Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 222 / Thursday, November 16, 2000 / Notices 69305

Reserved

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–29534 Filed 11–14–00; 4:12 pm]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

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.

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 postmarked 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 postmarked 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

69306 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 222 / Thursday, November 16, 2000 / Notices

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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6901–5]

Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation and Liability

Act (CERCLA) or Superfund, Section

104; Announcement of Proposal

Deadline for the Competition for the

2001 National Brownfields Assessment

Demonstration Pilots

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of proposal deadlines,

revised guidelines.

SUMMARY: The United States

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

will begin to accept proposals for the

National Brownfields Assessment Pilots

on November 16, 2000. The brownfields

assessment pilots (each funded up to

$200,000 over two years) test

assessment models, and facilitate

coordinated assessment and cleanup

efforts at the federal, state, and local

levels.

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 35

additional National brownfields

assessment pilots by April 2001. The

deadline for new proposals for the 2001

assessment pilots is January 12, 2001.

Proposals must be post-marked or sent

to EPA via registered or tracked mail by

the stated deadline. Previously

unsuccessful applicants are advised that

they must revise and resubmit their

proposals to be considered for the 2001

National assessment pilot competition.

The National brownfields assessment

pilots are administered on a competitive

basis. To ensure a fair selection process,

evaluation panels consisting of EPA

Regional and Headquarters staff and

other federal agency representatives will

assess how well the proposals meet the

selection criteria outlined in the newly

revised application booklet The

Brownfields Economic Redevelopment

Initiative: Proposal Guidelines for

Brownfields Assessment Demonstration

Pilots (October 2000). Applicants are

encouraged to contact and, if possible,

meet with EPA Regional Brownfields

Coordinators.

DATES: This action is effective as of

November 16, 2000, and expires on

January 12, 2001. All proposals must be

post-marked or sent to EPA via

registered or tracked mail by the

expiration date cited above.

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.

EPA’s goal is to select a broad array

of assessment pilots that will serve as

models for other communities across the

nation. EPA seeks to identify proposals

that demonstrate the integration or

linking of brownfields assessment pilots

with other federal, state, tribal, and local

sustainable development, community

revitalization, and pollution prevention

programs. Special consideration will be

given to Federal Empowerment Zones

and Enterprise Communities (EZ/ECs),

communities with populations of under

100,000, and federally recognized

Indian tribes. These pilots focus on

EPA’s primary mission—protecting

human health and the environment.

However, it is 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.

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 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 assessment 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. Problem Statement and Needs

Assessment

—Effect of Brownfields on your

Community or Communities

—Value Added by Federal Support

2. Community-Based Planning and

Involvement

—Existing Local Commitment

—Community Involvement Plan

—Environmental Justice Plan

3. Implementation Planning

—Government Support

—Site Selection and Environmental Site

Assessment Plan

—Reuse Planning and Proposed

Cleanup Funding Mechanisms

—Flow of Ownership Plan