Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 24 / Wednesday, February 5, 1997 / Notices 5393

ADDRESSES: Please direct comments on,

and requests for, the Draft TMDL

Program Implementation Strategy to the

following: Environmental Protection

Agency, Assessment and Watershed

Protection Division, Office of Water

(4503F), 401 M Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Theresa G. Tuan ̃ o, Assessment and

Watershed Protection Division,

Watershed Branch, at the address given

above; telephone 202/260–7059. The

Draft TMDL Program Implementation

Strategy is also available on the EPA

Office of Water Home Page on the

Internet at the following address: http:/

/www.epa.gov/owowwtr1/tmdl/

index.html. Please refer to the Home

Page for instructions on submitting

electronic comments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251

et seq.

Robert Perciasepe,

Assistant Administrator for Water.

[FR Doc. 97–2575 Filed 2–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE: 6560–50–P

[OPPTS–00208; FRL–5582–5]

Notice of Availability of FY 1997 Grant

Funds for the Establishment of a

Pollution Prevention Information

Network

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: EPA is soliciting grant

proposals to establish a national

network of pollution prevention

information centers. EPA anticipates

that between $750,000 and $1 million

will be available. The purpose of this

request for proposals is threefold: (1) To

create new centers for the collection,

synthesis and dissemination of

pollution prevention information for

States not currently served by a

pollution prevention regional center, (2)

to support existing regional pollution

prevention information centers and (3)

to coordinate work among new and

existing centers in order to: minimize

duplication of effort in information

collection and synthesis, and training

for the promotion of pollution

prevention technologies, and establish

information standards and peer review

that will facilitate information exchange

among centers. Grants/cooperative

agreements will be awarded under the

authority of the Pollution Prevention

Act of 1990.

DATES: Applications must be

postmarked by April 28, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To

obtain copies of the grant guidance and

application package or to obtain more

information regarding this program,

please contact Beth Anderson at (202)

260–2602. You may also forward your

requests and questions via the Internet

to: anderson.beth@epamail.epa.gov or

mail your request to Beth Anderson at

the Office of Pollution Prevention and

Toxics, Mail Code 7409, Environmental

Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW.,

Washington, DC 20460.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scope and Purpose of this Grant

Competition

1. The Pollution Prevention Act of

1990. This solicitation is made under

the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990

(the Act) (Pub. L. 101-508), which

established as national policy that

pollution should be prevented or

reduced at the source whenever feasible.

Section 6603 of the Act defines source

reduction as any practice that:

(1) Reduces the amount of any

hazardous substance, pollutant, or

contaminant entering any waste stream

or otherwise released into the

environment (including fugitive

emissions) prior to recycling, treatment,

or disposal; and

(2) Reduces the hazards to public

health and the environment associated

with the release of such substances,

pollutants, or contaminants.

EPA further defines pollution

prevention (P2) as the use of other

practices that reduce or eliminate the

creation of pollutants through: increased

efficiency in the use of raw materials,

energy, water or other resources, or

protection of natural resources, or

protection of natural resources by

conservation.

Section 6605 of the Act authorizes

EPA to make matching grants to States

to promote the use of source reduction

techniques by businesses. In evaluating

grant applications, the Act directs EPA

to consider whether the proposed State

program will:

(1) Make technical assistance

available to businesses seeking

information about source reduction

opportunities, including funding for

experts to provide on-site technical

advice and to assist in the development

of source reduction plans.

(2) Target assistance to businesses for

whom lack of information is an

impediment to source reduction.

(3) Provide training in source

reduction techniques.

Section 6606 of the Act authorizes

EPA to establish a source reduction

clearinghouse to compile information

on management, technical and

operational approaches to source

reduction. The Act States that EPA

should use the clearinghouse to:

(1) Serve as a center for source

reduction technology transfer.

(2) Mount active outreach and

education programs by the States to

further the adoption of source reduction

technologies.

(3) Collect and compile information

reported by States receiving grants

under section 6605 on the operation and

successes of State source reduction

programs.

2. Purpose of national pollution

prevention information network.

Currently there are few limited

mechanisms or systems to coordinate

the development, review, and

dissemination of pollution prevention

information among Federal, State, local

agencies, and universities involved in

promoting source reduction

technologies. Access to pollution

prevention (P2) information and

assistance varies across the United

States. In addition, not all programs

providing assistance to small businesses

have access to pollution prevention

information that may be useful and

relevant to their clientele. As a result,

the purpose of this request for proposals

is three fold: (1) To create new centers

for the collection, synthesis and

dissemination of pollution prevention

information for States not currently

served by a pollution prevention

regional center, (2) to support existing

regional pollution prevention

information centers, and (3) to

coordinate work among new and

existing centers in order to: minimize

duplication of effort in information

collection and synthesis, and training

for the promotion of pollution

prevention technologies, and establish

information standards and peer review

that will facilitate information exchange

among centers.

