[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 163 (Monday, August 24, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45156-45161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22655]
[[Page 45155]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part VI
Environmental Protection Agency
_______________________________________________________________________
Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Program; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 163 / Monday, August 24, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 45156]]
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6150-4]
Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Program
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Solicitation of proposals for FY 1998.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting
proposals for the FY 1998 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 available for this
program in FY 1998. The SDCG program provides an opportunity to develop
place-based approaches to problem solving that can be replicated in
other communities. Approaches should address problems related to
current patterns of growth and public investment/disinvestment that
accelerate loss of open space and wetlands, fragment habitat, and
increase consumption of fossil fuels for energy and transportation.
These grants are intended to encourage communities to recognize and
build upon the fundamental connection between environmental protection,
economic prosperity and community well-being. EPA will select projects
on a competitive basis using the criteria outlined below. Applicants
may compete for funding from EPA in two ranges for FY 1998: (1)
requesting $50,000 or less, and (2) requesting between $50,001 and
$200,000. Proposals will compete with other proposals in the same range
(i.e., a proposal for $50,000 will not compete with a proposal for
$200,000). Applicants in each category are required to provide a
minimum 20% match from non-federal funding sources.
The Sustainable Development Challenge Grant program strongly
encourages partnering among community members, 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.
This document includes the following: background information on the
Sustainable Development Challenge Grant program; a description of the
FY 1998 program which incorporates comments on the FY 1996 pilot and FY
1997 program (both public and Agency comments/suggestions) on the
design of the program; the criteria projects must meet to be considered
for funding; the process for selection of projects; and the program's
relationship to other related EPA activities. More detailed information
is available via Internet at: http:www.epa.gov/ecocommunity. A guidance
document to assist applicants in developing their proposal is also
available at this Internet site and from regional offices.
DATES: The period for submission of proposals for FY 1998 will begin
upon publication of this Federal Register document pursuant to the
Information Collection Request (ICR No. 938.06) approved by the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB Approval No. 2030-0020) under the
Paperwork Reduction Act. Project proposals must be postmarked by
November 24, 1998 to be considered for funding.
ADDRESSES: Please provide an original and four copies of your entire
proposal to the regional representative listed below for the state in
which your project will take place.
APPLICATIONS: Complete proposal information for FY 1998 is available
via Internet at: http:www.epa.gov/ecocommunity or from EPA Headquarters
and EPA Regional Offices. This information 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. If you have requested this information
previously, your name has been added to our mailing list and you will
be sent the application kit automatically as soon as it is available.
EPA will notify applicants of selected proposals in writing. Please do
not send duplicate requests. Proposals must include the following:
(1) A one page cover sheet that provides:
(a) The project title;
(b) Applicant's name, address, phone number and organization type;
(c) A list of entities or organizations that will be providing
matching funds in the project and their organization type; and
(d) A project abstract that includes a brief project description,
the amount of assistance requested from EPA, amount of match, total
project cost, and match percentage.
(2) The project proposal narrative must be limited to five (5)
double-sided pages. The proposal should contain the following: Project
Goals; Project Tasks; Relationship of Project to Selection Criteria;
All Confirmed Partners (including those providing match); Schedule; and
Budget.
(3) A plan for overall project evaluations (see guidance below on
what to include in this plan).
(4) All applicants (except public agencies) must attach
documentation demonstrating non-profit status or articles of
incorporation.
(5) Letters of commitment from all partners contributing matching
funds to the project. These letters must specify the nature of the
match (whether it is in-kind services or cash) and the dollar value of
the match. Applications without these commitment letters will not be
considered.
Attachments listed in (3), (4) and (5) above will not count toward
the five double-sided narrative page limit. Any other attachments will
not be considered. Please do not send letters of general support from
non-match partners or others. Proposals lacking complete documentation
will not be considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The regional representative for your
state or Juanita Smith, U.S. EPA, Office of Air & Radiation (MC 6101),
401 M Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20460, telephone (202) 260-6812, fax
(202) 260-2555, e-mail [email protected].
