[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8967-8970]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4244]



[[Page 8967]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPTS-00288; FRL-6491-2]


Childhood Blood-Lead Screening and Lead Awareness (Educational) 
Outreach for IndianTribes; Notice of Funds Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA is soliciting pre-application grant proposals from Indian 
Tribes to conduct blood-leadscreening for tribal children, and for 
conducting lead awareness (educational) outreach activities for Indian 
Tribes. EPA is awarding grants which will provide approximately $2 
million for Indian Tribes toperform those activities and to encourage 
Indian Tribes to consider continuing such activities in the future. 
Decisionson awarding the grant funds will be made based on the 
evaluation of the pre-application proposals. This noticedescribes 
eligibility, activities, application procedures and requirements, and 
evaluation criteria.

DATES: All pre-applications must be received on or before May 23, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit pre-application proposals to: Darlene Watford, 
Technical Branch, National Program Chemicals Division (7404), Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection 
Agency, Ariel Rios Bldg., 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 
20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: 
Joseph S. Carra, Deputy Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and 
Toxics (7401), Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Bldg., 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone numbers: (202) 
554-1404 and TDD: (202) 554-055; e-mail address: [email protected].
    For technical information contact: Darlene Watford, Technical 
Branch, National Program Chemicals Division (7404), Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios 
Bldg., 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (202) 260-3989; fax number: (202) 260-0001; and e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Does this Notice Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to Federally recognized Indian Tribes or 
Tribal consortiums only. If you have anyquestions regarding the 
applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person 
listed under ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.''

II. Scope and Purpose

    The purpose of these grants is to encourage Indian Tribes to 
recognize the risks to children associated with leadexposure and 
address them by conducting blood-lead screening for tribal children and 
providing lead awarenessactivities to Indian Tribes. A recent study by 
the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)indicates 
that children of urban, minority (e.g., African American, Asian Pacific 
American, Hispanic American,American Indian), or low-income families, 
or who live in older housing, continue to be most vulnerable to 
leadpoisoning, and have elevated blood-lead levels.

III. Eligibility

    Eligible recipients are Federally recognized Indian Tribes or 
Tribal consortiums only. For the purposes ofthis notice, an association 
or partnership with one or more Federally recognized Indian Tribes is 
considered aconsortium. Federally recognized Indian Tribes are listed 
in the Federal Register of December 30, 1998 (63 FR 71941). In 
addition, the following conditions apply:

A. General Requirements

    1. There are no requirements for matching funding under this grant 
program.
    2. No applicant may receive two grants for the same project at one 
time. If an Indian Tribe submits twoapplications, one must be for a 
blood-screening project and one for an educational outreach project.
    3. Applicants must identify in the application any funds from other 
sources (private or public) that may beused to carry-out their proposed 
grant projects (in response to this notice). If the applicant has 
conducted, or iscurrently working on a related project(s), please 
provide a brief description of those projects and fundingsources in the 
application.
    4. Applicants must use Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments 
(CLIA)-certified laboratories for off-site analysis. These laboratories 
must participatein the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Blood-Lead 
Proficiency Testing Program with a score of 80% (4 outof 5) acceptable 
results in a monthly testing event. Applicants may use on-site, hand-
held, blood-lead analyzers; however, the applicant must successfully 
participate in at least one round of the blood-lead proficiency testing 
program administered by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene for 
these devices.
    5. Applicants submitting blood-lead screening proposals must follow 
the format provided in the ``QAPP Template for Blood-Lead Screening for 
Indian Tribes,'' document prepared by EPA exclusively for Indian Tribes 
torespond to this notice.
    6. EPA is extremely interested in knowing what steps the applicant 
plans to follow regarding treatmentfor children whose blood-lead levels 
are determined to be elevated (10 g/dL (micrograms per 
deciliter)) while screening under thisgrant. It is important that the 
children who are found to have elevated blood-lead levels are not left 
untreated.Specific steps and related information must be included in 
section B of the Work Plan for blood-lead screeningproposals.