The development of a P2 information

network of centers would allow State P2

information needs to be addressed on a

regional basis and allow for improved

information exchange. A coordinated

network would facilitate information

exchange and decrease duplicative

research that might be conducted in

each State by standardizing formats for

P2 information (such as case studies or

vendors) and developing systems to:

coordinate information needs,

determine types of P2 information that

need to be developed, coordinate the

production of relevant P2 information,

disseminate this information among

small business assistance providers, and

evaluate the effectiveness of the
5394 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 24 / Wednesday, February 5, 1997 / Notices

information being disseminated in

changing business practices to

incorporate pollution prevention.

EPA believes that investing in

coordinating and standardizing P2

information collection, synthesis, and

publication will benefit State P2

technical assistance providers as well as

other small business assistance

programs, such as the Small Business

Development Centers and the National

Institutes of Standards and Technology

(NIST) Manufacturing Extension

Partnerships. Regional P2 information

centers could benefit a variety of small

business assistance programs by

allowing for specialization in expertise,

where this expertise can be shared

nationally. Regional centers could be

more responsive to the common

information needs of the States being

served and allow States to focus

resources on issues unique to each

State. EPA wants this competitive grant

process to:

(1) Improve access to P2 information

for all State business assistance

programs.

(2) Increase the availability of P2

technical assistance to all States, by

sharing the research, synthesis, and

training in current P2 information

nationally.

(3) Increase and improve partnerships

among State entities serving small

businesses by providing a forum for

defining and meeting common program

objectives.

EPA believes that some of the benefits

of a coordinated P2 information network

would be: uniform access to high

quality information across all industrial

sectors and localities, minimized

duplication of effort in developing P2

materials, improved leveraging of

existing resources, and improved

quality and focus of P2 information

available through the use of standard

formats and peer review.

3. EPA’s prior efforts to promote P2

information sharing. On August 20 and

21, 1992, EPA sponsored a

subcommittee meeting of the ‘‘National

Advisory Council for Environmental

Policy and Technology, State and Local

Programs Committee.’’ At this meeting,

the delivery of P2 technical information

to State and local technical assistance

programs was discussed in the context

of the national data base, Pollution

Prevention Information Exchange

System (PIES) and the Pollution

Prevention Information Clearinghouse

(PPIC) that EPA was operating. This

initial meeting raised issues of

information quality, roles for a national

clearinghouse, and priority information

needs or functions for P2 technical

assistance programs.

In October 1993, EPA funded a

proposal from the National Roundtable

of State Pollution Prevention Programs

(now called the National Pollution

Prevention Roundtable (NPPR)) to

‘‘develop a design and management

plan for a national network of pollution

prevention information providers.’’ In

February 1995, NPPR submitted its final

report. In this report, based on the

results of survey and telephone

interviews, the functions of an

information network that would best

support pollution prevention technical

assistance programs were:

• Make information readily

accessible and easy to search.

• Collect and update technical

information.

• Identify experts or other sources of

information.

• Provide technical information in a

synthesized format (which might

include case studies, process

information, bibliography, vendor

information, etc.).

In October 1994, EPA funded a 3–year

pilot proposal to establish a model

program for interstate cooperation on

pollution prevention information

sharing. Three organizations agreed to

participate in the pilot to coordinate

information collection, synthesis, peer

review, and dissemination: Northeast

Waste Management Officials

Association (NEWMOA), the Illinois

Hazardous Waste Research and

Information Center (now called the

Illinois Waste Management and

Research Center (WMRC)), and the

Wisconsin Solid and Hazardous Waste

Education Center (SHWEC). Under this

pilot program, State focus groups were

formed to determine pollution

prevention information needs. In

September 1995, the States in the

Northeast approved a 5–year plan to aid

in the collection, organization, and

distribution of pollution prevention

technical information in the Northeast.

The Great Lakes States developed a

management plan for the Great Lakes

Pollution Prevention Information

Clearinghouse and set up a listserve

system (P2TECH) to assist pollution

prevention technical assistance

programs (P2TAPs) nationwide in

finding answers to technical assistance

problems. Four pollution prevention

technical information packets will be

written and peer-reviewed to summarize

P2 technical solutions for the subject

industry or process topic. In addition,

these three programs have collaborated

on three different data bases: vendor,

bibliographic, and case study, data

bases.

