[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26896-26900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-12789]
[[Page 26895]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part V
Environmental Protection Agency
_______________________________________________________________________
Sustainable Development Grant Program; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 94 / Thursday, May 15, 1997 /
Notices
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5825-6]
Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Program
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Solicitation of Proposals for FY 1997.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting
proposals for the FY 1997 Sustainable Development Challenge Grant
(SDCG) program, one of President Clinton's ``high priority'' actions
described in the March 16, 1995 report, ``Reinventing Environmental
Regulation.'' The EPA has a total of $5 million dollars available for
this program in FY 1997. Of the total resources available through this
program in FY 1997, approximately 80% will support city/metropolitan-
related projects. Other rural, tribal and non-metropolitan projects are
encouraged and will be funded at approximately 20% of the total amount.
We are encouraging proposals that place an emphasis on city/
metropolitan-related projects because approximately 80% of the U.S.
population lives in metropolitan areas where the goals of a healthy
environment compete with economic development, affordable housing,
public safety, and mobility for attention from both government and the
private sector. EPA's program to protect the health of Americans by
protecting their community's air, water and land must acknowledge this
reality. The SDCG program provides an opportunity to develop place-
based approaches to problem solving related to current patterns of
urban growth and public investment/disinvestment, patterns that
accelerate loss of open space and wetlands, and increase consumption of
fossil fuels for energy and transportation. Projects will be selected
on a competitive basis using the criteria outlined below. Applicants
may compete for funding in two ranges for FY 1997: (1) $50,000 or less,
and (2) between $50,001 and $250,000. Proposals will compete with other
proposals in the same range (i.e., a proposal for $50,000 will not
compete with a proposal for $250,000). Applicants in each category are
required to demonstrate how they will meet the minimum 20% match.
The Sustainable Development Challenge Grant program strongly
encourages partnering among community, business and government entities
to work cooperatively to develop flexible, locally-oriented approaches
that link place-based environmental management, and quality of life
activities with sustainable development and revitalization. This
program challenges communities to invest in a sustainable future that
links environmental protection, economic prosperity and community well-
being. These grants are intended to: catalyze community-based projects
to promote environmentally and economically sustainable development;
build partnerships which increase a community's capacity to take steps
that will ensure the long-term health of ecosystems and humans,
economic vitality, and community well-being; and leverage public and
private investments to enhance environmental quality by enabling
sustainable community efforts to continue beyond the period of EPA
funding. While EPA expects to award approximately 80% of the funds
available for this program in FY 1997 to support projects that
comprehensively address environmental and economic issues in cities and
metropolitan areas which stimulate broad participation by engaging all
sectors of the community, all applications which demonstrate the
requisite criteria will be considered.
This document includes: background information on the Sustainable
Development Challenge Grant program; a description of the FY 1997
program which incorporates comments received through the FY 1996 pilot
program (both public and Agency comments/suggestions) on the design of
the program; the criteria successful projects must meet; the process
for selection of projects; and the program's relationship to other
related EPA activities. Also included is a summary of projects funded
under the pilot program. (More detailed information is available via
Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity)
DATES: The period for submission of proposals for FY 1997 will begin
upon publication of this Federal Register notice pursuant to the
Information Collection Request (ICR No. 1755.01) approved by the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB Approval No. 2010-0026) under the
Paperwork Reduction Act. Project proposals must be postmarked by August
15, 1997 to be considered for funding.
ADDRESSES: Please provide three copies of your proposal to Pamela Hurt,
U.S.EPA, Office of Air & Radiation (MC-6101), 401 M Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20460.
APPLICATIONS: Proposal kits for FY 1997 are available via Internet at:
http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity or from EPA Headquarters and EPA
Regional Offices. These kits will include more detailed guidance and
may be requested in writing from your regional or headquarters
representative, or by fax at 202-260-2555 or by voice mail at 202-260-
6812. Although you may fax your request, these documents are not
available by fax. EPA will notify applicants of selected proposals in
writing and provide technical assistance in preparation of formal
applications. Please do not duplicate requests. Proposals must include
the following: a one page cover sheet that summarizes the amount of
assistance requested from EPA, the various entities or organizations
that will be partners in the project, and the project's anticipated
results. The cover sheet must also include the applicant's name,
address, and phone number. The project proposal narrative must be
limited to five (5) double-sided pages and explain the relationship of
the proposal to the criteria for project selection described in this
notice. Please follow the format provided in criteria section of this
notice to structure your narrative. A detailed budget along with
letters of commitment from stakeholders contributing either in-kind
services or dollars must be attached to the proposal in order to be
considered. Applicants must also include a copy of documentation
demonstrating non-profit status or articles of incorporation. A plan
for overall project evaluation must also be attached. The budget page,
commitment letters, project evaluation plan, and non-profit status
documentation will not count toward the 5 double-sided narrative page
limit. Proposals lacking complete documentation will not be considered.
