[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 219 (Thursday, November 13, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64341-64343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-28422]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7586-1]


Notice of Request for Initial Proposals (IP) for Projects To Be 
Funded From the Public Water Supply Supervision Program (CFDA 66.424--
Surveys, Studies, Demonstrations and Special Purpose Grants--Section 
1442 of the Safe Drinking Water Act)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA Region 6 is soliciting Initial Proposals (IP) from tribes, 
universities, non-profits, and other entities as defined by the Safe 
Drinking Water Act (SDWA) interested in applying for Federal assistance 
for Native American water system operation and management training, and 
technical assistance (circuit rider) projects to develop, expand, or 
carry out a program for training persons for methods and occupations 
involving the public health aspects of providing Safe Drinking Water as 
authorized by the Safe Drinking Water Act section 1442, 42 U.S.C. 300j-
1 on Indian Lands in Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Region 
6 EPA estimates an incremental funding process with as much as $750,000 
available per year for three-year cooperative agreements. Multiple 
awards may be made for various purposes (i.e., regulatory compliance 
support, operator training and certification, source water assessment 
and protection), based on specific applicant qualifications. Awards may 
range from $10,000 to $500,000 based on complexity of project. Awards 
are expected to be incrementally funded at a similar level each year 
for the duration of the project period, pending availability of monies 
allocated to Region 6 for Tribal Direct Implementation of the SDWA 
including funds from the Underground Injection Control Program, Tribal 
Drinking Water Operator Training and Certification, and Tribal Public 
Water System Capacity Development. EPA Region 6 estimates that a total 
amount of EPA funds for the three-year project period to be as much as 
$2,250,000, with approximately $350,000 of those funds going toward 
Tribal Source Water Assessment and Protection, $350,000 going toward 
Tribal Drinking Water Operator Training and Certification, and the 
remainder going toward compliance assistance and capacity development 
activities.

DATES: EPA will consider all proposals received on or before 12 p.m. 
midnight Central Standard Time December 29, 2003. IPs received after 
the due date will not be considered for funding.

ADDRESSES: IPs should be mailed to: Yulonda Davis (6WQ-AT), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, Water Quality Protection 
Division, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733. Overnight 
Delivery may be sent to the same address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yulonda Davis, Project Officer, by 
telephone at 214-665-7154 or by e-mail at [email protected] or 
Blake Atkins, Tribal Drinking Water Program Coordinator, by telephone 
at 214-665-2297 or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of This Request for Initial Proposals

    EPA Region 6's Water Quality Protection Division is requesting 
proposals from tribes, universities, non-profits, and other entities as 
defined by the SDWA for administration of Public Water Supply 
Supervision (PWSS) program for Tribal Direct Implementation.

EPA Region 6 Has Identified the Following High Priority Areas for 
Consideration

    The purpose of the Native American water system operation, and 
management training and technical assistance projects are to provide 
hands-on technical assistance in the operational and managerial aspects 
of managing drinking water facilities. Project work occurs mainly in 
the field, using a ``circuit rider'' approach for assisting tribes with 
drinking water compliance issues and technical issues which may impact 
drinking water quality.
    Other project work includes providing/coordinating local classroom 
training for tribal operators, tribal utility directors, and other 
tribal environmental staff, and tribal officials, that range in subject 
matter through such topics as operator certification exam preparation, 
disinfection procedures, regulatory requirements, optimization and 
performance based training.

[[Page 64342]]

    Additional project work includes support for developing and 
implementing Tribal Source Water Assessment and Protection programs and 
activities. Support will be provided to tribal water system staff and 
tribal environmental staff regarding the EPA Region 6 Source Water 
Assessment and Protection Programs. Where Source Water Assessments have 
been completed, support will be provided to interested tribes in 
completing comprehensive Source Water Protection Programs and 
activities, following the EPA Region 6 Source Water Protection 
protocol.
    Assistance will be provided predominantly in New Mexico, especially 
for on-site assistance. Assistance will also be provided, when 
requested, to tribal water systems in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, 
but minimal travel is expected to these locations.
    An organization whose IP is selected for Federal assistance must 
complete an EPA Application for Assistance, including the Federal SF-
424 form (Application for Federal Assistance, see 40 CFR 30.12 and 
31.10). Organizations who have an existing agreement under this program 
are eligible to compete for new awards.

Statutory Authority, Applicable Regulations, and Funding Level

    Funding is authorized under the provisions of the SDWA section 
1442, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1.
    The regulations governing the award and administration of Public 
Water Supply Supervision Cooperative Agreements are in 40 CFR part 30 
(for institutions of higher learning, hospitals, and other nonprofit 
organizations), and 40 CFR part 31 (for States, local governments, and 
interstate agencies).
    Applicants requested to submit a full application will be required 
to comply with Intergovernmental Review requirements (40 CRF part 29) 
and the Quality Assurance requirements (40 CFR 30.54 and 31.45) if 
projects involve environmentally related measurements or data 
generation.
    Total funding available for award by Region 6 is dependent on EPA's 
appropriation for Fiscal Years 2004, 2005, and 2006. There are 
estimates of as much as $750,000 per year for three-year cooperative 
agreements. Awards may range from $10,000 to $500,000. There are no 
cost share requirements for approved projects.

