[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 214 (Friday, November 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60440-60441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-29072]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6471-2]


Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability 
Act (CERCLA) or Superfund, Section 104, Announcement of Proposal 
Deadline for the Competition for the FY 2000 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 FY

[[Page 60441]]

2000 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilots on November 5, 
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 70 additional Brownfields Cleanup Revolving 
Loan Fund pilots by May 2000. The deadline for new proposals for the FY 
2000 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund pilots is February 7, 
2000. Proposals must be postmarked by February 7, 2000, 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 Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund 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 guidelines, 
entitled The Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative: Proposal 
Guidelines for Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (November 1999).

DATES: 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 February 
7, 2000.

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 Wilbur (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 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 FY 2000, the EPA expects to select up to 70 new BCRLF pilots to 
be funded up to $500,000 per eligible entity by the end of May 2000.
    Eligible entities for FY 2000 BCRLF pilots, as in previous years, 
will be entities that have been awarded Brownfields Assessment 
Demonstration Pilots prior to FY00. 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, 
2000, 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 are permitted to apply, but a single 
entity must be identified as the applicant. Additionally, a letter of 
support from each coalition member must be included as an attachment.
    Applicants 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 per eligible entity), 
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. Sec. 804(2).

    Date Signed: October 27, 1999.
Linda Garczynski,
Director, Outreach and Special Projects Staff, Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. 99-29072 Filed 11-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U