[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 23 (Monday, February 4, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5117-5119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-2610]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7137-1]


``Mobile Source Outreach Assistance Competition Fiscal Year 2002: 
Solicitation Notice''

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Today's Notice announces the availability of funding and 
solicits proposals from state, local, multi-state and tribal air 
pollution control agencies for mobile source-related public education 
and outreach projects. The funding will be allocated by EPA's Office of 
Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) through the competitive process 
described in this notice.

DATES: The deadline for submitting Final Proposals is Monday, April 15, 
2002. To allow for efficient management of the competitive process, 
OTAQ is requesting agencies to submit an informal Intent to Apply by 
Friday, February 22, 2002. (Instructions for submitting final proposals 
and Intents to Apply are found in Section X. below.)

ADDRESSES: This proposal can also be found in two places on the Office 
of Transportation and Air Quality Web Page: ``www.epa.gov/OTAQ/'' click 
on ``What's New'' or ``www.epa.gov/OTAQ/rfp.htm''. Addresses for 
submitting final proposals can be found in Section X. below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Bullard, Director of Outreach, 
USEPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ), 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., (mail code 6406J), Washington, DC, 20460. 
Telephone (202) 564-9856; Fax (202) 565-2085. Or email 
``[email protected]''.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Contents by Section

I. Overview and Deadlines
II. Eligible Organizations
III. Funding Issues
IV. Program Emphasis
V. Selection Criteria
VI. Evaluation and Selection
VII. Proposals
VIII. Current OTAQ/Section 105 Funded Outreach Projects
IX. Other Items of Interest
X. How to Apply
XI. EPA Regional Section 105 Grant Coordinators
XII. OTAQ Program Contact

Deadline for Informal Intent To Apply--Friday, February 22, 2002

Deadline for Final Proposal--Monday, April 15, 2002

    This proposal can also be found on the Office of Transportation and 
Air Quality Web Page: ``www.epa.gov/otaq/ Click on ``What's New'' or 
www.epa.gov/OTAQ/rfp.htm''.

Mobile Source Outreach Assistance Agreements 2002: Request for 
Proposals

Section I. Overview and Deadlines

A. Overview

    Over the past five years, EPA's Office of Transportation and Air 
Quality (OTAQ) has entered into agreements and established partnerships 
with a number of organizations to (1) provide national support for 
community-based mobile source public education efforts supporting 
implementation of the Clean Air Act and the Transportation Equity Act 
for the 21st Century, (2) encourage responsible choices for 
organizational and individual actions through public education. Current 
OTAQ/Section 105-Funded Outreach Projects are listed on the OTAQ web 
site ``www.epa.gov/otaq/whatsnew'' and emphasize transportation choices 
to reduce vehicle miles traveled; education of vehicle owners and 
drivers of the future; alternative fuels; car care and the role of the 
automotive technician; outreach to ethnic populations; environmental 
justice; and, related projects such as ozone mapping and small engines. 
EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality receives set-aside funds 
from the State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) account to provide 
support to community-based mobile source-related outreach projects. 
This Notice solicits proposals for public education and outreach 
projects which directly support state and local air management 
organizations in their efforts to improve air quality from mobile 
sources. Proposals will be accepted from state, local, tribal and 
multi-state air management agencies which are identified as such under 
section 302(b) of the Clean Air Act. Interested persons can also obtain 
copies of this solicitation at no charge by accessing the OTAQ Web site 
at ``www.epa.gov/otaq/'' Click on ``What's New'' or ``www.epa.gov/OTAQ/rfp.htm''.

B. What Are the Deadlines for This Competition?

    In order to efficiently manage the selection process, the Office of 
Transportation and Air Quality requests that an informal ``Intent to 
Apply'' be submitted by Friday, February 22, 2002. (Please provide 
project title or subject and email address for project contact). An 
``Intent to Apply'' simply states in the form of e-mail, phone, or fax 
that your organization intends to submit a proposal to be received by 
the deadline. Submitting an ``Intent to Apply'' does not commit an 
organization to submit a final proposal. Those not submitting an Intent 
to Apply may still apply by the deadline. The deadline for final 
proposals (original and six copies) is midnight on Monday, April 15, 
2002. The Office of Transportation and Air Quality expects to complete 
the Evaluation/Selection process in May, 2002.

