Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 6, 1995 / Notices 62435

K. How Will the Final Selections Be

Made?

After the individual projects are

reviewed and ranked, EPA officials in

the regions will compare the best preapplications and make final selections.

Additional factors that EPA will take

into account include geographic and

socioeconomic balance, diverse nature

of the projects, cost, and projects whose

benefits can be sustained after the grant

is completed. Regional Administrators

will select the grants with concurrence

from the Director of the Office of

Environmental Justice at EPA

Headquarters.

Please note that this is a very

competitive grants program. Limited

funding is available and many grant

applications are expected to be received.

Therefore, the Agency cannot fund all

applications.

L. How Will Applicants Be Notified?

After all pre-applications are received,

EPA regional offices will mail

acknowledgments to applicants in their

regions. Once pre-applications have

been recommended for funding, the

EPA regions will notify the finalists and

request any additional information

necessary to complete the award

process. The EPA Regional

Environmental Justice Coordinators or

their designees will notify those

applicants whose projects were not

funded.

Grant Activities

M. How Much Time Do Grant Recipients

Have to Complete Projects?

Activities must be completed within

the time frame specified in the grant

award, usually one year.

N. Who Will Perform Projects and

Activities?

The recipient organization is

responsible for the successful

completion of the project. The

recipient’s project manager is subject to

approval by the EPA project officer but

EPA may not direct that any particular

person be the project manager.

O. What Reports Must Grant Recipients

Complete?

All recipients must submit final

reports for EPA approval within ninety

(90) days of the end of the project

period. Specific report requirements (for

example, Final Technical Report and

Financial Status Report) will be

described in the award agreement. EPA

will collect, evaluate, and disseminate

grantees’ final reports to serve as model

programs. Since networking is crucial to

the success of the program, grantees

may be required to submit an extra copy

to a central collection point.

P. What is the Expected Time-frame for

the Review and Awarding of the Grants?

December 1, 1995—Request for

Applications Notice (RFA) is

published in the Federal Register.

December 1, 1995 to March 1, 1996—

Eligible grant recipients develop their

pre-applications.

March 2, 1996—Pre-applications must

be postmarked by this date.

March 2, 1996 to April 15, 1996—EPA

regional program officials review,

evaluate, and select grants.

April 15, 1996 to June 30, 1996—EPA

regional grants offices process grants

and make awards. Applicants will be

contacted by the grants office or

program office if their pre-proposal

was selected for funding. Additional

information may be required from the

finalists, as indicated under Question

G above.

August 1, 1996—EPA expects to release

the national announcement of the FY

96 Environmental Justice Small Grant

Recipients.

Fiscal Year 1997

Q. How Can I Receive Information on

the Fiscal Year 1997 Environmental

Justice Grants Program?

If you wish to be placed on the

mailing list to receive information on

the 1997 Environmental Justice Small

Grants Program, you must mail your

request along with your name,

organization, address, and phone

number to: U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Office of

Environmental Justice Small Grants—

FY 1997 (3103), 401 M Street SW.,

Washington, DC 20460.

For additional information, please

contact the appropriate Regional EJ

Coordinator or designee listed at the end

of this notice.

Dated: November 27, 1995.

Clarice E. Gaylord,

Director, Office of Environmental Justice.