4. Existing P2 Information Centers.

There are several existing centers (in

addition to the three listed above:

WMRC, NEWMOA, and SHWEC) that

serve clients outside their State

boundaries, although the kinds of

services or information offered varies

with each center. The Waste Reduction

Resource Center in Raleigh, North

Carolina receives some funds from

EPA’s Regions 3 and 4 and serves States

in those two regions with P2

information, site visits, and training.

The Pacific Northwest Pollution

Prevention Research Center (Seattle,

WA) receives funds from EPA’s region

10 and provides a data base on P2

research that is available nationally. The

Institute for Advanced Manufacturing

Sciences (Cincinnati, OH) also provides

a nationally available data base for

pollution prevention and cost effective

technologies relevant in the metal

finishing, metal painting and printing

operations. Other States may be at a

disadvantage because of the lack of a

regional P2 information center. Such a

regional center could coordinate State

P2 information needs and training,

rather than requiring each State to

develop its own P2 materials and

training.

II. Eligibility

1. Applicants. In accordance with the

Pollution Prevention Act of 1990,

eligible applicants for purposes of

funding under this grant program

include the 50 States, the District of

Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any

territory or possession of the United

States, any agency or instrumentality of

a State including State universities and

all Federally recognized Indian tribes.

For convenience, the term ‘‘State’’ in

this notice refers to all eligible

applicants. Local governments, private

universities, private non-profit entities,

private businesses, and individuals are

not eligible. These organizations

excluded from applying directly are

encouraged to work with eligible

applicants in developing proposals that

include them as participants in the

projects. EPA strongly encourages this

type of cooperative arrangement.

2. Availability of FY 97 funds. With

this publication, EPA is announcing the

availability of between $750,000 and $1

million in grant/cooperative agreement

funds for FY 1997. These awards will be

made through a competitive process for

amounts not to exceed $350,000.

Projects may last up to 3 years.

3. Matching requirements. Under the

Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, the

Federal Government will provide up to

half of the total allowable costs of the

project, and the State will provide the

remainder. For example, a project
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 24 / Wednesday, February 5, 1997 / Notices 5395

costing $200,000 could be funded by a

grant for up to $100,000 from the

Federal government. The State is

responsible for providing the remainder.

State contributions may include cash,

in-kind goods and services, and third

party contributions.

III. Types of Proposals Being Solicited

1. General. Funds awarded under the

Act must be used to support pollution

prevention programs that address the

transfer of potentially harmful

pollutants across all environmental

media: air, water, and land. Programs

should reflect comprehensive and

coordinated pollution prevention

implementation efforts region-wide.

Proposed projects should serve the

needs of the State programs they

support and should focus on one or

more of the following areas: compiling

information that can be shared among

States or regions of the country;

providing a means of sharing P2

expertise, resources, or training;

information collection, synthesis and

peer review of new P2 documents; and

information dissemination (electronic or

hard copy).

2. Types of proposals. EPA is

soliciting two different types of grant

proposals. The first type of proposal

(type 1) would describe activities

designed to coordinate work among new

and existing centers in order to:

minimize duplication of effort in

information collection and synthesis,

and training for the promotion of

pollution prevention technologies, and

establish information standards and

peer review that will facilitate

information exchange among centers.

The second type of proposal (type 2)

would: (1) create new centers for the

collection, synthesis, and dissemination

of pollution prevention information for

States not currently served by a

pollution prevention regional center, or

(2) support existing regional pollution

prevention information centers.

Only one grant will be awarded for

purpose of coordinating work among P2

information centers (type 1). Since this

type of proposal will involve working

with existing P2 information centers,

letters of support for the proposal

should be included from at least three

centers currently providing P2

information to a number of States. The

remaining awards will be made to new

or existing centers (type 2). One

proposal may combine both types of

proposals (type 1 and type 2). For

instance: an existing P2 information

center can request funding to provide

for oversight and coordination of other

P2 information centers as well as

funding to support P2 information

collection, synthesis, and

dissemination. In this case, the proposal

should contain both letters of support

from other P2 information centers as

well as from the States being served by

the center.

1. Type 1 Proposals. There are various

actions that could be taken to achieve

the purposes of a type 1 proposal.