Section II. Eligible Organizations

C. Who Is Eligible To Submit Proposals?

    According to funding policies associated with the State and Tribal 
Assistance Grants regulations (STAG funds), proposals can be accepted 
only from air pollution control agencies as defined under section 
302(b) of the Clean Air Act, (for projects to be undertaken which will 
have replicability to other communities nationally), as well as multi-
state organizations supporting section 302(b) agencies. OTAQ has no 
discretion over this requirement.
    Interested air management, non-governmental or related 
organizations which are not air pollution control agencies as defined 
under section 302(b) of the Clean Air Act are encouraged to create 
partnerships with eligible organizations. In that situation, the 
eligible organization would be required to submit the final proposal 
and serve as the funding recipient if selected.

Section III. Funding Issues

D. What Is the Amount of Available Funding?

    A minimum of $550K.

E. How Will Funds Be Allocated?

    The competition process will be managed by OTAQ and selected 
cooperative agreements will be awarded by EPA's Regional offices and 
funded

[[Page 5118]]

through Section 105 authority (state and local air pollution control 
agencies), except in the case of multi-state organizations as defined 
by law, which must be funded under Section 103. OTAQ has no discretion 
over this requirement.

F. How Many Agreements Will Be Awarded?

    Approximately eight agreements will be awarded, none to exceed 
$100,000 for the entire project.

G. Are Matching Funds Required?

    Possibly. Clean Air Act section 105 mandates that eligible agencies 
provide matching funds of at least 40%. Therefore, an air pollution 
control agency which submits a proposal must include a statement in 
their proposal indicating that the match could and would be met if 
their proposal is selected. Organizations unable to meet a required 
match must be considered ineligible. (By statute, this requirement does 
not apply to multi state organizations.) Organizations which are 
unclear as to their matching status are recommended to contact their 
EPA Regional Grant Coordinator (see Section XII below).

H. Can Funding Be Used To Acquire Services or Fund Partnerships?

    Yes--subgrants and other procurement services are allowed. Because 
the method used to fund subgrants is not a federal matter, procedures 
governing your organization's procurement practices must be followed. 
Please indicate any intent to enter into such agreements in the 
proposal.

Section IV. Program Emphasis

    This program is designed to provide seed money to initiate new 
projects or advance existing projects that are new in some way (e.g. 
new audiences, new locations, new approaches) rather than grow ongoing 
projects.

I. Program Emphasis

--Voluntary Measures
--Commuter Choice initiatives
--Transportation choices
--Environmental Justice
--Car care (testing, repair, maintenance)
--On Board Diagnostics (OBD)
--Alternative fuels
--Involving youth in mobile source issues/environmental education
--Other mobile source issues (including but not limited to: diesel, 
particulate matter, heavy duty engines; nonroad engines; air quality 
index; and ozone mapping/forecasting.)

Section V. Selection Criteria

J. Primary Criteria

--Clearly addresses environmental goals of improved air quality from 
mobile sources
--Demonstrates national or regional applicability/transferability
--Indicates some level of funding for replication and transfer to other 
communities
--Links actions, air quality and public health
--Demonstrates effectiveness of delivery mechanism to reach targeted 
audience
--Exhibits clearly-stated and appropriate levels of funding
--Includes effective evaluation methods
--Reflects potential for sustainability

K. Other Factors To Be Considered

--Innovation
--Effectiveness of collaborative activities and partnerships with other 
stakeholders needed to effectively develop or implement the project
--Integration with existing programs
--Willingness to coordinate with other OTAQ-funded outreach activities
--Demonstrated capability of candidate organization to accomplish the 
goals presented

L. Presentation Criteria

--Proposal must address each of the components outlined in Section VII 
(N)
--Action-oriented
--Clearly-stated goals and objectives
--Reasonable time frames and budget

