[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 112 (Wednesday, June 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34944-34945]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-14745]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7510-7]


State Innovation Grant Program, Preliminary Notice and Request 
for Input on the Development of a Solicitation for Proposals for 2003/
2004 Awards

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Policy, 
Economics and Innovation (OPEI) is giving a preliminary notice of its 
intention to solicit proposals for a 2003/2004 grant program to support 
innovation by state environmental regulatory agencies--the ``State 
Innovation Grant Program.'' The Agency is also seeking input from State 
Environmental Regulatory Agencies on the topic areas for the 
solicitation. In addition, EPA is asking each State Environmental 
Regulatory Agency to designate a point of contact at the management 
level (in addition to the Commissioner or Cabinet Secretary level) who 
should receive further communication about the upcoming solicitation. 
EPA anticipates publication of a Federal Register notice to announce 
the availability of the next solicitation within 60 days.

DATES: State Environmental Regulatory Agencies will have 30 days from 
the date of publication until [insert date 30 days after publication of 
this notice in the FR] of this pre-announcement notice in the Federal 
Register to respond with: (1) Suggestions for broad topic areas (e.g., 
a subject area and 1-2 paragraphs of description) for the next 
solicitation; and (2) point of contact information (name, title, 
mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address) for the 
person within the State Environmental Regulatory Agency (in addition to 
Commissioner or Cabinet Secretaries) who should receive future notices 
about the State Innovation Grants.

ADDRESSES: Information should be sent to: State Innovation Grant 
Program; Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation; U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (1807T); 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 
20460. Responses may also be sent by fax to (202-566-2220), addressed 
to the ``State Innovation Grant Program,'' or by e-mail to: 
[email protected]. We encourage e-mail responses. If 
you have questions about responding to this notice, please contact EPA 
at this e-mail address or fax number, or you may call Gerald Filbin at 
202-566-2182. EPA will acknowledge all responses it receives to this 
notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    EPA pilot tested the State Innovation Grant Program with a 
solicitation in June, 2002 and subsequent awards starting in the fall 
of 2002. The 2002 Program solicitation focused on ``innovation in 
environmental permitting programs'' as they addressed the goals 
identified in EPA's plan for future innovation, Innovating for Better 
Environmental Results: A Strategy to Guide the Next Generation of 
Innovation at EPA (EPA 100-R-02-002; http://www.epa.gov/opei/strategy). 
The Agency's Innovation Strategy, which will remain key to this year's 
Solicitation, presents a framework for innovation consisting of four 
major elements:
    (1) Strengthen EPA's innovation partnerships with States and 
Tribes;
    (2) Focus on priority environmental areas:

--Reduce greenhouse gases
--Reduce smog
--Restore and maintain water quality
--Reduce the cost of water and wastewater infrastructure;

    (3) Diversify our environmental protection tools and approaches, 
including:

--Information resources and technology
--Environmental technology
--Incentives
--Environmental Management Systems
--Results-based goals and measures;

    (4) Foster ``innovation-friendly'' systems and organizational.
    The 2002 program focused on innovation in permitting, including the 
use of incentives and the development of Environmental Results Programs 
(ERPs) such as the one initially developed by Massachusetts and now 
being adopted by other States. For more information on last year's 
solicitation, the proposals received, and the 2002 award decisions, 
please see the Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/innovation/stategrants.

Request for State Input on Solicitation Themes and Priorities

    The 2003/2004 State Innovation Grant Program, building on the 2002 
pilot program, will seek to strengthen EPA's innovation partnership 
with States by providing a source of funding to facilitate State 
efforts to test new models for ``next generation'' environmental 
protection that will provide better environmental results, consistent 
with the goals of EPA's Innovation Strategy.
    EPA plans to retain the focus area of ``innovation in permitting'' 
(including support for development of Environmental Results Programs) 
for the upcoming solicitation, but will add other topic areas of mutual 
interest to this year's solicitation, as well. (These grants will not 
be applied to the development or demonstration of new environmental 
technologies.) EPA is including additional focus areas in response to 
feedback received from States that found ``innovation in permitting'' 
to be too narrow a topic to capture their State priorities. Additional 
areas of competition in the solicitation will provide for development 
and implementation of other innovative approaches to solving priority 
environmental problems.
    EPA is asking for State environmental regulatory agencies to 
provide brief (about 1 paragraph) suggestions about additional 
innovation themes that might be included as subject areas in this 
solicitation. Specifically, EPA is interested in hearing what 
activities in addition to permitting States believe are ripe for 
innovation. EPA will continue to encourage project proposals that 
address the four priority environmental areas identified above (i.e., 
reduce greenhouse gases; reduce smog; restore and maintain water 
quality; reduce the cost of water and wastewater infrastructure) and 
use tools (i.e., incentives, information, performance measurement, 
etc.) highlighted in the Innovation Strategy. State Environmental 
Regulatory Agency respondents should send their suggestions to EPA by 
mail, e-mail, or fax as described in the ``Addresses'' section above.

Competition Limited to the State Environmental Regulatory Agency

    The competition will be limited to the principal Environmental 
Regulatory Agency within each State, although these agencies are 
encouraged to partner with other agencies within the State that have 
environmental mandates (e.g.,

[[Page 34945]]

natural resources management, transportation, public health, energy). 
EPA will accept only one proposal from each State and it must be 
submitted by the principal Environmental Regulatory Agency from that 
State. States are also encouraged to partner with neighboring States to 
address cross-boundary issues and to consider partnering with Tribal 
governments in developing projects and proposals. Multi-state or State-
Tribal proposals will be accepted in addition to an individual State 
proposal, but a State may appear in no more than one multi-State or 
State-Tribal proposal in addition to their individual State proposal.
    EPA is currently working through its American Indian Environmental 
Office and other Program Offices within the Agency to explore ways to 
make similar grants available to American Indian Tribes through a 
parallel process.

Request for State To Designate a Primary Point of Contact

    EPA asks that each State Environmental Regulatory Agency designate 
as a primary point-of-contact, a manager who we will add to the EPA 
notification list for further announcements about the State Innovation 
Grant Program. We are asking that this name be submitted with the 
approval of the highest levels of management within an Agency 
(Secretary, Commissioner, or their deputies) within 30 days after 
publication of this notice in the FR July 11, 2003. Please submit this 
information to EPA as described in the ``Addresses'' section above.

    Dated: June 4, 2003.
Elizabeth Shaw,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy Innovation.
[FR Doc. 03-14745 Filed 6-10-03; 8:45 am]
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