight (8) were related to Environmental 

Management Systems (EMS) and 

permitting, eight (8) were to enhance 

performance-based environmental 

leadership programs, two (2) were for 

watershed-based permitting, two (2) 

were for integrated permitting 

approaches, one (1) was for streamlining 

a storm water permit program using an 

innovation in information technology, 

applying geographic information 

systems (GIS) and a Web-based portal to 

a permit application and screening 

process, and one (1) was for 

development and implementation of a 

lean manufacturing and environmental 

technical assistance program to improve 

environmental and operational 

performance for industrial and 

commercial entities. Some of the 

projects funded fit into more than one 

category (e.g., combination projects of 

ERP with PT, or ERP with EMS). For 

information on prior State Innovation 

Grant Program solicitations and awards, 

please see the EPA State Innovation 

Grants Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ 

innovation/stategrants. 

Agencies That Are Eligible to 

Compete for State Innovation Grants: 

The competition will be open to all 

agencies with a delegated authority from 

EPA for one or more permitting 

programs, or a re-delegated authority 

from a principal State environmental 

regulatory agency for a Federal 

environmental permitting program. 

Again this year we will consider these 

agencies for awards providing that the 

principal State environmental 

regulatory agency will be an active 

member of the project team for a 


CPrice-Sewell on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 30, 2009 / Notices 50207 

proposal from a re-delegation agency. 

Agencies are encouraged to partner with 

other governmental agencies or nongovernmental organizations within the 

State (or outside of their State) that have 

complementary environmental 

mandates or symbiotic interests (e.g., 

energy, agriculture, natural resources 

management, transportation, public 

health, sustainability). States are also 

encouraged to partner with other States 

and American Indian tribes to address 

cross-boundary issues, to encourage 

collaborative environmental partnering 

within industrial sectors or in certain 

topical areas (e.g., agriculture), and to 

create networks for peer-mentoring. EPA 

regrets that because of the limitation in 

available funding it is not yet able to 

open this competition to American 

Indian tribal environmental agencies but 

we strongly encourage tribal agencies to 

join with adjacent States in project 

proposals. 

Historically, EPA has supported State 

projects that involve innovation in 

environmental permitting (including 

alternatives to permitting) related to one 

of the EPA Innovation Strategy’s priority 

environmental areas, or to other priority 

areas identified previously by 

individual States in collaboration with 

EPA in a formal State-EPA agreement 

such as a Performance Partnership 

Agreement (PPA). EPA anticipates 

continuing the theme of Innovation in 

Permitting in the 2010 competition. EPA 

is interested in innovative projects that 

focus on priority environmental issues, 

such as reducing greenhouse gases (e.g., 

energy efficiency), reducing smog, 

restoring and maintaining water quality, 

and reducing the cost of water and 

wastewater infrastructure. 

Projects will be much less likely to be 

funded through this State Innovation 

Grant if agency resources pertinent to 

the topic are already available through 

another EPA program. Project selections 

and awards will be subject to funding 

availability. 

Request for Designation of a Primary 

Point of Contact: EPA asks that each 

State environmental agency or other 

agencies within a State with a delegated 

or re-delegated authority for Federal 

environmental regulatory programs 

designate a primary point-of-contact 

who we will add to the EPA notification 

list for further announcements about the 

State Innovation Grant Program. For 

point of contact information, please 

provide: name, title, department and 

agency, street or post office address, 

city, state, zip code, telephone, fax 

number, and e-mail address. If your 

point of contact from previous State 

Innovation Grant solicitations is to be 

your contact for this year’s competition, 

there is no need to send that 

information again, as all previously 

designated points of contact will remain 

on our notification list for this year’s 

competition. We are asking that any 

new name be submitted with the 

knowledge and approval of the highest 

levels of management within an Agency 

(Commissioner, Director, Secretary, or 

their deputies) within 30 days after 

publication of this notice in the Federal 

Register. Please submit this information 

to EPA by mail, fax, or e-mail prior to 

October 30, 2009 in the following 

manner. 

By e-mail to: 

Innovation_State_Grants@EPA.gov. 

By fax to: State Innovation Grant 

Program. 

(202) 566–2220. 