Contact names and addresses

Region 1

Primary Contact: Rhona Julien, USEPA

Region 1, John F. Kennedy Federal

Building, One Congress Street, 10th Floor

OCR, Boston, MA 02203

Secondary Contact: Pat O’Leary

Region 2

Primary Contact: Melva Hayden, USEPA

Region 2, 290 Broadway, 26th Floor, New

York, NY 10007

Secondary Contacts: Natalie Loney, Lillian

Johnson

Region 3

Primary Contact: Reginald Harris, USEPA

Region 3 (3PM–71), 841 Chestnut Building,

3DA00, Philadelphia, PA 19107–4431

Secondary Contact: Mary Zielinski

Region 4

Primary Contact: Vivian Malone-Jones,

USEPA Region 4, 345 Courtland Street,

N.E., Atlanta, GA 30365

Secondary Contact: Hector Buitrago

Region 5

Primary Contact: Margaret Millard, USEPA

Region 5 (H–75), 77 West Jackson

Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604–3507

Secondary Contact: Garnetta Clark

Region 6

Primary Contact: Shirley Augurson, USEPA

Region 6 (6M–P), 1445 Ross Avenue, 12th

Floor, Dallas, Texas 75202–2733

Secondary Contact: Hattie Brown

Region 7

Primary Contact: Hattie Thomas, USEPA

Region 7, 726 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas

City, KS 66101

Secondary Contact: Rupert Thomas

Region 8

Primary Contact: Elisabeth Evans, USEPA

Region 8 (PM–AS), 999 18th Street, Suite

500, Denver, CO 80202–2405

Secondary Contact: Patricia Denham

Region 9

Primary Contact: Lori Lewis, USEPA Region

9 (E–1), 75 Hawthorne Street, San

Francisco, CA 94105

Secondary Contact: Martha Vega

Region 10

Primary Contact: Joyce Kelly, USEPA Region

10(MD–142), 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle,

WA 98101

Secondary Contact: Susan Morales

Headquarters

Primary Contact: Angela Chung, USEPA,

Office of Environmental Justice (3103), 401

M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460.

States and Territories By Region

Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

Region 2: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico,

U.S. Virgin Islands

Region 3: Delaware, District of Columbia,

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West

Virginia

Region 4: Alabama, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,

South Carolina, Tennessee

Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,

Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin

Region 6: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,

Oklahoma, Texas

Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska

Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,

South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii,

Nevada, American Samoa, Guam

Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon,

Washington.

[FR Doc. 95–29747 Filed 12–5–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
62436 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 6, 1995 / Notices

1Projects under this statute are limited to

research or development activities.

2Projects under this statute are limited to

research activities (e.g., surveys)

3Projects under this statute are limited to

hazardous substance detection, assessment, and

evaluation, and associated human health effects and

risks.

[FRL–5338–5]

Office of Environmental Justice;

Environmental Justice Community/

University Partnership Grants Program

Request for Applications (RFA) for

Fiscal Year (FY) 1996

Purpose of Notice

The purpose of this notice is to solicit

applications from eligible candidates

under the Environmental Justice

Community/University Partnership

Grants Program sponsored by the

Environmental Protection Agency,

Office of Environmental Justice.

Grants Program Overview

The grants program was established to

help community groups and tribal

governments effectively address local

environmental justice issues through

active partnerships with one or more

institutions of higher education. The

Universities/Colleges shall support

affected environmental justice

community groups and American

Indian tribes who engage in or plan to

carry out projects that address

environmental justice issues. The

Universities/Colleges must focus on the

design, methods, and techniques to

evaluate and solve the environmental

justice issues of concern to affected

communities. The Universities/Colleges

that have experience working with, and

capabilities to effectively communicate

with, affected communities, in actual

partnership with such communities,

will be given priority. This grants

program will further the federal

government’s commitment to develop

stronger partnerships with stakeholders

in order to enhance community-based

environmental protection.

The emphasis of this grants program

is on meaningful, two-way cooperation

between communities or tribes and

institutions of higher education serving

minority communities and low-income

communities or tribes in order to

address environmental justice issues.

Partnerships must be established with

formal agreements (i.e. Memoranda of

Agreements) between at least one

College/University and at least one

socio-economically disadvantaged

community which is adversely

impacted by an environmental hazard.

These partnerships become the catalyst

for increasing environmental awareness

and involvement in resolving

environmental problems, such as

exposure to environmental pollutants in

minority communities and low-income

communities and on Tribal lands.

The main objective of this grants

program is to link community

residence/organizations and tribes with

their neighboring or affiliated academic

institutions to forge partnerships to

address local environmental and public

health concerns. This effort is designed

to ensure that these partners:

• Are aware of basic environmental

regulations, laws, concepts, issues, and

resources;

• Understand their role in identifying

and defining problems, and monitoring

contaminants related to environmental

exposures;

• Are included in the dialogue that

results in shaping future policies,

guidances, and approaches to problem

solving; and

• Are encouraged to be active

partners in developing responses and

setting priorities for intervention.

