[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 53 (Friday, March 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13576-13577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6785]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-00453; FRL-6070-4]


Notice of Availability of Regional Environmental Stewardship 
Program Grants

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the availability of approximately $498 
thousand in fiscal year 1999 grant/cooperative agreement funds under 
section 20 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act 
(FIFRA) as amended, (the Act), for grants to States and all federally 
recognized Native American Tribes. The grant dollars are targeted at 
State and Tribal programs that address reduction of the risks 
associated with pesticide use in agricultural and non-agricultural 
settings in the United States. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs is 
offering the following grant opportunities to interested and qualified 
parties.

DATES: In order to be considered for funding during the FY 99 award 
cycle, all applications must be received by the appropriate EPA 
regional office on or before May 3, 1999. EPA will make its award 
decisions by June 2, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Your EPA Regional Pesticide 
Environmental Stewardship Program Coordinator. Contact names for the 
coordinators are listed under Unit IV. of this document.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Availability of FY'99 Funds

    With this publication, EPA is announcing the availability of 
approximately $498 thousand in grant/cooperative agreement funds for 
FY'99. The Agency has delegated grant making authority to the EPA 
Regional Offices. Regional offices are responsible for the solicitation 
of interest, the screening of proposals, and the selection of projects. 
Grant guidance will be provided to all applicants along with any 
supplementary information the Regions may wish to provide. All 
applicants must address the criteria listed under Unit III.B. of this 
document. In addition, applicants may be required to meet any 
supplemental Regional criteria. Interested applicants should contact 
their Regional PESP coordinator listed under Unit IV. of this document 
for more information.

II. Eligible Applicants

    In accordance with the Act ``. . . Federal agencies, universities, 
or others as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the act, . . 
.'' are eligible to receive a grant; however, because of restrictions 
associated with the funds appropriated for this program, the eligible 
applicants are limited. Eligible applicants for purposes of funding 
under this grant program include the 50 States, the District of 
Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any 
territory or possession of the United States, any agency or 
instrumentality of a State including State universities, and all 
federally recognized Native American Tribes. For convenience, the term 
``State'' in this notice refers to all eligible applicants. Local 
governments, private universities, private nonprofit entities, private 
businesses, and individuals are not eligible. The organizations 
excluded from applying directly are encouraged to work with eligible 
applicants in developing proposals that include them as participants in 
the projects. Contact your EPA Regional PESP coordinator for assistance 
in identifying and contacting eligible applicants. EPA strongly 
encourages this type of cooperative arrangement.

[[Page 13577]]

III. Activities and Criteria

A. General

    The goal of PESP is to reduce the risks associated with pesticide 
use in agricultural and non-agricultural settings in the United States. 
The purpose of the grant program is to support the establishment and 
expansion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a tool to be used to 
accomplish the goals of PESP. The grant program is also designed to 
research alternative pest management practices, research and publish/
demonstrate unique application techniques, research control methods for 
pest complexes, research and produce educational materials for better 
pest identification or management, and other activities that further 
the goals of PESP. EPA specifically seeks to build State and local IPM 
capacities or to evaluate the economic feasibility of new IPM 
approaches at the State level (i.e., innovative approaches and 
methodologies that use application or other strategies to reduce the 
risks associated with pesticide use). Funds awarded under the grant 
program should be used to support the Environmental Stewardship Program 
and its goal of reducing the risk/use of pesticides. State projects 
might focus on, for example:
     Researching the effectiveness of multimedia communication 
activities for, including but not limited to: promoting local IPM 
activities, providing technical assistance to pesticide users; 
collecting and analyzing data to target outreach and technical 
assistance opportunities; developing measures to determine and document 
progress in pollution prevention; and identifying regulatory and non-
regulatory barriers or incentives to pollution prevention.
     Researching methods for establishing IPM as an 
environmental management priority, establishing prevention goals, 
developing strategies to meet those goals, and integrating the ethic 
within both governmental and non-governmental institutions of the State 
or region.
     Initiating research or other projects that test and 
support: innovative techniques for reducing pesticide risk or using 
pesticides in a way to reduce risk, innovative application techniques 
to reduce worker and environmental exposure, various approaches and 
methodologies to measure progress towards meeting the goal of 75% 
implementation of IPM by the year 2000.
    A list of projects funded in FY'98 may be obtained from the 
internet at URL http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/PESP/grants.htm or from the 
Regional PESP coordinator listed under Unit IV. of this document.

B. Criteria

    Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
    1. Qualifications and experience of the applicant relative to the 
proposed project.
     Does the applicant demonstrate experience in the field of 
the proposed activity?
     Does the applicant have the properly trained staff, 
facilities, or infrastructure in place to conduct the project?
    2. Consistency of applicant's proposed project with the risk 
reduction goals of the PESP.
    3. Provision for a quantitative or qualitative evaluation of the 
project's success at achieving the stated goals.
     Is the project designed in such a way that it is possible 
to measure and document the results quantitatively and qualitatively?
     Does the applicant identify the method that will be used 
to measure and document the project's results quantitatively and 
qualitatively?
     Will the project assess or suggest a means for measuring 
progress in reducing risk/use of pesticides in the United States?
    4. Likelihood the project can be replicated to benefit other 
communities or the product may have broad utility to a widespread 
audience. Can this project, taking into account typical staff and 
financial restraints, be replicated by similar organizations in 
different locations to address the same or similar problem?

C. Program Management

    Awards of FY'99 funds will be managed through the EPA Regional 
Offices.

D. Contacts

    A generic request for proposal will be available on EPA's PESP web 
site on or before March 19, 1999 at http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/PESP/
grants.htm. Interested applicants must also contact the appropriate EPA 
Regional PESP coordinator listed under Unit IV. of this document to 
obtain specific instructions, regional criteria, and guidance for 
submitting proposals.

IV. Regional Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program Contacts

Region I: (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode 
Island, Vermont), Robert Koethe, (CPT), 1 Congress St., Boston, MA 
02203, Telephone: (617) 918-1535, [email protected]
Region II: (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands), Audrey 
Moore, (MS-500), 2890 Woodbridge Ave., Edison, NJ 08837, Telephone: 
(732) 906-6809, [email protected]
Region III: (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, 
District of Columbia), Lisa Donahue, (3WC32), 1650 Arch St., 
Philadelphia, PA 19103, Telephone: (215) 814-2062, 
[email protected]
Region IV: (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North 
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee), Lora Lee Schroeder, 12th Floor, 
Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth St., SW., Atlanta, GA 30303-3104, 
Telephone: (404) 562-9015, [email protected]
Region V: (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin), 
David Macarus, (DT-8J), 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604, 
Telephone: (312) 353-5814, [email protected]
Region VI: (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas), Jerry 
Collins, (6PD-P), 1445 Ross Ave., 6th Floor, Suite 600, Dallas, TX 
75202, Telephone: (214) 665-7562, [email protected]
Region VII: (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska), Jamie Green, 726 
Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101, Telephone: (913) 551-5332, 
[email protected]
Region VIII: (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, 
Wyoming), Cindy Schaffer, (8P2-TX), 999 18th St., Suite 500, Denver, CO 
80202-2466, Telephone: (303) 312-6417, [email protected]
Region IX: (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam), 
Roccena Lawatch, (CMD4-3), 75 Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105, 
Telephone: (415) 744-1068, [email protected]
Region X: (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington), Karl Arne, (ECO-084), 
1200 Sixth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101, Telephone: (206) 553-2576, 
[email protected]

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection.

    Dated: March 12, 1999.
Janet L. Andersen,
Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 99-6785 Filed 3-18-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F