B. Administrative Reporting Requirements

    The applicant must provide EPA with the original plus three copies 
of the:
    1. Quarterly progress report, due at the end of each quarter. The 
report must include:
    i. Blood-lead sample collection data, such as Indian Tribe names 
and locations, ages of children (inmonths), gender, date of sample 
collection, method of sample collection (capillary or venous), name and 
address of the laboratory performing the analysis, laboratory analysis 
method and date, and blood-lead level.
    ii. Lead awareness (educational) outreach activities such as the 
number of families educated aboutthe dangers of lead exposure, the 
type, location, and number of educational materials distributed 
perIndian tribal area. The final progress report should include 
complete information on those items(including any barriers encountered) 
to serve as an evaluation of the effectiveness of the grant.
    2. Financial status report, due at the end of the grant period.

IV. Authority

    The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), section 10, Research, 
Development, Collection,Dissemination, and Utilization of Data, 
authorizes EPA to award grants for the purpose of conducting 
research,development, and monitoring as necessary, ``Provided that, 
notwithstanding any other provisions of law,beginning in FY 2000 
[October 1, 1999] and thereafter, grants awarded under Section 10 of 
TSCA, as amended,shall be available for research,

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development, monitoring, public education, training, demonstrations, 
andstudies.''

V. Activities to be Funded

    EPA will provide financial assistance in the form of grants to 
Indian Tribes or Tribal consortiums to:

A. Conduct Lead Poisoning Screening of Tribal Children

    EPA will provide financial assistance to IndianTribes or Tribal 
consortiums to conduct lead-based paint screening activities for tribal 
children under 6 years of age. The focus should be on tribal children 
between the ages of 12-36 months because blood-lead levels tend to be 
highest in this age group, and more children in this age group have 
blood-lead levels 10 g/dL. Applicants must collect 
blood-lead samples from tribal children and have the samples analyzed. 
The applicantmust develop or use an existing data management system 
(manual or automated) to collect and maintain data ofall tribal 
children screened, including laboratory results and data on follow-up 
cases for tribal children with elevated blood-lead levels. The 
screening data must be provided to EPA and must include: Indian Tribe 
name and location, anidentifier that protects the privacy of the child, 
age of housing in which the child resides, age of the child (inmonths), 
gender, date of sample collection, method of sample collection 
(capillary or venous), laboratoryanalysis method and date, blood-lead 
level (in g/dL) and possible exposure routes (paint, hobby, 
pottery,occupational, etc.) for each tribal child screened.
    Applicants must use CLIA-certified laboratories toperform 
laboratory analysis of blood samples. Operators of on-site devices must 
successfully participate in theblood-lead proficiency testing program. 
Laboratories and devices must successfully participate in the blood-
leadproficiency testing program that is administered by the Wisconsin 
State Laboratory of Hygiene under a grantfrom the Health Care Financing 
Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services. The 
regulations implementing CLIA were published in 1992 at 42 CFR part 
405. 42 CFR part 405 defines minimum standards for all aspects of 
laboratory operation, including personnel,qualifications, physical 
plant, specimen handling, reporting and recordkeeping, etc.) 
Certification under CLIAis required for all U.S. laboratories 
performing blood testing.

B. Lead Awareness Outreach Activities

    Theapplicant will launch organized outreach efforts to educate 
Indian families about the dangers of exposure tolead-based paint 
hazards among children, distribute educational information, and 
encourage Indian families to havetheir children screened for lead. 
Activities may include training medical professionals, distributing 
pamphlets,establishing an in-home education program to visit the homes 
of young tribal children. Applicants may develop theirown outreach 
materials or use already existing products. EPA is aware that many 
State, tribal, and localdepartments of health and environmental 
protection, as well as advocacy groups and community developmentgroups 
have developed useful lead poisoning prevention materials to conduct 
outreach andawareness (educational) activities. In addition, EPA and 
other Federal agencies have developed, andcurrently provide, a wide 
range of outreach materials available from the National Lead 
InformationClearinghouse (1-800-424-LEAD). Trained specialists at the 
Clearinghouse can help applicants identifyspecific types of lead 
awareness materials that already exist and thereby avoid spending 
resources to recreate these materials. Grant funding may be used to 
duplicate or implement established materials and activities. Any new 
materials developed by the applicant must be consistent with the 
Federal (EPA, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 
andCenters for Disease Control (CDC)) lead hazard awareness and 
poisoning prevention program.