Through these partnerships,

communities will be encouraged to

become involved in accessing

information from environmental

databases, in cleaning-up and restoring

environmental quality in communities

that have environmental insults, and in

surveying and monitoring

environmental quality.

Number of Grants Proposed: A

minimum of four grants are expected to

be awarded for fiscal year (FY) 1996,

depending on the amount of funding.

Grant Award Amount: A maximum of

$250,000 will be awarded to each

recipient, contingent upon the

availability of funds. Work funded by

this program is expected to begin upon

award of the grant. All grants under this

notice are expected to be awarded by

August 1996.

Grant Term: The grant award will be

a maximum of $250,000, but the project

period can extend up to three years, if

necessary. However, if the project

period extends beyond one year the

funding will be dispersed to the grantee

over the course of the project period, not

all in the first year.

Eligibility: Participation is limited to

all institutions of higher education,

which are eligible under applicable

statutory authorities, including

Historically Black Colleges or

Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving

Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges

(TCs), and institutions serving AsianAmerican (AA’s) and other minority

communities or low-income

communities, and which have formal

partnerships (i.e.. a signed

Memorandum of Agreement) with any

affected community groups (e.g.,

community-based/grassroots

organizations, churches, schools, or

other nonprofit community

organizations) or with tribal

governments.

The Environmental Justice

Community/University Partnerships

may be either a partnership among two

single entities or consortium of entities.

If a consortium is proposed, the lead

academic institution must be identified

and be one of the eligible applicants.

This lead institution is recognized as the

grantee and as such is responsible for all

activities under the agreement.

Statutory authorities: The granting

authority is multi-media and the grant

proposal must address at least two of

the following statutes:

Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3)

Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section

8001(a)

Clean Air Act, Section 103(b)(3)

Marine Protection, Research and

Sanctuaries Act, Section 203

Toxic Substances Control Act, Section

10(a) 1

Safe Drinking Water Act, Section

1442(b)(3)

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and

Rodenticide Act, Section 20(a) 2

Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation and Liability

Act,

Section 111(c)(10).3

Background: In its 1992 report,

Environmental Equity: Reducing Risk

for All Communities, EPA found that

minority and low-income communities

may experience higher than average

exposure to toxic pollutants than the

general population. The Office of

Environmental Justice (OEJ) was

established in 1992 to help these

communities identify and assess

pollution sources, implement

environmental awareness and training

programs for affected residents and

work with local stakeholders

(community-based organizations,

academia, industry, local governments)

to devise strategies for environmental

improvements.

In June of 1993, OEJ was delegated

granting authority to solicit projects,

select suitable projects from among

those proposed, supervise such projects,

evaluate the results of projects, and

disseminate information on the

effectiveness of the projects, and

feasibility of the practices, methods,

techniques and processes in

environmental justice areas.

General: The following questions and

answers are designed to respond to

frequent concerns of applicants.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 6, 1995 / Notices 62437

A. What Specific Requirements Exist for

the Environmental Justice Community/

University Partnership Grants Program?

Projects under the Environmental

Justice Community/University

Partnership Grants Program shall

include, but not be limited to:

1. Design and demonstration of field

methods, practices, and techniques,

including assessment and analysis of

environmental justice conditions and

problems which may have a wide

applicability and/or addresses a high

priority environmental justice issue

(e.g., socio-economic impact studies);

2. Research projects to understand,

assess or address, regional and local

trends in environmental justice issues or

problems (e.g., monitoring of socioeconomic change in a community as a

result of an environmental abuse);

3. Demonstration or dissemination of

environmental justice information,

including development of educational

tools and materials (e.g., establish an

environmental justice clearinghouse of

successful environmental justice

projects and activities or teach about

risk reduction, pollution prevention, or

ecosystem protection as potential

strategies for addressing environmental

justice problems or issues);

4. Determine the necessary

improvements in communication and

coordination among local, state and

tribal environmental programs and

facilitate communication, information

exchange, and community partnerships

among all stakeholders to enhance

critical thinking, problem solving, and

decision making;

5. Provide technical expert

consultation and training for accessing,

analyzing, and interpreting public

environmental data, and utilization of

electronic communications technology

(e.g., TRI, GIS, Internet and E-mail); and

6. Provide for a minimal ‘‘hard

science’’ analysis capability (e.g.,

analyze water and soil samples to test

for basic pollutants, provide radon

testing kits, etc.).