Section VI. Evaluation and Selection

    M. The Evaluation Team is chosen to represent a full range of 
mobile source and EPA program expertise. In addition, each EPA Regional 
office is given the opportunity to review those proposals generated by 
eligible organizations within that Region. The Evaluation Team will 
base its evaluation solely on the criteria referenced in this Notice. 
Completed evaluations will be forwarded for further consideration to a 
Selection Committee representing OTAQ senior managers and Regional 
representatives who are responsible for final selection. To ensure 
equity and objectivity throughout the process, the OTAQ Program Contact 
(listed below) and staff who facilitate the process and participate in 
pre-application assistance, do not serve as members of either the 
Evaluation Team or the Selection Committee.

Section VII. Proposals

N. What Must Be Included in the Proposal?

    Proposals should be approximately 5-7 pages in length (please do 
not include binders or spiral binding) and must include the following. 
[It is recommended that the proposal conform to the outline below to 
ensure that all components are addressed.] A copy of the cover letter 
should be attached to each copy to be submitted.
    (1) Project contact(s) (must provide name, organization, phone, 
fax, and e-mail) An email address is essential in order to ensure 
OTAQ's ability to quickly reach all applicants with important 
information.
    (2) Clear statement of amount being requested. (No project will be 
funded in an amount to exceed $100,000 for the entire project.)
    (3) Brief statement that the candidate organization is defined as 
an air pollution control agency under section 302(b) of the Clean Air 
Act.
    (4) Statement that any required match will be met.
    (5) Statement of project background/objectives highlighting 
relationship to improving air quality from mobile sources.
    (6) Detailed project summary--description of specific actions to be 
undertaken.
    (7) Projected time frame for project from initiation through 
completion.
    (8) Associated deliverables to be developed and funded through the 
agreement.
    (9) Explanation of project benefits.
    (10) Detailed explanation of how project outcomes will be designed 
and funded for replication in other communities.
    (11) Description of collaborative activities and partnerships with 
other stakeholders.
    (12) Detailed budget estimate (clearly explain how funds will be 
used, including estimated cost for each task.) (Note: Budget estimates 
should include funding for participation in the annual 3-day 
``Communities in Motion'' Outreach and Partnerships Workshop typically 
held in Washington, DC in late October.)

O. Will 2-Year Proposals Be Considered?

    Yes. If a proposal with a 2-year project period is submitted, OTAQ 
requires that the budget and cost estimate be designed to indicate what 
will be accomplished in each of the first and second years.The total 
for the project is not to exceed $100,000.

P. May an Eligible Organization Submit More Than One Proposal?

    An organization may submit more than one proposal only if the 
proposals are for different projects.

[[Page 5119]]

Q. May an Eligible Organization Resubmit a Proposal Which Was 
Previously Submitted to the Mobile Source Outreach Assistance 
Competition, but Was Not Selected?

    Yes. The proposals received by OTAQ in previous competitions were 
generally of very high quality. Clearly, all proposals of merit could 
not be selected due to limited resources available.

R. May an Eligible Organization Submit a Proposal for This Fiscal Year, 
Even if It Were Previously Awarded Funding Under This Program?

    Yes. Applicants awarded funding in previous competitions may submit 
new proposals to fund a different project. This program is intended to 
provide seed money to initiate new projects or advance existing 
projects that are new in some way (e.g. new audiences, new locations, 
new approaches).

S. Does This Funding Expire at the End of FY 02 (September 2002)?

    No. The statute states that State and Tribal Assistance Grants 
(STAG) for environmental programs remain available until expended 
(``no-year money'').

T. Ineligible Proposals.

    Proposals will be determined to be ineligible if: (1) The candidate 
organization is not currently defined as an air pollution control 
agency under section 302(b) of the Clean Air Act; (2) a required match 
could not be met; (3) the proposal is incomplete (proposals must 
address each and every component outlined in Section VII (N); or (4) 
the proposal is postmarked after the deadline.