VI. Ineligible Costs

    Examples of ineligible costs under this grant, include the 
following:
    1. Buying real property, such as land or buildings.
    2. Lead hazard reduction activities, such as performing interim 
controls or abatement of homes orapartments.
    3. Construction activities, such as renovation, remodeling, or 
building a structure.
    4. Buying office equipment that costs more than $5,000, such as a 
copying machine or a colorprinter.
    5. Buying testing or analysis equipment that costs more than 
$5,000, such as a portable XRF or a high-speed computer.
    6. Hiring consultants for more $10,000 each, such as a public 
relations or management improvementfirm.
    7. Paying for case-management costs for tribal children with 
elevated blood-lead levels (i.e., follow-upvisits by a doctor or 
chelation therapy).

VII. EPA Quality Assurance Requirements

    EPA has quality assurance requirements that must be addressed for 
the blood-lead screening grant.These requirements are addressed in a 
Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPjP) which the grantee must submitto 
EPA after the grant is awarded. The QAPjP must be approved by EPA 
before any new data are generated.Once approved, the grantee must 
follow the plan. A QAPjP is not required for the lead awareness 
(educational)outreach grants.
    Quality assurance project plan requirements are stated in the 
document ``EPA Requirements for QualityAssurance Plans'' (EPA QA/R5). 
Guidance for the development of QAPjPs can be found in the EPA 
document``Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans'' (EPA QA/G5). 
Copies of the quality assurance documents discussed in this unit and 
other related documents may be down loaded from the EPA Quality 
Assurance Division website at http://es.epa.gov/ncerqa/qa/index.html.
    To simplify the approval process, a QAPjP template has been 
developed by EPA specifically for Indian Tribeswishing to respond to 
this notice. Applicants insert information in the template where 
indicated by italized print. Applicants may obtaina copy of this 
specially designed template for this project entitled, ``QAPjP Template 
for Blood-Lead Screeningfor Indian Tribes,'' from the person listed 
under ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT,'' or may download it from the 
EPA OPPT web site at http://www.epa.gov/lead. The template follows 
theEPA QAPP requirements as stated in the document ``EPA Requirements 
for Quality Assurance Plans'' (EPAQA/R5).

VIII. Allocation of Funds

    The Agency will have discretion in the distribution of the funds. 
Grants of up to $30,000will be issued for applicants interested in 
submitting proposals for blood-lead screening activities. Applicantsmay 
receive grants for up to $50,000 for lead educational outreach 
activities. Grants may be issued for amountsgreater than the amounts 
specified in cases where a large tribal population is being served or 
represented by aTribal consortium. Applicants are encouraged to apply 
for both screening and outreach grants. Distribution ofthe funds will 
be dependent upon the number of qualified applicants, tribal 
population, and other factors, as appropriate. EPA anticipates

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awarding about 25-50 grants in response to this notice.