Projects should involve new and

innovative approaches and/or

significant new combinations of

resources, both of which should be

identified in the partnership

agreements;

An applicant is required to include in

the application a signed agreement

which describes the role of the

prospective partner(s) in the project and

its implementation, and which includes

a commitment or intent to commit

resources from the prospective

partner(s) contingent only upon receipt

of the grant award. The college/

university must identify the community

residents or tribal government

representatives who will serve on the

‘‘partnership team.’’ Where appropriate,

the community or tribal representatives

on the team may be compensated for

their work; and

Applications should include

partnerships between colleges and

universities which are providers of

training and programs for these

communities. One of the goals of the

partnerships should be to develop a

plan to shift the focus of these

organizations from maintenance to that

of self-sufficiency.

B. What does Environmental Justice

Involve Under the Environmental Justice

Community/University Partnership

Grant?

Environmental justice is the fair

treatment and meaningful involvement

of all people regardless of race, color,

national origin, or income with respect

to the development, implementation,

and enforcement of environmental laws,

regulations, and policies. Fair treatment

means that no groups of people,

including racial, ethnic, or

socioeconomic groups, should bear a

disproportionate share of the negative

environmental consequences resulting

from industrial, municipal, and

commercial operations or the execution

of federal, state, local, and tribal

programs and policies.

C. May an Individual Apply?

No. Only institutions of higher

education may apply. The professional

qualifications or community-based

experience of those individuals

participating in the proposed project

will be an important factor in the

selection process.

Funding Priorities

D. What Types of Proposed

Environmental Justice Community/

University Partnerships Will Have the

Best Chance of Being Funded?

The Environmental Justice

Community/University Partnerships

must meet the objectives and criteria as

described in Section A and B. The

evaluations will be conducted, and

items weighed, as indicated in Section

G.

E. Are Matching Funds Required?

Yes. Federal funds for the

Environmental Justice Community/

University Partnerships shall not exceed

95% of the total cost of the project. EPA

encourages non-Federal matching shares

of greater than 5%. The non-Federal

share of costs may be provided in cash

or by in-kind contributions of services

or property. In-kind contributions often

include salaries or other verifiable costs.

In the case of salaries, applicants may

use either minimum wage or fair market

value of similar work in the same labor

market. The proposed match, including

the value of in-kind contributions, is

subject to negotiation with EPA. All

grants are subject to audit, so the value

of in- kind contributions must be

carefully documented. The matching

(non-Federal) share is a percentage of

the entire cost of the project. For

example, if the total project cost is

approximately $260,000 then the

Federal portion can be no more than

$247,000, which is 95% of the total

project cost. For this example, the grant

recipient would be required to provide

$13,000 for the project. The amount of

non-Federal funds, including in-kind

contributions, must be briefly itemized

in Block 15 of the application form (SF

424). Among other things, EPA funds

cannot be used for matching funds for

other Federal grants, construction,

buying furniture, lobbying, intervention

in federal rule-making, adjudicatory

proceedings, litigation, or personal gifts.

Refer to 40 CFR 30.410 entitled, ‘‘How

does EPA determine allowable costs?’’

Application Procedure

An ‘‘Application for Federal

Assistance’’ form (Standard Form 424 or

SF 424), a ‘‘Budget Information: NonConstruction Programs’’ form (SF 424A),

a Work Plan (described below), and a

Memorandum of Agreement must be

submitted. These documents contain all

the information EPA needs to evaluate

the merits of your proposed grant

proposal.