Any other attachments to the proposal will be discarded.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela A. Hurt, U.S. EPA, Office of
Air & Radiation (MC 6101), 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460,
[email protected] or the regional representative for your state.
Regional Offices
Rosemary Monahan, US EPA Region I, JF Kennedy Federal Bldg. (CSP),
Boston, MA 02203, (617) 565-3551, States: ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI
Theresa Martella, US EPA Region 3, 841 Chestnut Building,
Philadelphia, PA 19107, (215) 566-5423, States: DE, DC, MD, PA, VA,
WV
Daniel Werbie, US EPA Region 5, 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL
60604-3507, (312) 353-5791, States: MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH
Anita Street, US EPA Region 2, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007-
1866, (212) 637-3590, States & Territories: NY, NJ, PR, VI
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Cory Berish, US EPA Region 4, 345 Courtland Street, NE, Atlanta, GA
30365, (404) 562-8276, States: AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN
Karen Alvarez, US EPA Region 6, Fountain Place, Suite 1200, 1445
Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75202-2733, (214) 665-7273, States: AR, LA,
NM, OK, TX
Dick Sumpter, US EPA Region 7, 726 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS
66101, (913) 551-7661, States: KS, MO, NE, IA
Debbie Schechter, US EPA Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street, San
Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 744-1624, States & Territories: CA, NV,
AZ, HI, AS, GU
David Schaller, US EPA Region 8, 999 18th Street, Suite 500, Denver,
CO 80202-2466, (202) 312-6146, States: CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY
Jim Werntz, US EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101,
(206) 553-2634, States: AK, ID, OR, WA
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose
EPA intends these competitive grants to be catalysts that challenge
communities to invest in a more sustainable future, recognizing that
sustainable environmental quality, economic prosperity, and community
well-being are inextricably linked. The Sustainable Development
Challenge Grant program is an important opportunity for EPA to award
competitive grants that leverage private and other public sector
investment in communities (ranging in size from neighborhoods to cities
to larger geographic areas such as watersheds or metropolitan areas) to
build partnerships that increase the capacity of communities to ensure
long-term environmental protection through the application of
sustainable development strategies.
Overview of the Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Approach
The grant program encourages communities to recognize and build
upon the fundamental connection between environmental protection,
economic prosperity and community well-being. Accomplishing this
linkage requires integrating environmental protection in policy and
decision-making at all levels of government and throughout the economy.
The SDCG program recognizes the significant role that communities have
and should play in environmental protection. The program acknowledges
that sustainable development is often best designed and implemented at
a community level. This program also requires grantees to implement a
stakeholder process to identify measurable milestones to assess
progress towards integrating environmental and economic goals and
community well-being.
Achieving sustainability is a responsibility shared by
environmental, community and economic interests at all levels of
government and the private sector. This emphasis on strong community
involvement requires a commitment to ensuring that all residents of a
community, of varying economic and social groups, have opportunities to
participate in decision-making. Only through the combined efforts and
collaboration of governments, private organizations, and individuals
can our communities, regions, states, and nation achieve the benefits
of sustainable development.
The EPA will implement this program consistent with the principles
of Executive Order 12898, ``Federal Actions to Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations'' (February
11, 1994). Projects funded must ensure that no one is subjected to
unjust or disproportionate environmental impacts.