IX. Pre-Application Requirements, Procedures, and Schedule

    Applicants must submit a proposal for the pre-application 
procedure. The pre-application, as described in this unit, consists of 
twoparts:
    1. A work plan.
    2. A budget.
    The Agency will use the applicant's work plan and budget to select 
projects to be funded under this grant program. After EPA conducts a 
review of allsubmitted pre-applications, successful applicants will be 
contacted and requested to submit other documents(such as the 
``Application for Federal Assistance'' form, a ``Budget Information: 
Non-Construction Programs''form, and other required forms to complete 
the application process. However, for the purposes of the pre-
application process, applicants must only submit a work plan and a 
budget as described in this unit. Applicants willbe required to submit 
a QAPjP for blood-lead screening grants after theawards have been 
granted. For Tribal consortiums, applicants must submit letters of 
interest and support fromeach Tribal Chair that is being represented in 
the pre-application.
    Applicants must submit one original and three copies of the pre-
application (double-sided copies). Pre-applications must be 
reproducible (for example, stapled in the upper left-hand corner, on 
white paper, and withpage numbers). The deadline for EPA's receipt 
applications is May 23, 2000 in the Federal Register.
    The pre-application consists of the following two parts.
    1. Work plan. The work plan must describe the proposed project. The 
work plan must be no morethan 10-typed pages in length (excluding 
resumes). One page is one side of a single-spaced typed page. Thepages 
must be letter size (10 or 12 characters per inch (cpi)) and must have 
margins that are at least 1 inch. The only appendices thatEPA will 
accept are resumes of key personnel and copies of outreach materials 
(if appropriate to theapplication.) The format for the work plan must 
be organized as outlined in this unit:
    A. Title, Table of Contents, and Summary
    B. Blood-Lead Collection Approach or Lead Awareness (Education)     
Outreach Approach
    C. Project Management
    D. Schedule
    Appendix
        I. Resumes of Key Personnel (also include title, description, 
and reference name with phonenumber for work on previous or current 
grants or contracts with the Federal Government withinthe last 5 years. 
The appendix must be no more than 10 pages total and follows the same 
pagingand spacing description as provided in this unit.)
        II. Lead Awareness (Educational) Outreach Material (if applying 
for the lead awareness/educationaloutreach grant)
    2. Budget. The budget should include the following categories of 
costs:
    A. Personnel
    B. Fringe benefits
    C. Travel
    D. Equipment
    E. Supplies
    F. Contractual
    G. Other
    H. Total direct charges (sum of personnel, fringe benefits, travel, 
    equipment, supplies, contractual,and other)
    I. Indirect charges and total (sum of total direct charges and 
indirect charges.)

X. Evaluation Criteria

    EPA will review all applications. Applicants who submit proposals 
for both blood-lead screening andawareness (educational) outreach must 
submit two separate pre-application packages, since screening 
andoutreach submissions will be evaluated separately. Applications will 
be reviewed for quality, strength, andcompleteness against the 
following criteria. The maximum rating score of an application is 100 
points.

A. Blood-Lead Screening Proposal

    1. General (20 points). The applicant's description of implementing 
a blood-lead screening program for tribal children mustaddress the 
goals of this notice of funding availability (NOFA) as detailed in Unit 
II. It must include reasonable and attainablegoals and an approach that 
is clearly detailed. The applicant must describe how the effectiveness 
of the projectwill be determined.
    The applicant's response to sections A-D of the Work Plan will be 
used to rate this factor.
    2. Blood-lead collection activity (50 points). The applicant's 
description of plans to develop a blood-lead screening program for 
tribal children willbe evaluated. The following elements will be 
specifically evaluated:
    i. Description of the blood-lead screening program, including 
sampling, collection, handling, andanalysis.
    ii. How data will be collected and tracked, including quality 
control.
    iii. Description of the facility/facilities where the blood-lead 
sampling will occur (i.e., public school,public library, health 
department facility, clinic, private building, mobile van, etc.).
    iv. Provide a percentage estimate of the number of tribal children 
to be screened in the project. Descriptionof the method that will be 
used to solicit maximum participation of children in the Indian Tribe.
    v. What methods, (i.e., printing, video taping, collaboration with 
radio or television, etc.) will be usedto reach the Indian population 
regarding the blood-lead screening effort?
    vi. How summary data will be reported and disseminated to EPA.
    vii. What efforts will be sued to ensure patient confidentiality?
    The applicant's response to section B of the Work Plan will be used 
to rate this factor.
    3. Project management (20 points). The applicant should describe 
positions of staff, roles and responsibilities, and their 
qualifications. Theproposal will also be evaluated using the following 
questions:
    i. Are resumes of key personnel included?
    ii. Does the proposal demonstrate the applicant's experience in 
conducting activities, such as those described in Unit II.?
    iii. Does the applicant have previous experience managing similar 
projects? Are references available?
    iv. Does the applicant have access to properly trained staff and 
facilities to conduct the project?
    The applicant's response to section C and the Appendix of the Work 
Plan will be used to rate this factor.
    4. Budget and schedule (10 points). The evaluation will be based on 
the extent to which the budget and schedule is reasonable, clear, 
andconsistent with the intended use of the funds. Project are expected 
to completed within 1 year.
    The applicant's response to sections D of the Work Plan and the 
Budget will be used to rate this factor.

