[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 197 (Wednesday, October 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 60429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-26066]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6884-1]


Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability 
Act (CERCLA) or Superfund, Section 104; ``Announcement of Proposal 
Deadline for the Competition for the FY 2001 Brownfields Cleanup 
Revolving Loan Fund Pilots''

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of proposal deadlines, revised guidelines.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will 
begin to accept proposals for the FY 2001 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving 
Loan Fund Pilots on October 11, 2000. The Brownfields Cleanup Revolving 
Loan Fund pilots (each may be funded up to $1,000,000) to test cleanup 
and redevelopment planning models, direct special efforts toward 
removing regulatory barriers without sacrificing protectiveness, and 
facilitate coordinated public and private environmental cleanup and 
redevelopment efforts. EPA expects to select up to 35 additional 
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund pilots by March 2001. The 
deadline for new proposals for the FY 2000 Brownfields Cleanup 
Revolving Loan Fund pilots is December 18, 2000. Proposals must be 
postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) by December 18, 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 (September 
2000).

DATES: All proposals must be postmarked by USPS 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 December 
18, 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, and safely cleanup brownfields in order to facilitate 
their sustainable reuse. As part of this Initiative, EPA has awarded 
cooperative agreements to States, 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.
    In FY 2001, the EPA expects to select up to 35 new BCRLF pilots to 
be funded up to $1,000,000 per eligible entity by the end of March 
2001.
    Eligible entities for FY 2001 BCRLF pilots will be states, 
political subdivisions, or federally recognized Indian Tribes that have 
established and can demonstrate progress already made in the 
assessment, cleanup and revitalization of brownfields in their 
community, State or Tribe.
    Coalitions of eligible entities 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 existing 
commitment to brownfields; (2) an ability to manage a revolving loan 
fund and environmental cleanups; (3) a need for cleanup funds; (4) 
commitment to making loans and to creative leveraging of EPA funds with 
public-private partnerships and in-kind services (matching funds are 
not required); and (5) 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 $350,000 to 
$1,000,000 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).
    The 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. A Major rule cannot 
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal 
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 
804(2). This rule will be effective on October 11, 2000.

    Dated: October 3, 2000.
Linda Garczynski,
Director, Outreach and Special Projects Staff, Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. 00-26066 Filed 10-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P