Each instrument approved under the

environmental justice delegation must

be consistent with the Federal Grant and

Cooperative Agreements Act of 1977,

Public Law 95–224, as amended, 31

U.S.C. Section 6301; Title 40 of the

Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 30

and 33, and existing media-specific

regulations pertinent to the statement of

work.

F. How Must the Application be

Submitted and Specifically what Must it

Include?

The applicants must submit one

original, signed by a person authorized

to receive funds for the applicant, and

two copies of the application (doublesided copies encouraged). Applications

must be reproducible (for example;

stapled once in the upper left hand

corner, on white paper, and with page

numbers).

For the purposes of this grants

program, an application must contains

an SF 424, SF 424A, a work plan, a

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), and
62438 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 6, 1995 / Notices

the Certification Forms. The following

describes these items:

1. Application for Federal Assistance

(SF 424). An SF 424 is an official form

required for all Federal grants. A

completed SF 424 must be submitted as

part of your preapplication.

2. Budget Information: NonConstruction Programs (SF 424A). An

SF 424A is an official form required for

all Federal grants. A completed SF 424A

must be submitted as part of your

application. This form, along with

instructions are included at the end of

this notice. In addition, a detailed

budget which breaks down the budget

categories is required.

3. Work Plan. A work plan describes

the applicant’s proposed project. Work

plans must be no more than 15 pages

total. One page is one side of a single

spaced typed page. The pages must be

letter size (81⁄2 x 11), with normal type

size (19 or 12 cpi) and at least 1’’

margins. The only appendices and

letters of support that EPA will accept

are a budget, resumes of key personnel,

and commitment letters.

4. Memorandum of Agreement. The

Memorandum of Agreement will

provide the foundation for the working

relationship between the college/

university and the partners involved in

the project. This agreement must be

signed and have the roles and

responsibilities of each partner clearly

defined.

5. Necessary Signed Forms.

Procurement Systems Certification,

Certification Regarding Debarment,

Suspension and Other Responsibility

Matters, Certification Regarding

Lobbying.

G. How will the Applications be

Evaluated?

The applications will be evaluated by

a review panel and selected according to

the following criteria. The percentages

next to the items are the weights EPA

will use to evaluate the applications.

Please note that certain sections are

given greater weight than others.

(a.) A concise introduction of no more

than three pages that states the nature of

the college/university, how the college/

university has been successful in the

past, proposed uses, objectives,

methods, plans, target audiences, and

expected results of the project. (10%)

(b.) Clear and concise description of

the project which includes the

following:

1. A section describing the field

methods, practices, and techniques,

including assessment and analysis,

which the partnership expects to

implement to address national, regional

and local environmental justice issues.

(10%)

2. A section describing how the

partnership will disseminate

environmental justice information and

provide training, including educational

tools and materials. (10%)

3. A section describing how the

partnership will improve

communications and coordination

among local, state, tribal and federal

environmental programs and

community organizations, and how the

partnership will enhance critical

thinking, problem solving and decision

making among all stakeholders. Specify

effective and realistic methods for

involving members of the targeted

population. (10%)

4. A section describing who or how

the partnership will obtain expert

consultation and provide training for

the partners to access, analyze and

interpret public environmental data and

utilize electronic communications

technology. (10%)

5. A section describing the ‘‘hard

science’’ analysis capability of the

college(s)/university(ies). (10%)

(c.) A conclusion discussing how the

applicant will evaluate the success of

the partnership, in terms of the

anticipated strengths and challenges in

developing and administering the

partnership. (10%)

(d.) An appendix with a budget

describing how funds will be used in

terms of personnel, fringe benefits,

travel, equipment, supplies, contract

costs, and other. Funds can not be used

for matching funds for other federal

grants, construction, buying furniture,

lobbying, intervention in federal rulemaking, adjudicatory proceedings,

litigation, or personal gifts. The budget

must list proposed milestones with

deadlines and estimated cost and

completion dates. All costs must be

consistent with the cost principles of

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB), A–21. (10%)

(e.) An appendix with one or two page

resumes of up to five key personnel.