Linkages to Other Initiatives
The EPA initiated this program as a pilot effort in 1996. With only
$500,000 in funding to distribute, the Agency received more than 600
proposals requesting $20,000,000 in assistance. Approximately 75% of
the projects received were urban or urban-related. Through a highly
competitive process and after careful review, ten projects were chosen
for funding: Community Supported Agriculture in the Mid-Atlantic
Region, Washington Smart Wood Certification Program, Sustainable Craft
Industry in Appalachia, Building Materials Exchange in New Orleans,
Sustainable Forestry in New Hampshire, Marketing the Economic Benefits
of Sustainable Development in the Rappahannock River Watershed,
Preserving Sustainability in Jefferson County Virginia, Eco-Park
Development in Omaha, Implementing a Strategic Plan for Sustainable
Development in South Carolina, Sustainable Neighborhood Design for the
Desert Southwest. Projects descriptions are available via the Internet
at http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/)
EPA and its state and local partners continue to refine how
environmental protection is accomplished in the United States. The
Agency recognizes that environmental progress will not be achieved
solely by regulation, but also requires individual, institutional, and
corporate responsibility, commitment and stewardship. The Sustainable
Development Challenge Grant program is consistent with other community-
based efforts EPA has introduced, such as the Brownfields Initiative,
Project XL, the President's American Heritage Rivers Initiative,
Watershed Protection Approach, Transportation Partners, the $mart
Growth Network, and the Community-Based Environmental Protection
Approach. All of these programs require broad community participation
to identify and address environmental issues. EPA welcomes proposals
for many different types of projects, however, approximately 80% of
funds available in FY 1997 will support those proposals that address
comprehensive environmental and economic issues in cities and
metropolitan areas which stimulate broad community participation and
apply innovative problem-solving techniques. The Sustainable
Development Challenge Grant program is also a step in implementing
Agenda 21, the Global Plan of Action on Sustainable Development, signed
by the United States at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Through the Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Program, EPA
also intends to further the vision and goals of the President's Council
on Sustainable Development (PCSD), created in 1993 by President
Clinton. The President charged the Council, composed of corporate,
government, and non-profit representatives, to find ways to ``bring
people together to meet the needs of the present without jeopardizing
the future.'' The Council has declared this vision:
Our vision is of a life-sustaining Earth. We are committed to
the achievement of a dignified, peaceful and equitable existence. We
believe a sustainable United States will have a growing economy that
equitably provides opportunities for satisfying livelihoods and a
safe, healthy, high quality of life for current and future
generations. Our nation will protect its environment, its natural
resource base, and the functions and viability of natural systems on
which all life depends. (February 1996)
The Sustainable Development Challenge Grant program furthers this
vision by encouraging community initiatives that achieve environmental
quality with economic prosperity through public and private involvement
and investment.
Examples of Potential Projects
EPA welcomes proposals for many types of projects, as demonstrated
in the description of projects funded in the pilot year. The following
are examples of the types of projects EPA could consider for funding.
These examples
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are only illustrative and are not intended to limit proposals in any
way.
Demonstrate the range of environmental, economic and
community benefits associated with alternative development patterns.
This project would examine drinking water quality, air quality, and
wildlife habitat. For instance, open spaces may offer protection of
water quality by acting as natural retention areas for the treatment of
storm water runoff and increase aesthetic value and recreation
opportunities. Elements of the project may include the comparison of
the environmental, fiscal and community benefits of the purchase and
trade of development rights, and alternative zoning provisions related
to various densities and degrees of automobile, bicycle and pedestrian
accessibility.
Demonstrate a cutting edge approach to the cleanup and
redevelopment of contaminated property. This project would demonstrate
a comprehensive, interagency, inter-governmental approach to the
challenges of abandoned, idled, or under used properties that blight
the landscape of our urban centers. In addition to strategies being
used at Brownfield assessment pilot sites across the country, it would
move beyond the narrow limits of the Superfund law and include issues
of contamination from oil fields and leaking underground storage
tanks--currently excluded by the Superfund law, yet thought to be the
cause of significant contamination. Instead of staying within the
confines of land-based contamination, this effort would address issues
with other environmental media, including water, non-point source
permitting and non-point sources in air quality non-attainment areas
relating to the siting of new businesses and industries.
Practical applications of environmental justice principles, public
participation and environmental job training/workforce development
strategies will be woven throughout the entire effort. Training will be
provided for public officials as well as local citizens to ensure that
local land use decision-making processes will be fair, open and
inclusive.