Proposal Format and Contents

    IPs should be no more than three pages with a minimum font size of 
10 pitch in Wordperfect/Word or equivalent. Failure to follow the 
format or to include all requested information could result in the IP 
not being considered for funding. Full application packages should not 
be submitted at this time. It is recommended that confidential 
information not be included in this IP. The following format should be 
used for all IPs:

Name of Project

    Priority Area(s) Addressed (i.e., Operator Certification, Technical 
Assistance, Source Water Assessment:
    Point of Contact: (Individual and Agency/Organization Name, 
Address, Phone Number, Fax Number, E-mail Address)
    Is This a Continuation of a Previously Funded Project (if so, 
please provide the status of the current grant or cooperative 
agreement):
    Proposed Federal Amount:
    Proposed Non-Federal Match (optional, not required):
    Proposed Total Award Amount:
    Description of General Budget Proposed to Support Project: (Provide 
budget estimates by task, including travel).
    Project Description: (Should not exceed two pages of single-spaced 
text). Describe organization and relevant experience. Explain 
organization's interest and goals in entering into a cooperative 
agreement to perform the project work described in this notice, the 
availability and training of staff, and available resources to 
implement the project. Include general description of the proposed 
project and how it will be organized and implemented. Include a 
description of how the project will provide continuing education unit 
(CEU) certifications, and how field work plus classroom training will 
be delivered. (The majority of the project detail--such as training 
dates--will be established in participation with EPA in the negotiation 
of a final workplan, but training events and site visit activity should 
be generally described.)
    Proposed Centers for Implementation/Coordination for Regional/Local 
Technical Assistance: Home base location of technical assistance 
providers and project coordination/oversight, such that a regional/
local presence and 24-hour/7 days per week emergency assistance can be 
plausibly implemented.
    Expected Accomplishments or Product, with Dates, and Interim 
Milestones: Define each task and deliverable with a schedule for 
starting and completing. This section should also include a discussion 
of a communication plan for distributing the project results to 
interested parties.
    Describe How the Project Meets the Evaluation Criteria Specified 
Below:
EPA IP Evaluation Criteria
    EPA Region 6 will award PWSS cooperative agreements on a 
competitive basis and evaluate IPs based on the following criteria:
    (1) Applicant's demonstrated organizational commitment to providing 
tribal communities with technical assistance and access to resources, 
with the objective of increasing tribes' capacity, implementing tribes' 
own solutions to problems, and providing services in a culturally 
appropriate manner.
    (2) Applicant's specific commitment and experience in the delivery 
of training and technical/managerial assistance to tribal communities 
consistent with Safe Drinking Water Act regulation, policy, and Region 
6 Guidance.
    (3) Applicant's ability to provide assistance with drinking water 
regulatory compliance monitoring (sampling and analysis), water system 
optimization, source water assessment and protection, and operator 
training and certification.
    (4) Applicant's ability to maintain continuity of currently 
provided services to tribal communities without interruption and to 
work closely with EPA in day-to-day project operation.
    (5) Applicant's ability to provide regional/local presence and full 
technical assistance services in all coverage areas (predominantly New 
Mexico, Oklahoma, Eastern and Southern Texas, and Northeastern 
Louisiana).
    (6) Applicant's organizational and subject matter expertise 
resources for the coordination and provision of workshop and classroom 
training events in drinking water operations and management. 
Additionally, applicant's ability to provide such training for CEUs 
where appropriate.
    (7) Applicant's ability to produce training literature, training 
modules, and informational brochures, using both in-house and outside 
resources in the areas of drinking water, utility management, source 
water assessment and protection, and systems operations and 
maintenance.
    (8) Applicant's working familiarity with SDWA regulations, with a 
focus on key monitoring, reporting and public notice requirements of 
the Total Coliform Rule.
    (9) Relationship of the proposed work to the priorities identified 
in this notice, and how well the proposed work

[[Page 64343]]

furthers the objectives of the SDWA in Indian Country.
    (10) Applicant's ability to transfer assistance and technologies 
(computer programs, global positioning systems, pocket PCs, etc.) to 
tribes, and ability to assist tribes in integrating drinking water 
activities, especially source water protection, into other 
environmental programs.
    The IPs will be evaluated by regional staff. Each IP will be 
evaluated against the criteria listed above.
IP Selection
    Final selection of IPs will be made by the evaluation team of the 
Drinking Water Section and State/Tribal Programs Section, EPA Region 6. 
Selected organizations will be notified in writing and requested to 
submit full applications. Applications, including workplans, are 
subject to EPA review and approval.
    It is expected that unsuccessful applicants will be notified in 
writing.
Eligible Applicants
    Eligible applicants for assistance agreements under section 1442 of 
the SDWA are tribes, universities, non-profits, and other entities as 
defined by the SDWA. IPs received for projects outside of Region 6 will 
not be considered.
Application Procedure
    Please mail three copies of the IP(s).
Dispute Resolution Process
    Procedures located in 40 CFR 30.63 and part 31, subpart F.
Type of Assistance
    It is expected that all the awards under this program will be 
cooperative agreements.
    A description of the Agency's substantial involvement in 
cooperative agreements will be included in the final agreement.
Schedule of Activities
    This is the estimated schedule of activities for submission, review 
of proposals and notification of selections: December 29, 2003--
Proposals due to EPA. January 12, 2004--Initial proposals selected for 
funding will be requested to submit a formal application package. 
January 27, 2004--Application and workplan must be postmarked to EPA.
    Deadline extensions, if any, will be posted on the Region 6 Water 
Quality Protection Division, Assistance Programs Branch web site and 
not in the Federal Register at http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6wq/at/sttribal.htm. This Web site may also contain additional information 
about this request.

    Dated: November 4, 2003.
Oscar Ramirez,
Acting Director, Water Quality Protection Division, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 03-28422 Filed 11-12-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P