B. Lead Awareness (Educational) Outreach Proposal

    1. General (20 points). The applicant's description of implementing 
an educational outreach program must address the goals ofthis NOFA as 
described in Unit II. It must include reasonable and attainable goals 
and anapproach that is clearly detailed. The applicant must describe 
how effectiveness of the project will bedetermined.
    The applicant's response to section A-D of the Work Plan will be 
used to rate this factor.

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    2. Outreach (50 points). The applicant should fully describe the 
proposed educational outreach efforts for Tribal Indiancommunities. The 
messages proposed by the applicant should be consistent with EPA/HUD/
CDC lead-basedpaint program policies, guidelines, regulations, and 
recommendations. The following elements will bespecifically evaluated:
    i. What types of existing lead educational material will be used 
(i.e., reports, pamphlets, brochures,video tapes, etc.)? What types, if 
any, lead awareness (educational) outreach materials will bedeveloped?
    ii. How will the lead educational material be distributed 
throughout the Indian Tribe? Does theapplicant indicate how the 
messages will be delivered, e.g., lecture, written material 
distribution,one-on-one interviews?
    iii. What, if any, printing, special video taping, collaboration 
with radio or television, or other methodsto reach the Tribal Indian 
population will be used regarding the outreach effort?
    iv. Provide a percentage estimate of the number of Tribal families 
who will receive the lead awarenessinformation. What efforts will be 
employed to target hard-to-reach tribal communities to informfamilies 
about childhood lead poisoning and screening, if applicable. Does the 
proposal indicatethe number of people/families/medical personnel/etc., 
who will be reached? Does the proposaldemonstrate that the proposed 
outreach materials and activities are suitable for the target 
audience(i.e., appropriate language comprehension and cultural 
identification)?
    The applicant's response to section B of the Work Plan will be used 
to rate this factor.
    3. Project management (20 points). The applicant should describe 
positions of staff, roles and responsibilities, and their 
qualifications. Theproposal will also be evaluated using the following 
questions:
    i. Are resumes of key personnel included?
    ii. Does the proposal demonstrate the applicant's experience in 
conducting activities, such as thosedescribed in this notice?
    iii. Does the applicant have previous experience managing similar 
projects? Are references available?
    iv. Does the applicant have access to properly trained staff and 
facilities to conduct the project?
    v. Estimate the percentage of all Tribal members and families who 
will be reached with thelead awareness (educational) outreach 
activities.
    The applicant's response to section C of the Work Plan will be used 
to rate this factor.
    4. Budget and schedule (10 points). The evaluation will be based on 
the extent to which the budget and schedule is reasonable, clear, 
andconsistent with the intended use of the funds. Project periods are 
not expected to exceed 1 year due to thelimited activity involved in 
the project.
    The applicant's response to sections D of the Work Plan will be 
used to rate this factor.
    EPA may require the applicant to modify the proposed work plan 
based upon the final funding level of the grants.

XI. Submission to Congress and the Comptroller General

    Under the Agency's current interpretation of the definition of a 
``rule,'' grant solicitations such as this which are competitively 
awarded on the basis of selection criteria, are considered rules for 
the purpose of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA, 5 U.S.C. 
801 et seq., as added by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement 
Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA), 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 rule 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 rule is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 
U.S.C. 804(2).

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Grants--Indians, Indians, Lead, Maternal 
and child health.

    Dated: February 8, 2000.
William H. Sanders III,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 00-4244 Filed 2-22-00; 8:45 am]
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