[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 194 (Friday, October 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51037-51039]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-25014]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7075-3]


Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability 
Act (CERCLA) or Superfund, Section 104; ``Announcement of Proposal 
Deadline for the Competition for Fiscal Year 2002 Supplemental 
Assistance to the National Brownfields Assessment Demonstration 
Pilots''

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of proposal deadline and guidelines.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will begin to accept 
proposals for supplemental assistance for the National Brownfields

[[Page 51038]]

Assessment Pilots on October 5, 2001. Assessment pilots awarded on or 
before September 30, 2000, may apply for up to $150,000 for continuance 
and expansion of their brownfields assessment efforts. This 
supplemental funding will be awarded on a competitive basis. Recipients 
of supplemental assessment pilot funding in FY2001 are not eligible to 
apply (See Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 66.811.
    In fiscal year 2002, an additional $50,000 may be awarded to an 
applicant to assess the contamination of a brownfields site(s) that is 
or will be used for greenspace purposes. Greenspace purposes may 
include, but are not limited to, parks, playgrounds, trails, gardens, 
habitat restoration, open space, and/or greenspace preservation.
    EPA expects to select up to 38 National brownfields assessment 
pilots to receive supplemental assistance by April 2002. The deadline 
for proposals for the 2002 supplemental assistance is November 26, 
2001. All proposals must be postmarked by USPS or delivered at U.S. EPA 
Headquarters by other means, no later than November 26, 2001, and a 
duplicate copy sent to the appropriate U.S. EPA Regional Office.
    The supplemental assistance for the National brownfields assessment 
pilots will be administered on a competitive basis. To ensure a fair 
selection process, evaluation panels consisting of EPA Regional and 
Headquarters staff will assess how well the proposals meet the 
selection criteria outlined in the application booklet The Brownfields 
Economic Redevelopment Initiative: Proposal Guidelines for Supplemental 
Assistance for the Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots 
(September 2001). The evaluation panels make recommendations to EPA 
senior management. Final award decisions are made by EPA senior 
management, and may take into account policy considerations such as 
geographic distribution of funds. Applicants are encouraged to contact 
and, if possible, meet with EPA Regional Brownfields Coordinators.

DATES: This action is effective as of October 5, 2001, and expires on 
November 26, 2001. All proposals must be sent via registered or tracked 
(return receipt) mail and postmarked by USPS no later than November 26, 
2001. Proposals must be sent to U.S. EPA Headquarters and a duplicate 
copy sent to the appropriate U.S. EPA Regional Office. Applicants may 
also send their proposals by commercial delivery service provided the 
proposals arrive at U.S. EPA Headquarters and the appropriate U.S. EPA 
Regional Office on or before close of business on November 26, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Mailing addresses for U.S. EPA Headquarters and U.S. EPA 
Regional Offices are provided in the Proposal Guidelines.
    Obtaining Proposal Guidelines: The proposal guidelines are 
available via the Internet: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
    Copies of the Proposal Guidelines will also be mailed upon request. 
Requests should be made by calling the U.S. EPA Call Center 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
    In order to ensure that the Guidelines are received in time to be 
used in the preparation of the proposal, applicants should request a 
copy as soon as possible and in any event no later than seven (7) 
working days before the proposal due date. Applicants who request 
copies after that date might not receive the proposal guidelines in 
time to prepare and submit a responsive proposal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The U.S. EPA's Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response, Outreach and Special Projects Staff, (202) 260-
4039.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As a part of the Environmental Protection 
Agency's (EPA) Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative, the 
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots are designed to empower 
States, communities, tribes, and other stakeholders in economic 
redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, 
and safely cleanup brownfields to promote their sustainable reuse. EPA 
has awarded cooperative agreements to States, cities, towns, counties 
and Tribes for demonstration pilots that test brownfields assessment 
models and facilitate coordinated public and private efforts at the 
Federal, State, tribal and local levels. To date, the Agency has funded 
399 Brownfields Assessment Pilots.
    In fiscal year 2002, EPA has determined that brownfields assessment 
pilots awarded on or before September 30, 2000, may apply for up to 
$150,000 for continuance and expansion of their brownfields assessment 
efforts. Recipients of supplemental assessment pilot funding in FY2001 
are not eligible to apply. These pilots focus on EPA's primary 
mission--protecting human health and the environment. They are also an 
essential piece of the nation's overall community revitalization 
efforts. EPA works closely with other federal agencies through the 
Interagency Working Group on Brownfields, and builds relationships with 
other stakeholders on the national and local levels to develop 
coordinated approaches for community revitalization.
    Supplemental funding for the brownfields assessment 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). States (including U.S. 
Territories), political subdivisions (including cities, towns, 
counties), and federally recognized Indian Tribes which received a 
brownfields assessment pilot grant on or before September 30, 2000, are 
eligible to apply. EPA welcomes and encourages brownfields projects by 
coalitions of such entities, but only a single eligible entity may 
receive a cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreement funds will be 
awarded only to a state, a political subdivision of a state, or a 
federally recognized Indian tribe.
    Through a brownfields cooperative agreement, EPA provides funds to 
an eligible state, political subdivision, or Indian Tribe to undertake 
activities authorized under CERCLA section 104. Use of these 
supplemental assistance pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, 
and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funds also apply to the 
assessment pilots.
    The evaluation panels will review the proposals carefully and 
assess each response based on how well it addresses the selection 
criteria, briefly outlined below. Applicants should address all of the 
evaluation criteria. Responses to the evaluation criteria will be 
utilized to determine whether to make an award and the amount of funds 
to be awarded. All evaluation criteria are equally important. There is 
no guarantee of an award.

Part I (Required)
    1. Established Brownfields Program
    2. Accomplishments under Existing Brownfields Assessment Pilot
    3. Demonstrated Ability to Administer Existing Brownfields 
Assessment Demonstration Pilot
    4. Work to be Performed
Part II (Optional)
    5. Greenspace
--Authority and Context
--Community Involvement
--Site Identification, Site Assessment Plan, Flow of Ownership, and 
Reuse Planning


[[Page 51039]]


    Dated: September 20, 2001.
Linda Garczynski,
Director, Outreach and Special Projects Staff, Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. 01-25014 Filed 10-4-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P