[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 10 (Friday, January 15, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2641-2642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1002]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6220-7]


Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability 
Act (CERCLA) or Superfund, Section 104; Announcement of Proposal 
Deadline for the Competition for the 1999 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving 
Loan Fund Pilots

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of proposal deadlines, revised guidelines.

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SUMMARY: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will 
begin to accept proposals for the 1999 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving 
Loan Fund Pilots on January 15, 1999. The brownfields cleanup revolving 
loan fund pilots (each funded up to $500,000) test cleanup and 
redevelopment planning models, direct special efforts toward removing 
regulatory barriers without sacrificing protectiveness, and facilitate 
coordinated environmental cleanup and redevelopment efforts at the 
federal, state, and local levels. EPA expects to select up to 63 
additional brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund pilots by May 1999. 
The deadline for new proposals for the 1999 brownfields revolving loan 
fund pilots is March 8, 1999. Proposals must be postmarked by March 8, 
1999, and sent to U.S. EPA Headquarters. In addition, duplicate copies 
of the proposal must also be submitted to the appropriate U.S. EPA 
Regional Office, ATTN: Brownfields Coordinator.
    The Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund pilot proposals are 
selected on a competitive basis. To ensure a fair selection process, 
evaluation panels consisting of EPA Regional and Headquarters staff and 
other federal agency representatives will assess how well the proposals 
meet the selection criteria outlined in the newly revised application 
booklet The Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative: Proposal 
Guidelines for Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (January 1999).

DATES: This action is effective as of January 15, 1999. All proposals 
must be postmarked or sent to U.S. EPA Headquarters and a duplicate 
copy sent to the appropriate U.S. EPA Regional Office via registered or 
tracked mail no later than March 8, 1999.

ADDRESSES: BCRLF guidelines can be obtained by calling the Superfund 
Hotline at the following numbers: Washington, DC Metro Area at 703-412-
9810, Outside Washington, DC Metro at 1-800-424-9346, TDD for the 
Hearing Impaired at 1-800-553-7672.
    Copies of the Proposal Guidelines for Brownfields Cleanup Revolving 
Loan Fund are available via the Internet:

 http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The U.S. EPA's Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response, Outreach and Special Projects Staff, Barbara 
Bassuener (202) 260-9347 or Jennifer Millett (202) 260-6454.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 
Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower 
states, local governments, communities, and other stakeholders involved 
in economic redevelopment to

[[Page 2642]]

work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely cleanup, 
and sustainably reuse brownfields. As part of this Initiative, EPA has 
awarded cooperative agreements to States (including U.S. territories), 
political subdivisions (including cities, towns, counties), and Indian 
tribes to capitalize Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund pilots. 
The purpose of these pilots is to test brownfields cleanup revolving 
loan fund models that direct special efforts toward facilitating 
coordinated public and private brownfields cleanup efforts at the 
federal, state, and local levels.
    In fiscal year 1999, the EPA expects to select up to 63 new BCRLF 
pilots to be funded up to $500,000 per pilot by the end of June 1999.
    Eligible entities for FY 1999 BCRLF pilots, as in previous years, 
will be entities that have been awarded Brownfields Assessment 
Demonstration Pilots prior to FY99. In addition, political subdivisions 
with jurisdiction over sites that have either (1) been the subject of a 
targeted brownfields assessment (formerly called targeted site 
assessments), or (2) been selected by the U.S. EPA prior to January 1, 
1999 to be the subject of a targeted brownfields assessment, are also 
eligible for a single BCRLF pilot award. BCRLF pilot proposals do not 
have to be limited to sites identified, characterized, or assessed 
under a previously awarded assessment pilot or targeted brownfields 
assessment.
    Proposals from coalitions, formed among the eligible entities, are 
permitted to apply, but a single eligible entity must be identified as 
the legal recipient. Additionally, a letter of support from each 
coalition member must be included as an attachment.
    Eligible entities must demonstrate through their proposal: (1) An 
ability to manage a revolving loan fund and environmental cleanups; (2) 
a need for cleanup funds; (3) commitment to creative leveraging of EPA 
funds with public-private partnerships and in-kind services; and (4) a 
clear plan for sustaining the environmental protection and related 
economic development activities initiated through the BCRLF program. 
The eligible entities must meet EPA's threshold and evaluation 
criteria. There is no guarantee of an award. Also, the size of the 
awards may vary (for example, from $50,000 to $500,000), depending on 
the proposal's responses to the evaluation criteria.
    Funding for the brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund pilots is 
authorized under section 104(d)(1) of the Comprehensive Environmental 
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, (CERCLA 
or Superfund), 42 U.S.C. 9604(d)(1).

Submission to Congress and the General Accounting Office

    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the 
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally 
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating 
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule, 
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the 
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this action and 
other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior 
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. This action is not 
a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

    Date Signed: January 8, 1999.

    Approved:
Linda Garczynski,
Director, Outreach and Special Projects Staff, Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. 99-1002 Filed 1-14-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U