Coordination and oversight of P2

information collection and

dissemination encompasses all centers,

existing centers or new centers. This

coordination function would contribute

to P2 information exchange and

dissemination by developing standard

formats for commonly used information

such as case studies or vendor

information. A standard format would

specify the key information that should

be captured, in a case study for instance,

to ensure content is useful for technical

assistance providers. Dissemination of

P2 information would be served if there

were one central point for collection

and dissemination of information. For

example, case studies from each State

could be submitted to one entity, key

information put into a uniform case

study format and then disseminated.

Currently, State grant funds may be

used to collect case study information or

create P2 manuals for businesses in each

State without knowledge of similar

efforts in other States. Coordination

would also serve to decrease

duplication of effort where States or

regions develop training for State

personnel or businesses. Such training

materials and expertise could be shared

among regions. Coordination of P2

centers could also enhance the

possibility of a local program being able

to focus resources on one or two specific

industries because they could rely on

other centers to provide P2 information

on industries not within their focus.

The first type of proposal, addressing

the coordination and oversight of the P2

information network, should include

letters from at least three P2 information

centers which serve more than 3 States,

supporting the proposal, since

cooperation among these centers will be

essential to the success of such a

proposal. The goals and objectives must

be clearly identified and the proposal

should describe the strategy for the

following activities:

(1) Standardization of P2 information

format and procedures used to compile

and share P2 information.

(2) Establishment of a procedure for

peer review that ensures quality,

timeliness, and effectiveness of center

P2 publications.

(3) Coordination of P2 technical

information and training being

developed by various centers to avoid

duplication of effort and build on

existing information resources.

2. Type 2 Proposals. The second type

of proposal describes activities that

provide a P2 information center, which

would serve at least 3 or more States, to

coordinate P2 information collection,

synthesis, dissemination, and training.

This could allow States to utilize

existing information and training

materials for promoting P2 without each

State developing their own materials.

These regional centers (not necessarily

corresponding to EPA Regions) could

act as a hub for receiving and

disseminating P2 information for their

local State clients. Some of the

advantages of such a center are: regional

environmental issues which cross State

boundaries could be addressed;

programs and innovations could be

shared among neighboring States; and

the center could be held accountable

and be evaluated by those States. This

type 2 proposal, addressing the need for

States to share information and training

expertise, should include letters from

the States supporting the existence or

creation of a P2 information center.

3. Activities in both types of

proposals. The goals and objectives for

both types of proposals must be clearly

identified and the proposal should

describe a strategy for:

(1) Convening an advisory group,

including State or local agencies and

businesses, that will identify P2

information and training needs and

evaluate the usefulness of center

services.

(2) Collecting, synthesizing, writing,

peer reviewing, and distributing new P2

technical material to promote the use of

P2 in industries and other sectors

(agriculture, service, etc.) where such P2

information is lacking.

(3) Sharing P2 expertise, training

materials, and P2 information with

other small business assistance centers

in order to minimize duplication of

effort and promote the availability of P2

technologies and solutions to small

businesses.

IV. Process for Evaluation of Proposals

Proposals accepted under this

program must qualify as pollution

prevention projects and must address

pollution in all media: air, land, and

water. The proposal should contain

Standard Form 424 Application for

Federal Assistance and Standard Form

424A with information on the proposed

budget and match. A one-page cover

sheet that summarizes the type of

proposal being submitted, the objectives

of the proposal, and support for the

proposal from other states or P2
5396 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 24 / Wednesday, February 5, 1997 / Notices

information centers should be included

to assist reviewers.

A national panel, comprised of EPA

representatives from both Headquarters

and the Regions, will evaluate each

proposal. Acceptable proposals, meeting

the eligibility requirements in Unit II. of

this document, will be reviewed

according to the following criteria:

(1) Feasibility of the activities being

proposed, taking into account the

commitments from other States or

programs that will be participating in

the proposal.

(2) Qualifications and experience of

the project manager and staff committed

to working on the proposal.

(3) Appropriateness and/or adequacy

of the proposed budget and time line for

the activities being conducted in the

proposal.

(4) Adequacy of the provisions for

ensuring responsiveness to the P2

information needs of the States.

Dated: January 29, 1997.

William H. Sanders III,

Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and

Toxics.

[FR Doc. 97–2840 Filed 2–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–F

[FRL–5684–7]

Ozone, Particulate Matter and Regional

Haze Implementation Programs

Subcommittee Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: On September 11, 1995 (60

FR 47172), the EPA announced the

establishment of the Ozone, Particulate

Matter and Regional Haze

Implementation Programs

Subcommittee under the Clean Air Act

Advisory Committee (CAAAC). The

CAAAC was established on November

8, 1990 (55 FR 46993) pursuant to the

Federal Advisory Committee Act

(FACA) (5 U.S.C. app I). The purpose of

the Subcommittee is to provide advice

and recommendations on integrated

approaches for implementing

potentially new national ambient air

quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone

and particulate matter, as well as a

regional haze program.