Demonstrate how a stakeholder group can comprehensively
identify the multiple sources of pollution contributing to
environmental problems within their watershed; collaboratively develop
solutions to address these causes to the satisfaction of stakeholders;
develop policy and financial support and commitment for the solution
along with the plan to implement the necessary actions. Project
elements may include: how you will organize and develop your
stakeholders and community-based support; watershed-based problem
identification, priority-setting and monitoring; the mix of voluntary
and regulatory programs; the most promising approaches to the
restoration of urban river corridors and wetlands; to identify and, to
the maximum extent possible, eliminate EPA activities and programs that
create unintended barriers and disincentives to sustainable
revitalization.
Support a regional bottom-up process for better managing
rapid, sprawling development. Local governments along with public and
private interests will join together to secure written agreements on
actions to be taken to carry out the community's vision of a
sustainable future, and to prepare a State of the Region report
outlining the area's most significant challenges and opportunities for
improving local conditions.
Demonstrate the benefits of implementing metropolitan-
wide transportation programs that promote sustainable development.
Specific projects would examine new and innovative ways of integrating
air quality, storm water and other urban wet weather flows management,
transportation, and land use planning processes to effectively reduce
vehicle miles traveled, thereby reducing congestion, lowering energy
consumption, improving air quality, and reducing green house gas
emissions. Specific pilots could focus on demonstrating effective
methods of community collaboration and linkage with other planning
efforts traditionally conducted at different jurisdiction levels (e.g.
state, city, county). In addition, pilots could integrate a number of
important, but to date, separate federal initiatives such as Federal
Transit Administration's Livable Communities, Federal Highway
Administration's Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program,
Department of Energy's Clean Cities program, or the Department of
Agriculture's Urban Resources Partnership along with various innovative
transportation control measures. Both short and long-term strategies
could be selected.
Nature-based tourism: Demonstrate a cooperative effort
among environmental groups, business interests, and community leaders
to design and implement a community-based strategy for ecological-based
tourism. The strategy would identify techniques to manage appropriate
travel to, and recreation within, natural areas which are designed to
contribute substantially to the area's conservation and improvement of
the welfare of local people, through education and the dedication of
tourism dollars to protect natural resources. The goal would be to
support properly planned and managed nature tourism which will have
minimal impacts on the environment, conserve and enhance social and
cultural values, and improve the economic well-being of residents.
Selection Criteria
The proposed project must meet the two statutory threshold
determinations described below in the Statutory Authority section, then
EPA will also consider the following criteria, weighting each as
indicated. Please format your proposal using the numbered sections
below and addressing each bullet point listed.
(1) Sustainability: 50 Points
How well does the proposal integrate environmental
protection and economic prosperity and community well-being?
Does the proposal address what type of sustainable
behavior is desired, and what type of non-sustainable behavior needs to
be changed?
Does the proposal take into account a multi-media
perspective and a regionally appropriate geographic solution to
specific human or ecosystem environmental problems? Explain how the
proposal aims to benefit a substantial or significant population or
significant portion of a community or region?
How does the proposal assure that economic activities do
not exhaust or degrade the environment?
Explain how the proposal will result in long-term
environmental protection as well as sustainable economic vitality,
(such as more appropriate, efficient use of resources and changes in
consumption patterns) so that jobs created will be sustained, or the
amount of money retained in the local economy will be maximized?
How does the proposal represent new solutions for the
community, given their previous history and current circumstances?
(2) Community Commitment and Contribution: 25 Points
Explain how the partners fully represent those in the
community who have an interest in or will be affected by the project?
Will the proposal's outcomes and results benefit all
affected groups to the maximum extent possible?
Does the proposal describe effective methods for community
involvement to
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assure that all affected by the project are provided an opportunity to
participate?
Does the proposal describe the depth and breadth of the
community's support (financial and in-kind) for the proposal? Does the
community have in place the legal and regulatory authority they need to
implement the project? Does it provide evidence of long-term commitment
to the proposal? Are the EPA grant funds leveraged beyond the 20%
match?
(3) Measurable Results: 25 Points
Does the proposal describe the specific environmental,
economic, and quality of life benefits to be gained by the community?
Is there a plan to identify which non-sustainable behaviors will be
addressed by the proposal and how will behavior change be measured?
How does the proposal include significant achievable
short-term (within three years) and long-term targets or benchmarks to
measure the proposal's contribution to the community's environmental
and economic sustainability? (These should be both quantitative and
qualitative.)
Does the proposal set goals for the proactive
environmental approaches it employs?
After seed funds from EPA are exhausted, does the proposal
demonstrate how the work will continue, or how it will evolve into or
generate other sustainability efforts, either locally or regionally?