(5%)

(f.) An appendix with one page letters

of commitment from community-based

organizations with a significant role in

the development and administration of

the partnership. Letters of endorsement

will not be considered. (5%)

(g) A Memorandum of Agreement

signed by each representative of the

partnership team which identifies the

roles and responsibilities of each

partner. (10%)

H. When and Where Must the

Applications be Submitted?

An original plus two copies of the

application must be mailed to EPA

postmarked no later than Saturday,

March 2, 1996. Applications must be

submitted to this EPA headquarters

address: United States Environmental

Protection Agency, Office of

Environmental Justice, Mail Code 3103

Environmental Justice Community/

University Partnership Grants, 401 M

Street S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460.

Review and Selection Process

I. How Will Applications be Reviewed?

EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice

will form a selections committee

comprised of EPA, other federal agency

staff, and outside reviewers to evaluate

proposals and recommend selections.

Applications will be screened to ensure

they meet all the requirements

described in this Sections A–H.

Reviewers will specifically evaluate the

degree to which the applications meet

EPA’s objectives and criteria as

discussed in Section G. Applications

will be disqualified if they are

incomplete or do not meet EPA’s basic

criteria.

J. How Will the Final Selections be

Made?

After the applications are reviewed

and ranked as described in Section G,

EPA officials will compare the best

applications and make final selections.

Factors EPA will take into account

include; geographic and socio-economic

balance, diverse nature of the projects,

and if the partnership’s benefits can be

sustained after the grant is completed.

K. How Will Applicants be Notified?

After all applications are received,

EPA will mail acknowledgements to

each applicant. Once applications have

been recommended for funding, EPA

will notify those applicants selected and

request any additional information

necessary to complete the award

process. The EPA Office of

Environmental Justice will notify those

applicants whose grant applications

were not selected for funding.

Post-Award

L. When Should the Proposed

Partnership Begin Functioning?

Partnerships cannot operate or begin

development on this specific project

before funds are awarded. Start dates are

currently targeted for August 1, 1996. It

is EPA’s intent to fund each partnership

only once. Future funding is dependent

upon congressional appropriations.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 6, 1995 / Notices 62439

M. How Much Time do Grant Recipients

Have to Complete the work Proposed?

Activities must be completed within

the time frame specified in the grant

award, usually one or two years from

award date. Grant project periods may

be approved for up to two years.

N. Who Will Develop and Manage the

Partnerships?

Grant recipients are responsible for

the successful development and

management of all projects. All

applications must identify a project

manager. The recipient’s project

manager is subject to approval by the

EPA project officer, but EPA may not

direct that any particular person be the

project officer. The lead institution

(applicant) is recognized as the grantee

and as such is responsible for all

activities under the agreement.

O. What Reports Must Grant Recipients

Complete?

Recipients of grants will be expected

to report on quarterly progress, as well

as final project completion. All

recipients must submit final reports for

EPA approval prior to the expiration of

the project period. Specific reporting

requirements will be detailed in the

award agreement. EPA plans to collect,

evaluate, and as appropriate,

disseminate grantees’ final reports to

serve as model programs. Since

networking is crucial to the success of

the program, grantees may be asked to

transmit an extra copy to a central

collection point.

P. What is the Expected Time frame for

the Review and Awarding of the Grants?

December 1, 1995

Request for Applications Published in

the Federal Register

December 1, 1995–March 2, 1996

Eligible grant recipients develop their

proposals

March 2, 1996

Proposals must be postmarked or

received by EPA by this date

March 2, 1996–May 1, 1996

Federal Agency Officials and review

panel evaluate and recommend

award selection

May 1, 1996–June 30, 1996

EPA Grants Administration Division

processes grants. Applicants will be

contacted by the grants office if

their proposals were selected for

funding. Additional information

may be required from the selectees.

August 1, 1996

EPA anticipates the awarding of the

grants and the beginning of the

partnership projects/activities.