DATES: Notice is hereby given that the

Subcommittee for Development of

Ozone, Particulate Matter and Regional

Haze Implementation Programs will

hold its next public meeting on

Thursday, February 20, 1997 (from 9

a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Friday, February 21,

1997 (from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be

held at the Hyatt Regency, 400 New

Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

20001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

further information on the

Subcommittee for Development of

Ozone, Particulate Matter and Regional

Haze Implementation Programs, please

contact Mr. William F. Hamilton,

Designated Federal Officer, at 919–541–

5498, or by mail at U.S. EPA, Office of

Air Quality Planning and Standards,

MD–12, Research Triangle Park, NC

27711. When a draft agenda is

developed, a copy can be downloaded

from the Ozone/Particulate Matter/

Regional Haze FACA Bulletin Board,

which is located on the Office of Air

Quality Planning and Standards

Technology Transfer Network (OAQPS

TTN) or by contacting Ms. Denise M.

Gerth at 919–541–5550.

Dated: January 29, 1997.

John S. Seitz,

Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and

Standards.

[FR Doc. 97–2843 Filed 2–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE: 6560–50–P

[FRL–5685–3]

National Drinking Water Advisory

Council, Consumer Confidence

Working Group; Notice of Open

Meeting

Under Section 10(a)(2) of Public Law

92–423, ‘‘The Federal Advisory

Committee Act,’’ notice is hereby given

that a meeting of the Consumer

Confidence Working Group of the

National Drinking Water Advisory

Council (established under the Safe

Drinking Water Act, as amended (42

U.S.C. S300f et seq.)), will be held on

February 20, 1997, from 9:00 a.m. to

5:00 p.m. and February 21, 1997, from

9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Embassy

Suites Hotel, 1900 Diagonal Road,

Alexandria, Virginia 22314. The

meeting is open to the public, but

seating may be limited.

This is an organizational meeting of

the Working Group. Members are

meeting to define the scope of the

Working Group’s deliberation, discuss

desired outcomes and outline

significant issues for consideration at

subsequent meetings. Statements from

the public will be taken at the end of the

meeting, as time allows.

For more information, please contact

Francoise M. Brasier, Designated

Federal Officer, Consumer Confidence

Working Group, U.S. EPA, Office of

Ground Water and Drinking Water

(4606), 401 M Street SW, Washington,

D.C. 20460. The telephone number is

(202) 260–5668. The e-mail address is

brasier.francoise@epamail.gov.

Dated: January 30, 1997.

Charlene Shaw,

Designated Federal Officer, National Drinking

Water Advisory Council.

[FR Doc. 97–2841 Filed 2–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5684–7]

Science Advisory Board; Notification

of Public Advisory Committee

Meetings

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, Public Law 92–463,

notice is hereby given that a meeting of

the Valuation Subcommittee of the US

EPA Science Advisory Board’s (SAB)

Integrated Risk Project, previously

announced in the Federal Register on

January 10, 1997 (Volume 62, No. 7,

pages 1453–1454), has been cancelled.

This meeting, originally scheduled for

February 19 through 21, 1997, will be

rescheduled at a later date which will be

announced in the Federal Register.

Further information can be obtained

by contacting Ms. Diana Pozun, Staff

Secretary, Committee Operations Staff,

Science Advisory Board (1400), US

EPA, 401 M Street SW., Washington DC

20460, telephone (202) 260–8414, fax

(202) 260–7118, or Internet at:

Pozun.Diana@ EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV, or

Mr. Thomas Miller, Designated Federal

Official for the Valuation Subcommittee

IRP, at the above address, via telephone

(202) 260–5886, fax (202) 260–7118, or

via the Internet at:

miller.tom@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.

Dated: January 28, 1997.

Donald G. Barnes,

Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 97–2845 Filed 2–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5685–2]

Science Advisory Board; Notification

of Public Advisory Committee

Meetings

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, Public Law 92–463,

notice is hereby given that several

committees of the Science Advisory

Board (SAB) will meet on the dates and

times described below. All times noted

are Eastern Daylight Time. All meetings

are open to the public. Due to limited

space, seating at meetings will be on a

first-come basis. For further information

concerning specific meetings, please

contact the individuals listed below.