Will the experiences gained during the project be
transferable to other communities? If so, how?
Statutory Authority
EPA expects to award Sustainable Development Challenge Grants
program under the following eight grant authorities: Clean Air Act
section 103(b)(3); Clean Water Act section 104 (b)(3); Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act section 8001; Toxics Substances Control
Act section 10; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
section 20; Safe Drinking Water Act sections 1442 (a) and (b); National
Environmental Education Act, section 6; and Pollution Prevention Act,
section 6605.
A proposal must meet the following 2 important criteria to be
considered for funding. The first threshold determination for a project
to be selected for funding, is that it must consist of activities
within the statutory terms of these EPA grant authorities. Most of the
statutes authorize grants for the following activities: ``research,
investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys and
studies.'' These activities relate generally to the gathering or
transferring of information or advancing the state of knowledge. Grant
proposals should emphasize this ``learning'' concept, as opposed to
``fixing'' an environmental problem via a well-established method. For
example, a proposal to plant some trees in an economically depressed
area, in order to prevent erosion, would probably not, in itself, fall
within the statutory terms ``research, studies'' etc., nor would a
proposal to start a routine recycling program.
On the other hand, the statutory term ``demonstration'' can
encompass the first instance of the application of a pollution control
technique, or an innovative application of a previously used method.
Similarly, the application of established practices may qualify when
they are part of a broader project which qualifies under the term
``research.''
The second threshold determination, in order to be funded, is that
a project's focus generally must be one that is specified in the
statutes listed above. For most of the statutes, a project must address
the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of
air, water, or solid/hazardous waste pollution, or, in the case of
grants under the Toxic Substances Control Act or the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, to ``carrying out the
purposes of the Act.'' While the purpose of this program's grants will
include the other two aspects of sustainable development and economic
prosperity, the overarching concern or principal focus must be on the
statutory purpose of the applicable grant authority, in most cases ``to
control pollution.'' Note that proposals relating to other topics which
are sometimes included within the term ``environment'' such as
recreation, conservation, restoration, protection of wildlife habitats,
etc., should describe the relationship of these topics to the
statutorily required purpose of pollution control.
Definitions
Sustainable Development: Sustainable development means integrating
environmental protection, and community and economic goals. Sustainable
development meets the needs of the present generation without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The sustainable development approach seeks to encourage broad-based
community participation and public and private investment in decisions
and activities that define a community's environmental and economic
future and social equity.
Community: The scale used to define ``community'' under this
challenge grant program will vary with the issues, problems, or
opportunities that an applicant intends to address. The SDCG program
recognizes the significant role that communities have and should play
in environmental protection. ``Community'' means a geographic area
within which different groups and individuals share common interests
related to their homes and businesses, their personal and professional
lives, the surrounding natural landscape and environment, and the local
or regional economy. A community can be one or more local governments,
a neighborhood within a small or large city, a large metropolitan area,
a small or large watershed, an airshed, tribal lands, ecosystems of
various scales, or some other specific geographic area with which
people identify.
Metropolitan Area: A geographic area consisting of a large
population nucleus together with adjacent communities which have a high
degree of economic and social integration with that nucleus, generally
these are cities of 50,000 or more population, or a total area in city
and suburbs with a population of 100,000 or more. (U.S. Census Bureau)
Non-sustainable Behavior: Development, or land and water
activities, management or uses, which limit the ability of humans and
ecosystems to live sustainably by destroying or degrading ecological
values and functions, diminishing the material quality of life, and
diverting economic benefits away from long-term community prosperity
and decreases the long-term capacity for sustainability.
Collaborative or Partnership Approach: A project which attempts to
use various government and private programs, authorities, jurisdictions
and sectors, to simultaneously achieve as many sustainability goals as
possible, recognizing the interdependencies between environmental
quality, community vitality and economic prosperity.
Who Should Apply
Eligible applicants include: (1) Incorporated non-profit (or not-
for-profit) private agencies, institutions and organizations; and (2)
public (state, county, regional or local) agencies, institutions and
organizations, including those of federally-recognized Indian tribes.
While state agencies are eligible they are encouraged to work in
partnership with community groups to strengthen their proposals.