Fiscal Year 1997 Grants

To Receive Information on the Fiscal

Year (FY) 1997 Environmental Justice

Community/University Partnership

(CUP) Grants Program and future year

grants, please mail or fax your request

along with your name, organization,

address, and phone number to the

Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ),

FY 1997 CUP Grants. OEJ’s address is

provided in Section H. OEJ’s fax number

is (202) 260–0852. You may also obtain

this information by calling OEJ’s 24

hour hotline number 1–800–962–6215

Available Translations

A Spanish translation of this

announcement is available upon

request. Please call the Office of

Environmental Justice at 1–800–962–

6215 for a copy.

Hay traducciones disponibles en

espanol. Si usted esta interesado en

obtener una traduccion de este anunclo

en espanol, por favor llame a la Officina

de Justicia Ambiental conocida como

‘‘Office of Environmental Justice’’, linea

de emergencia (1–800–962–6215).

Working Definitions

Tribe—all federally recognized

American Indian tribes (including

‘‘Alaskan Native Villages’’), pueblos,

and rancherios. Although the term

‘‘tribe,’’ as defined in this notice, refers

to only ‘‘federally recognized tribes,’’

state recognized tribes or indigenous

peoples organizations are able to apply

for grant assistance as ‘‘other eligible

grass-roots organizations’’ as long as

they meet the definition of an

incorporated, nonprofit organization.

Nonprofit—means any corporation,

trust, association, cooperative, or other

organization which (1) is operated

primarily for scientific, educational,

service, charitable, or similar purposes

in the public interest: (2) is not

organized primarily for profit: and (3)

uses its net proceeds to maintain,

improve, and/or expand its operations.

November 27, 1995.

Clarice E. Gaylord,

Director, Office of Environmental Justice.

[FR Doc. 95–29744 Filed 12–05–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5340–3]

State of New Jersey; Final Partial

Program Determination of Adequacy of

State/Tribe Municipal Solid Waste

Landfill Permit Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Final Partial Program

Determination of Adequacy on New

Jersey’s Application.

SUMMARY: Section 4005(c)(1)(B) of the

Resource Conservation and Recovery

Act (RCRA), as amended by the

Hazardous and Solid Waste

Amendments (HSWA) of 1984, requires

States to develop and implement permit

programs to ensure that Municipal Solid

Waste Landfills (MSWLFs) which may

receive hazardous household waste or

small quantity generator waste will

comply with the revised Federal

MSWLF Criteria (40 CFR 258). RCRA

section 4005(c)(1)(C) requires the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

to determine whether States have

adequate ‘‘permit’’ programs for

MSWLFs, but does not mandate

issuance of a rule governing such

determinations. EPA has drafted and is

in the process of proposing a State/

Tribal Implementation Rule (STIR) that

will provide procedures by which EPA

will approve, or partially approve,

State/Tribal landfill permit programs.

The Agency has approved and will

continue to approve adequate State/

Tribal MSWLF permit programs as

applications are submitted. Thus, these

approvals are not dependent on final

promulgation of the STIR. Prior to

promulgation of the STIR, adequacy

determinations will be made based on

statutory authorities and requirements.

In addition, States/Tribes may use the

draft STIR as an aid in interpreting these

requirements. The Agency believes that

early approvals have an important

benefit. Approved State/Tribal permit

programs provide for interaction

between the State/Tribe and the owner/

operator regarding site-specific permit

conditions. Only those owner/operators

located in States/Tribes with approved

permit programs can use the sitespecific flexibility provided by Part 258

to the extent the State/Tribal permit

program allows such flexibility. EPA

notes that regardless of the approval

status of a State/Tribe and the permit

status of any facility, the federal landfill

criteria will apply to all permitted and

unpermitted MSWLF facilities.

The State of New Jersey applied for a

partial program determination of

adequacy under Section 4005 of RCRA.

EPA reviewed New Jersey’s application

and made a tentative determination of

adequacy for those portions of the

MSWLF permit program that are

adequate to ensure compliance with the

revised MSWLF Criteria. After

reviewing all comments received, EPA

today is granting final partial approval

to New Jersey’s program.