Section VIII. Current OTAQ/Section 105 Funded Outreach Projects

    U. Since this program is designed to fund new projects (rather than 
simply duplicating or growing existing programs), potential candidate 
organizations are recommended to visit the OTAQ web site to identify 
representative projects already being funded. The item, entitled 
``Current OTAQ/Section 105 Funded Outreach Projects,'' can be found at 
``www.epa.gov/otaq/'' Click on ``What's New''--Added November 2001 to 
find a brief sketch of projects funded to date through the Office of 
Transportation and Air Quality, either with Section 105 funding 
(indicated by year of funding) or projects that are intended to be 
national in scope, supported by OTAQ program funding (indicated by an 
asterisk ``*''). (Note: Some web sites listed by funded organizations 
provide helpful information on a variety of air quality efforts being 
undertaken by the funded organization.)

Section IX. Other Items of Interest

V. Is There Other Information I Should Have Before Applying?

    Yes.

--Submission of an Intent to Apply or a final proposal does not 
guarantee funding.
--Supplementary information, including letters of recommendation, will 
not be reviewed by the evaluators.
--Only those organizations selected will be required to submit a 
complete ``Application for Federal Assistance and Budget Information'' 
(SF 424 and SF 424A) to the appropriate EPA Regional Office.

Section X. How To Apply

W. How Do I Apply?

    Informal ``Intents to Apply'' may take the form of email, fax or 
phone call to the EPA Program Contact listed below. Include 
organization, contact, phone, email and project title/subject.
    Please submit informal ``Intents to Apply'' by Friday, February 22, 
2002. 
    To be considered eligible, Completed Proposals must be date stamped 
(postmarked or dated by overnight express) on or before midnight, 
Monday, April 15, 2002 (original + 6, including cover letters on 
copies--no binders, spiral binding or supplemental materials please!)
    Please pay special attention to the distinction in addresses for 
regular mail and in-person delivery.
    Via regular mail to: Susan Bullard, Director of Outreach, US EPA 
Office of Transportation and Air Quality, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Mail Code 6406J, Washington, DC 20460.
    Express mail which is to be delivered in-person (FedEx, UPS, 
Airborne, etc) must leave the sender and be dated by no later than 
midnight on Monday, April 15, 2002 at the following address: Susan 
Bullard, Director of Outreach, US EPA Office of Transportation and Air 
Quality, 501 Third Street NW Room 5304D, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 
564-9856, (202) 564-8991 (backup number for expressed proposals only).

    Note: Proposals e-mailed or faxed will serve only as a 
placeholder, and must be followed by a hard copy original and 6 
copies postmarked no later than the deadline. If no original is 
received which meets the deadline, the proposal will not be 
considered.

Deadline for Completed Final Proposals

    Date stamped (postmarked or express mail dated) no later than 
midnight on Monday, April 15, 2002.

Section XI. EPA Regional Section 105 Grant Coordinators

Region 1 (Boston), Paul Bryan, 617-918-1673.
Region 2 (New York), Marlon Gonzales, 212-637-3769.
Region 3 (Philadelphia), Russ Bowen, 215-814-2057.
Region 4 (Atlanta), Todd Rinck, 404-562-9062.
Region 5 (Chicago), Robert Miller, 312-353-0396; Pamela Blakley, 312-
886-4447.
Region 6 (Dallas), Rexene Hanes, 214-665-2726; Javier Balli, 214-665-
7261.
Region 7 (Kansas City), Wayne Leidwanger, 913-551-7607.
Region 8 (Denver), Marisa Mcphilliamy, 303-312-6965.
Region 9 (San Francisco), Jack Colbourn, 415-744-1239; Valerie Cooper, 
415-744-1237.
Region 10 (Seattle), David Debruyn, 206-553-4218.

Section XII. OTAQ Program Contact

    Susan Bullard, Director of Outreach, EPA Office of Transportation 
and Air Quality (OTAQ), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (Mail Code 6406J), 
Washington, DC 20460, (Phone) 202/564-9856, (Fax) 202/565-2085, 
``[email protected]''.

Margo Tsirigotis Oge,
Director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality.
[FR Doc. 02-2610 Filed 2-1-02; 8:45 am]
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