Regional Offices
Rosemary Monahan, US EPA Region I, JF Kennedy Federal Bldg. (RSP),
Boston MA 02203, (617) 565-3551, [email protected], States: ME,
NH, VT, MA, CT, RI
Theresa Martella, US EPA Region 3, 841 Chestnut Building, Philadelphia,
PA 19107, (215) 566-5423, [email protected], States: DE, DC, MD,
PA, VA, WV
Janette Marsh, US EPA Region 5, 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL
60604-3507, (312) 886-4856, [email protected], States: MN, WI, MI,
IL, IN, OH
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Marcia Seidner, US EPA Region 2, 290 Broadway, 26th Floor, New York, NY
10007-1866, (212) 637-3590, [email protected], States &
Territories: NY, NJ, PR, VI
Annette N. Hill, US EPA Region 4, OPM, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta,
GA 30303, (404) 562-8287, [email protected], 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, [email protected],
States: AR, LA, NM, OK, TX
Dick Sumpter, US EPA Region 7, 726 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS
66101, (913) 551-7661, [email protected], States: KS, MO, NE, IA
Debbie Schechter, US EPA Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street (CMD-7),
Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 744-1624, [email protected], States &
Territories: CA, NV, AZ, HI, AS, GU
David Schaller, US EPA Region 8, 999 18th Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO
80202-2466, (303) 312-6164, [email protected], States: CO, MT, ND,
SD, UT, WY
Anne Dalrymple, US EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101,
(206) 553-0199, [email protected], 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 will 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 and encourages projects that can be replicated in
other communities. This program also requires grantees to implement a
stakeholder process to identify measurable milestones to assess
progress toward 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 and benefit from successful sustainable
development activities. 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. In keeping with this philosophy, 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 person(s) is subjected to unjust or
disproportionate environmental impacts. We encourage submissions from
Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities.
Linkages to Other Initiatives
The EPA initiated the SDCG program as a pilot effort in 1996 and
funded ten of the 600 proposals for a total of $500,000. In 1997, the
Agency received 962 proposals requesting $38,000,000 in assistance and
selected 45 of the proposals for funding at a total of approximately
$5,000,000. Project 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. Innovative attitudes of regulatory agencies
combined with individual, institutional, and corporate responsibility,
commitment and stewardship will be needed to assure adequate protection
of the earth's resources. The Sustainable Development Challenge Grant
program is consistent with other community-based efforts EPA has
introduced, such as the Brownfields Initiative, Environmental Justice
Small Grants Program, Project XL, the President's American Heritage
Rivers Initiative, Watershed Protection Approach, Transportation
Partners, the $mart Growth Network, the Community-Based Environmental
Protection Approach, and the Sustainable Urban Environment effort. 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. All of these programs require broad community
participation to identify and address environmental issues.
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. EPA is coordinating existing urban environmental programs
within the Agency and with other federal, state and local agencies. 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 projects funded in the previous two years. The following are
examples of the types of projects EPA could consider for
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funding. These examples are 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, intergovernmental 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 would
be woven throughout the entire effort. Training would 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 would 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
eliminate, to the maximum extent possible, activities and programs that
create unintended barriers and disincentives to community
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, the Department of
Transportation's Transportation and Community System Preservation Pilot
Program, or Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities 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 ecology-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. EPA
encourages projects that correct existing environmental problems and
are restorative in their outcome.
Changing unsustainable behaviors can begin through
visioning and planning projects. Such proposals are welcomed and
encouraged. Visioning and planning proposals should address geographic
and jurisdictional areas appropriate and applicable to the scope of the
proposal. Proposals should demonstrate how actions and collaborations
and outreach efforts are intended to result in a vision or plan with a
sufficient consensus in the community to take the proposal beyond the
preparation of a summary report. The proposal should address to the
extent possible next steps that would be taken toward plan
implementation and how these steps would be carried out after
completion of the visioning/planning effort.
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 describe how your project addresses the following
criteria in the section of your proposal on Relationship of Project to
Selection Criteria. We recommend that you address each bullet point
listed.
