[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 63 (Friday, March 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17264-17265]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7997]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6569-4]


Air Pollution Control; Proposed Actions on Clean Air Act Grants 
to the Washoe County District Health Department

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; proposed determination with request for comments and 
notice of opportunity for public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. EPA has made a proposed determination that reductions 
in expenditures of non-Federal funds for the Washoe County District 
Health Department (WCDHD) in Reno, Nevada are a result of non-selective 
reductions in expenditures. This determination, when final, will permit 
the WCDHD to keep their financial assistance for FY 1999 by EPA, under 
section 105(c) of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

DATES: Comments and/or requests for a public hearing must be received 
by EPA at the address stated below by May 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES: All comments and/or requests for public hearing should be 
mailed to: Roy Ford, Grants and Program Integration Office (Air-8), Air

[[Page 17265]]

Division, U.S. EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, 
California 94105-3901; FAX (415)744-1076.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Ford, Grants and Program 
Integration Office (Air-8), Air Division, U.S. EPA Region IX, 75 
Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105-3901 at (415) 744-
1233.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of section 105 of the 
CAA, EPA provides financial assistance (grants) to the WCDHD's to aid 
in the operation of its air pollution control programs. In FY-98, EPA 
awarded the WCDHD $839,758, which represented approximately 42% Of the 
WCDHD budget. In FY-99, EPA awarded $698,213, which represented 
approximately 36% of the WCDHD's budget.
    Section 105(c)(1) of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. 7405(c)(1), provides that 
``(n)o agency shall receive any grant under this section during any 
fiscal year when its expenditures of non-Federal funds for recurrent 
expenditures for air pollution control programs will be less than its 
expenditures were for such programs during the preceding fiscal year. 
In order for [EPA] to award grants under this section in a timely 
manner each fiscal year, [EPA] shall compare an agency's prospective 
expenditure level to that of its second preceding year.'' EPA may still 
award financial assistance to an agency not meeting this requirement, 
however, if EPA, ``after notice and opportunity for public hearing, 
determines that a reduction in expenditures is attributable to a non-
selective reduction in the expenditures in the programs of all 
Executive branch agencies of the applicable unit of Government.'' CAA 
section 105(c)(1). These statutory requirements are repeated in EPA's 
implementing regulations at 40 CFR 35.210(a).
    In its FY-99 section 105 Final FSR the WCDHD MOE was $1,161,276. 
This amount represents a shortfall of $48,016 from the actual FY-98 MOE 
of $1,209,292. In order for the WCDHD to be eligible to be awarded its 
FY-1999 grant, EPA must make a determination under section 105(c)(2) to 
keep the FY-1999 grant for WCDHD.
    The reason for the lower MOE level in FY-99 is that the Washoe 
County District Board outlined a spending reduction plan totaling 
$316,384 for the Health District, $50,000 (0.4% decrease of the Health 
District budget) of which was allocated to be reduced by the Air 
Quality Management Division in the professional services line item 
account. The WCDHD submitted documentation to EPA which states that the 
district MOE reduction resulted from agency non-selective reduction in 
spending applied to Washoe County departments and required by action of 
the Washoe County Commissioners and adopted by the Washoe County 
District Board of health which governs the Air Quality management 
Division's programs.
    Therefore, the WCDHD's MOE reduction resulted from a loss of 
revenues from the County to all agencies due to circumstances beyond 
its control. EPA proposes to determine that the WCDHD lower FY-99 MOE 
level meets the section 105(c)(2) criteria as resulting from a non-
selective reduction of expenditures. Pursuant to 40 CFR 35.210, this 
determination will allow the WCDHD to keep the financial assistance for 
FY-1999.
    This document constitutes a request for public comment and an 
opportunity for public hearing as required by the Clean Air Act. All 
written comments received by May 1, 2000 on this proposal will be 
considered. EPA will conduct a public hearing on this proposal only if 
a written request for such is received by EPA at the address above by 
May 1, 2000. If no written request for a hearing is received, EPA will 
proceed to the final determination. While notice of the final 
determination will not be published in the Federal Register, copies of 
the determination can be obtained by sending a written request to Roy 
Ford at the above address.

    Dated: March 17, 2000.
David P. Howekamp,
Director, Air Division, Region 9.
[FR Doc. 00-7997 Filed 3-30-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P