[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 4, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 452-453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-149]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPTS-00164; FRL-4927-4]


Notice of Availability of FY 1995 Multimedia Environmental 
Justice Through Pollution Prevention Grant Funds

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the availability of approximately $4.2 
million in FY 95 grant/cooperative agreement funds under the 
Environmental Justice Through Pollution Prevention (EJP2) grant 
program. The purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance 
to community groups and tribal governments for projects that address 
environmental justice and use pollution prevention as the proposed 
solution.

DATES: Applications are due to the EPA Regional Offices by March 31, 
1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the appropriate Regional EPA 
coordinator for a copy of the grant guidance and application package. 
Contact names for each Regional Office are listed under Unit IV. of 
this notice. For general information on the EJP2 program contact Lena 
Ferris at EPA Headquarters at (202) 260-2237. Grant guidance and 
applications can only be requested from the regional contacts listed in 
Unit IV. of this notice. Materials are also available in Spanish upon 
request.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scope and Purpose of the EJP2 Grant Program

    The primary purpose of this grant program is to provide financial 
assistance to community groups and tribal governments for projects that 
address environmental justice and use pollution prevention activities 
as the proposed solution. This grants program is designed to fund 
projects which have a direct impact on affected communities. EPA is 
seeking proposals for projects that will encourage institutionalization 
and innovative use of pollution prevention as the preferred approach 
for addressing environmental justice issues, and whose activities and 
products can be applied to other communities. The Agency also 
encourages cooperative efforts with business and industry to address 
common pollution prevention goals.
    Projects funded under this grant program may involve public 
education, training, demonstrations, research, investigations, 
experiments, surveys, studies, public-private partnerships, or 
approaches to develop, evaluate, and demonstrate non-regulatory 
strategies and technologies.
    The purpose of the EJP2 grants program is to support the use of 
pollution prevention solutions to address the environmental problems of 
minority and low-income communities and tribes. Funds awarded must be 
used to support pollution prevention programs in minority and low-
income communities or tribal lands. Priority will be given to those 
projects that improve the environmental quality of affected communities 
using pollution prevention as the primary solution.
    Below are brief summaries of sample projects which meet the 
definitions of pollution prevention and environmental justice, which 
may help guide applicants as they develop their proposals.
     Assist minority and low-income communities and tribal 
governments in obtaining environmental information or 
[[Page 453]] designing and implementing training programs for such 
communities to promote pollution prevention initiatives.
     Conduct demonstration projects in support of EPA voluntary 
programs (such as the 33/50 Program, the Water Alliance for Voluntary 
Efficiency, the Waste Wise Project, or the Green Lights Project) which 
promote resource efficiency, or EPA's industry sector projects such as 
the Common Sense Initiative.
     Research, demonstrations, or public educational training 
activities to institutionalize sustainable agricultural practices 
including integrated pest management techniques to reduce use of 
pesticides.
     Establish demonstration projects to provide financial 
assistance through establishment of a revolving loan fund to assist 
small businesses in obtaining loans for pollution prevention-oriented 
activities.

II. Definition of Environmental Justice and Pollution Prevention

    Environmental justice is defined by EPA as the fair treatment of 
people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the 
development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, 
regulations, programs, and policies. Fair treatment means that no 
racial, ethnic or socioeconomic group should bear a disproportionate 
share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from the 
operation of industrial, municipal, and commercial enterprises and from 
the execution of federal, state and local, and tribal programs and 
policies.
    Pollution prevention is defined by EPA as ``source reduction''; 
that is, any practice that reduces or eliminates any pollutant prior to 
recycling, treatment, or disposal. EPA further defines pollution 
prevention 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 by conservation.
    To help better understand pollution prevention, EPA has established 
a hierarchy of environmental management practices. In order of 
preference, these practices include:
     Pollution Prevention
     Recycling
     Treatment
     Disposal
    This grant program is focused on using the top of the hierarchy 
(pollution prevention) to bring about better environmental protection.

III. Eligibility

    Eligible applicants include any incorporated non-profit or 
grassroots organization, as well as any Federally-recognized tribal 
government, any city, county or local government organization such as a 
local education, health, energy, transportation, housing, environment 
agency or community college. Organizations must be incorporated to 
apply for funds. State agencies are also eligible but will not be a 
priority for funding as community-based organizations and/or local 
governments are the primary groups EPA is trying to reach through this 
program. State agencies interested in applying are encouraged to work 
cooperatively with community groups or local programs to strengthen 
their proposal. Private businesses and individuals are not eligible. 
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.
    No applicant can have two grants for the same project at one time. 
EPA will consider only one proposal for a given project. Applicants may 
submit more than one application as long as the applications are for 
separate and distinct projects. However, no organization will receive 
more than one grant per Region per year under the EJP2 grant program. 
Organizations seeking funds from the EJP2 grants can request up to 
$100,000.
    The Federal government requires that all non-profit organizations 
receiving grants be incorporated. EPA, in order to reach out to 
communities unfamiliar with government procedures, will accept grant 
applications from incorporated organizations acting as a sponsor or 
umbrella for community groups that would otherwise be ineligible to 
apply directly. The sponsoring organization may represent up to three 
community groups, and must specifically identify the community groups 
that will be participating in the project.
    All awardees must also comply with the requirements of 40 CFR part 
31 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative 
Agreements to State and Local Governments) or 40 CFR part 30 (General 
Regulation for Assistance Program for other than State and Local 
Governments).

IV. EPA Regional Contacts

    For further information please contact the appropriate EPA Regional 
staff person listed below:
James Younger, U.S. EPA Region 1, John F. Kennedy Federal Building, 
Boston, MA 02202, 617-565-3403.
Janet Sapadin, U.S. EPA Region 2, Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, 26 
Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278, 212-264-1925.
Dominique Lueckenhoff, U.S. EPA Region 3, 841 Chestnut Building, 
Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-597-6529.
Carol Monell, U.S. EPA Region 4, 345 Courtland St., NE, Atlanta, GA 
30365, 404-347-3555 or 6779.
Phil Kaplan, U.S. EPA Region 5, 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 
60604-3507, 312-353-4669.
Donna Tisdall, U.S. EPA Region 6, First Interstate Bank Tower at 
Fountain Place, 1445 Ross Avenue, 12th Floor, Suite 1200, Dallas, TX 
75202-2733, 214-665-6528.
Steve Wurtz, U.S. EPA Region 7, 726 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 
66101, 913-551-7063.
Mel McCottrey, U.S. EPA Region 8, 999 18th St., Suite 500, Denver, CO 
80202-2405, 303-293-1645.
Bill Wilson, U.S. EPA Region 9, 75 Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 
94105, 415-744-2192.
Robin Meeker, U.S. EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101, 
206-553-8579.

    Dated: December 27, 1994.
David Kling,
Acting Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 95-149 Filed 1-3-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F