(1) Sustainability: 50 points
How well does the proposal integrate environmental
protection, economic prosperity and community well-being at the
community level? Does the proposal address how current and future
generations are affected?
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 a comprehensive approach to
specific environmental problems that reflects a good understanding of
the larger ecosystem context within which the problems occur? Does the
proposal offer
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a locally and regionally appropriate solution that does not shift the
problem to another area or create a new problem as a result? Does this
proposal benefit a significant percentage of the population in the
affected 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 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?
(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.) For planning or visioning proposals, explain how the plan
or vision that is developed, and any next steps that will be taken
toward plan implementation, will contribute to the community's
environmental or economic sustainability, and how the contribution will
be measured.
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?
Does the proposal describe how the success of the
project will be evaluated? Does the proposal explain how to determine
and measure whether expected results have been accomplished? How will
the project's contribution to sustainability be measured and evaluated?
Who will be responsible for performing the evaluation and what process
they will use? How will needed changes to the project be identified and
incorporated on an ongoing basis?
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.
In addition to the selection criteria listed above, a proposal must
meet the following two important threshold criteria to be considered
for funding. (1) A project 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
and prevention techniques, 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.''
(2) In order to be funded, 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 the SDCG program will include the other two aspects of
sustainable development (economic prosperity and community well-being),
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. For assistance in understanding
statutory authorities under which EPA is providing these grants contact
your regional representatives.
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 community well-being.
Community well-being: In the sustainable development context this
means understanding and considering the impacts of activity on the
diversity of cultures, values, and traditions in a community. It
acknowledges both current and future generations. Community well-being
means ensuring that all members of the community, regardless of ethnic
or cultural group, age or income, have access to services
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provided through the sustainable development project, and those
benefits/burdens of the project are fairly distributed.
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.
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.
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 Native Americans (American Indians
and Alaskan Native Villages). 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 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 non-profit or not-for-profit status.
This requirement does not apply to public agencies. Failure to enclose
the letter of incorporation or other documentation demonstrating their
non-profit 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). Profit-making organizations are
encouraged to participate in sustainability efforts in their community
by becoming partners with eligible organizations.
Funding Ranges and Match
Applicants may compete for funding from EPA in two ranges for FY
1998: (1) requesting $50,000 or less, and (2) requesting between
$50,001 and $200,000. Proposals will compete with other proposals in
the same range (i.e., a proposal for $50,000 will not compete with a
proposal for $200,000). Applicants in each category are required to
demonstrate how they will meet the minimum 20% non-federal match.
Applicants may submit multiple proposals, but each specific proposal
must be for a separate and distinct project. However, no organization
may receive funding for more than one grant each year under the SDCG
program. 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 total project budget (the total budget includes EPA's
share). The match must be calculated in accordance with the example
provided in EPA's guidance document. EPA strongly encourages applicants
to leverage as much investment in community sustainability as possible.
EPA views this leverage as a measure of community support and an
indication of the possible longevity of the project. 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, matching funds, and
project transferability or replicability 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, including those paid for by
matching funds, are determined by reference to 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, for example,
non-profit organizations (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 document for
solicitation of proposals are approved by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
in a generic Information Collection Request titled Generic
Administrative Requirements for Assistance Programs (ICR No. 938.06 and
OMB Approval No. 2030-0020). A copy of the Information Collection
Request (ICR No. 938.06) may be obtained from Sandy Farmer in the
Regulatory Information Division, EPA, 401 M Street, S.W. (Mail Code
2137), Washington, DC 20460 or by calling (202) 260-2740.
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Submission to Congress and the General Accounting Office
On May 15, 1997, EPA published the regulatory requirements that
also are included in this document (62 FR 26896) and submitted a report
containing that 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 pursuant to the Congressional Review Act
(CRA), 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the Small Business Regulatory
Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. This action merely announces the
availability of additional funds for this program and does not contain
any new requirements; the regulatory requirements are included in thus
document only for the convenience of the reader. Accordingly, the CRA
does not apply because this action is not a rule, for purposes of 5
U.S.C. 804(3).
Dated: August 6, 1998.
Fred Hansen,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-22655 Filed 8-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P