[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 222 (Thursday, November 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69305-69306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29223]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6901-6]


Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability 
Act (CERCLA) or Superfund, Section 104; Announcement of Proposal 
Deadline for the Competition for Fiscal Year 2001 Supplemental 
Assistance to the National Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of proposal deadline and guidelines.

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SUMMARY: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will 
begin to accept proposals for supplemental assistance for the National 
Brownfields Assessment Pilots on November 16, 2000. Assessment pilots 
awarded on or before September 30, 1999, may apply for up to $150,000 
for continuance and expansion of their brownfields assessment efforts. 
This supplemental funding will be awarded on a competitive basis. 
Recipients of supplemental assessment pilot funding in FY2000 and 
Showcase Community funding in FY2001 are not eligible to apply.
    In fiscal year 2001, an additional $50,000 may be awarded to an 
applicant to assess the contamination of a brownfields site(s) that is 
or will be used for greenspace purposes. Greenspace purposes may 
include, but are not limited to, parks, playgrounds, trails, gardens, 
habitat restoration, open space, and/or greenspace preservation.
    EPA expects to select up to 10 National brownfields assessment 
pilots to receive supplemental assistance by April 2001. The deadline 
for proposals for the 2001 supplemental assistance is January 8, 2001. 
Proposals must be post-marked or sent to EPA via registered or tracked 
mail by the stated deadline.
    The supplemental assistance for the National brownfields assessment 
pilots will be administered on a competitive basis. To ensure a fair 
selection process, evaluation panels consisting of EPA Regional and 
Headquarters staff will assess how well the proposals meet the 
selection criteria outlined in the application booklet The Brownfields 
Economic Redevelopment Initiative: Proposal Guidelines for Supplemental 
Assistance for the Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots (October 
2000). Applicants are encouraged to contact and, if possible, meet with 
EPA Regional Brownfields Coordinators.

DATES: All proposals must be post-marked or sent to EPA via registered 
or tracked mail by January 8, 2001.

ADDRESSES: The proposal guidelines can be obtained by calling the 
Superfund Hotline at the following numbers: Washington, DC Metro Area 
at 703-412-9810, Outside Washington, DC Metro at 1-800-424-9346, TDD 
for the Hearing Impaired at 1-800-553-7672.
    Copies of the guidelines are also available via the Internet:

http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Superfund Hotline, 800-424-9346.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As a part of the Environmental Protection 
Agency's (EPA) Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative, the 
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots are designed to empower 
States, communities, tribes, and other stakeholders in economic 
redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, 
and safely cleanup brownfields to promote their sustainable reuse. EPA 
has awarded cooperative agreements to States, cities, towns, counties 
and Tribes for demonstration pilots that test brownfields assessment 
models and facilitate coordinated public and private efforts at the 
Federal, State, tribal and local levels. To date, the Agency has funded 
362 Brownfields Assessment Pilots.
    In fiscal year 2001, EPA has determined that brownfields assessment 
pilots awarded on or before September 30, 1999, may apply for up to 
$150,000 for continuance and expansion of their brownfields assessment 
efforts. Recipients of supplemental assessment pilot funding in FY2000 
and Showcase Community funding in FY2001 are not eligible to apply. 
These pilots focus on EPA's primary mission--protecting human health 
and the environment. They are also an essential piece of the nation's 
overall community revitalization efforts. EPA works closely with other 
federal agencies through the Interagency Working Group on Brownfields, 
and builds relationships with other stakeholders on the national and 
local levels to develop coordinated approaches for community 
revitalization.
    Supplemental funding for the brownfields assessment pilots is 
authorized under Section 104(d)(1) of the Comprehensive Environmental 
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, (CERCLA 
or Superfund), 42 U.S.C. 9604(d)(1). States (including U.S. 
Territories), political subdivisions (including cities, towns, 
counties), and federally recognized Indian Tribes which received a 
brownfields assessment pilot grant on or before September 30, 1999, are 
eligible to apply. EPA welcomes and encourages brownfields projects by 
coalitions of such entities, but only a single eligible entity may 
receive a cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreement funds will be 
awarded only to a state, a political subdivision of a state, or a 
federally recognized Indian tribe.
    Through a brownfields cooperative agreement, EPA provides funds to 
an eligible state, political subdivision, or Indian Tribe to undertake 
activities authorized under CERCLA section 104. Use of these 
supplemental assistance pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, 
and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funds also apply to the 
assessment pilots.
    The evaluation panels will review the proposals carefully and 
assess each response based on how well it addresses the selection 
criteria, briefly outlined below:

Part I (Required)

1. Established Brownfields Program

2. Accomplishments under Existing Brownfields Assessment Pilot

3. Demonstrated Ability to Administer Existing Brownfields Assessment 
Demonstration Pilot

4. Work to be Performed

Part II (Optional)

5. Greenspace

--Authority and Context
--Community Involvement
--Site Identification, Site Assessment Plan, Flow of Ownership, and 
Reuse Planning

Submission to Congress and the General Accounting Office

    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the 
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally 
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating 
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule, 
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the 
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this action and 
other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and

[[Page 69306]]

the Comptroller General of the United States prior to publication in 
the Federal Register. A major rule cannot take effect until 60 days 
after it is published in the Federal Register. This action is not a 
``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). This action will be 
effective on November 16, 2000.

    Dated: November 2, 2000.
    Approved:
Linda Garczynski,
Director, Outreach and Special Projects Staff, Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. 00-29223 Filed 11-15-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U