We encourage e-mail responses. If you 

have questions about responding to this 

notice, please contact EPA at this e-mail 

address or fax number, or you may call 

Sherri Walker at (202) 566–2186. For 

point-of-contact information, please 

provide: name, title, department and 

agency, mailing address (street or P.O. 

Box), city, state, zip code, telephone, fax 

number, and e-mail address. EPA will 

acknowledge all responses it receives to 

this notice. 

Opportunity for Dialogue: Between 

now and the initiation of the 

competition with the release of the 

solicitation, communication between 

potential applicants and EPA is 

allowed. This communication may 

include helping potential applicants 

determine whether the applicant itself is 

eligible or if the scope of an applicant’s 

potential project is suitable for funding, 

as well as responding to general 

requests for clarification of the notice. 

State agencies are encouraged to contact 

the appropriate EPA Regional 

innovation contact identified in the list 

below for general discussion about 

potential projects and their acceptability 

under an upcoming solicitation. To 

ensure an equal opportunity for all 

potential applicants, questions should 

be sent to NCEI. Responses to questions 

that come to us during the period 

between this pre-announcement and the 

release of the solicitation along with 

helpful resource materials will be 

posted on the State Innovation Grant 

Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ 

innovation/stategrants. The contacts for 

the EPA Regions and the EPA HQ 

National Center for Environmental 

Innovation are as follows: 

Anne Leiby or Josh Secunda, U.S. EPA 

Region 1, 1 Congress Street, Suite 

1100, Boston, MA 02114–2023. (617) 

918–1076 or (617) 918–1736. 

leiby.anne@epa.gov or 

secunda.josh@epa.gov. States: CT, 

MA, ME, NH, RI, VT . 

Irene Boland, U.S. EPA Region 2, 290 

Broadway, 26th Floor, New York, NY 

10007–1866. (212) 637–3586. 

boland.irene@epa.gov. States & 

Territories: NJ, NY, PR, VI. 

Michael Dunn, U.S. EPA Region 3, 1650 

Arch Street (3EA40), Philadelphia, PA 

19103. (215) 814–2712. 

dunn.michael@epa.gov. States: DC, 

DE, MD, PA, VA, WV. 

LaToya Miller, U.S. EPA Region 4, 61 

Forsyth Street, SW., Atlanta, GA 

30303. (404) 562–9885. 

miller.latoya@epa.gov. States: AL, FL, 

GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN. 

Marilou Martin, U.S. EPA Region 5, 77 

West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 

60604–3507. (312) 353–9660. 

martin.marilou@epa.gov. States: IL, 

IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. 

Craig Weeks, U.S. EPA Region 6, 

Fountain Place, Suite 1200, 1445 Ross 

Avenue, Dallas, TX 75202–2733. (214) 

665–7505. weeks.craig@epa.gov. 

States: AR, LA, NM, OK, TX. 

Ashley Betts or Richard Sumpter, U.S. 

EPA Region 7, 901 North 5th Street, 

Kansas City, KS 66101. (913) 551– 

7336 or (913) 551–7661. 

Betts.ashley@epa.gov or 

sumpter.richard@epa.gov. States: IA, 

KS, MO, NE. 

Anthony Deloach, U.S. EPA Region 8, 

1595 Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 

80202–1129. (303) 312–6070. 

deloach.anthony@epa.gov. States: CO, 

MT, ND, SD, UT, WY. 

Kathy Meltzer, U.S. EPA Region 9, 75 

Hawthorne Street (WTR–1), San 

Francisco, CA 94105. (415) 972–3714. 

Meltzer.kathy@epa.gov. States and 

Territories: AS, AZ, CA, GU, HI, NV. 

Bill Glasser, U.S. EPA Region 10, 1200 

Sixth Avenue (ENF–T), Seattle, WA 

98101. (206) 553–7215. 

glasser.william@epa.gov. States: AK, 

ID, OR, WA. 

Headquarters Office: Sherri Walker, 

U.S. EPA (MC 1807T), National Center 

for Environmental Innovation, State 

Innovation Grants Program, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20460. (202) 566–2186. 

(202) 566–2220 fax. 

Dated: September 21, 2009. 

David Widawsky, 

Associate Office Director, National Center for 

Environmental Innovation. 

[FR Doc. E9–23630 Filed 9–29–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 


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