Federal agencies are not eligible for funding, however, they are also
encouraged to work in partnership with state and local
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agencies on these projects. For instance, the Urban Resources
Partnership places government resources into the service of community-
led environmental projects.
Applicants are not required to have a formal Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) non-profit designation, such as 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4),
however they must present their letter of incorporation or other
documentation demonstrating their nonprofit or not-for-profit status.
Failure to enclose the letter of incorporation or other documentation
demonstrating their nonprofit or not-for-profit status will result in
an incomplete submission and will not be reviewed. Applicants who do
have an IRS 501(c)(4) designation are not eligible for grants if they
engage in lobbying, no matter what the source of funding for the
lobbying activity. (No recipient may use grant funds for lobbying.)
Further, profit-makers are not eligible to receive sub-grants from
eligible recipients, although they may receive contracts, subject to
EPA's regulations on procurement under assistance agreements, 40 Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) 30.40 (for non-governmental recipients)
and 40 CFR 31.36 (for governments).
Funding Ranges and Match
Applicants may compete for funding in two ranges: (1) $50,000 or
less, and (2) between $50,001 and $250,000. Applicants may submit
multiple proposals, but each specific proposal must be for a separate
and distinct project. No organization may receive funding for more than
one proposal each year. In addition, projects awarded will be
ineligible for future competition for this program.
This program is intended to provide seed money to leverage a
broader public and private investment in sustainability activities. As
a result, the program requires a minimum non-federal match of at least
20% of the project budget. EPA funds can be used for no more than 80%
of the total cost of the project. EPA strongly encourages applicants to
leverage as much investment in community sustainability as possible.
The match can come from a variety of public and private sources and can
include in-kind goods and services. No federal funds, however, can be
used as matching funds without specific statutory authority.
Selection Process
EPA Regional Offices will assess how well the proposals meet the
selection criteria outlined above. The Regional Offices will then
forward their top proposals to Headquarters for review by a National
Panel consisting of Headquarters and Regional representatives. The
panel's recommendations will be presented to EPA Senior Management for
final selection. In making these final selections such factors as
geographic diversity, project diversity, costs, and project
transferabililty may be considered.
What Costs Can Be Paid
Even though a proposal may involve an eligible applicant, eligible
activity, and eligible purpose, grant funds cannot necessarily pay for
all of the costs which the recipient might incur in the course of
carrying out the project. Allowable costs are determined by reference
to the EPA regulations cited below and to OMB Circulars A-122, ``Cost
Principles for Non-profit Organizations'', A-21 ``Cost Principles for
Education Institutions'' and A-87, ``Cost Principles for State, Local,
and Indian Tribal Governments.'' Generally, costs which are allowable
include salaries, equipment, supplies, training, rental of office
space, etc., as long as these are ``necessary and reasonable.''
Entertainment costs are an example of unallowable costs.
Applicable Grant Regulations
40 CFR Part 30 (for other than state/ local governments e.g. non-
profit organizations) (recently revised, see 61 FR 6065 (Feb. 15,
1996)), and Part 31 (for state and local governments and Indian
tribes).
Paperwork Reduction Act
The information collection provisions in this Notice, for
solicitation of proposals, have been approved by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq. (ICR No. 1755.01 and OMB Approval No. 2010-0026).
The approved Information Collection Request (ICR No. 1755.01) is in
effect and will cover all burdens associated with Sustainable
Development Challenge Grants. Copies of the ICRs (ICR Nos. 1755.01 and
1755.02) may be obtained from the Information Policy Branch, EPA, 401 M
Street, S.W. (Mail Code 2136), Washington, DC 20460 or by calling (202)
260-2740.
This action does not impose annual costs of $100 million or more,
will not significantly or uniquely affect small governments, and is not
a significant federal intergovernmental mandate. The Agency thus has no
obligations under sections 202, 203, 204 and 205 of the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act. Moreover, since this action is not subject to
notice-and-comment requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act
or any other statute, it is not subject to sections 603 or 604 of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act.
Submission to Congress and the General Accounting Office
Under 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A) as added by the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, EPA submitted a report
containing this rule and other required information to the U.S. Senate,
the U.S. House of Representatives and the Comptroller General of the
General Accounting Office prior to publication of the rule in today's
Federal Register. This rule is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5
U.S.C. 804(2).
Dated: May 8, 1997.
Fred Hansen,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-12789 Filed 5-14-97; 8:45 am]
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