[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6656-6661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2955]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-2003-0398; FRL-7342[dash]9]


Tribal Pesticide and Special Projects; Request for Proposals

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), in coordination with 
the EPA regional offices, is soliciting pesticide and special project 
proposals from eligible tribes, Alaska native villages, and intertribal 
consortia for fiscal year (FY) 2004 funding. Under this program, 
cooperative agreement awards will provide financial assistance to 
eligible tribal governments, Alaska native village governments, or 
intertribal consortia to carry out projects that assess or reduce risks 
to human health and the environment from pesticide exposure. The total 
amount of funding available for award in FY 2004 is expected to be 
approximately $445,000, with a maximum funding level of $50,000 per 
project.

DATES: Proposals must be received by your EPA regional office on or 
before 5 p.m. March 29, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Proposals may be submitted to your EPA regional office by 
mail, fax, or electronically. Please follow the detailed instructions 
provided in Unit IV.H. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Rudek, Field and External 
Affairs Division (7506C), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (703) 305-6005; fax number: (703) 308-1850; e-
mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Overview Information

    The following listing provides certain key information concerning 
the proposal opportunity.
     Federal agency name: Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA).
     Funding opportunity title: Tribal Pesticide and 
Special Projects; Request for Proposals.
     Announcement type: The initial announcement of a 
funding opportunity.
     Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 
number: 66.500.
     Dates: Applications must be received by EPA on 
or before March 29, 2004.

[[Page 6657]]

II. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    Potentially affected entities include federally recognized tribal 
governments, federally recognized Alaska native village governments, or 
qualified intertribal consortia. For this solicitation, the word 
``tribe'' refers to federally recognized tribes as well as to federally 
recognized Alaska native villages. An ``intertribal consortium'' is 
defined as a partnership of two or more federally recognized tribes 
that is authorized by its membership to apply for, and receive, 
assistance under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide 
Act (FIFRA). Only one project proposal from each tribal government or 
intertribal consortium will be considered for funding. If you have any 
questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular 
entity, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under docket identification (ID) number OPP-2003-0398. The 
official public docket is the collection of materials that is available 
for public viewing at the Public Information and Records Integrity 
Branch (PIRIB), Room 119, Crystal Mall 2, 1921 Jefferson Davis 
Hwy., Arlington, VA. This docket facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The docket 
telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
    2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the Federal Register 
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. An electronic version of the 
public docket is available through EPA's electronic public docket and 
comment system, EPA Dockets. You may use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to access the index listing of the contents of the 
official public docket, and to access those documents in the public 
docket that are available electronically. Although not all docket 
materials may be available electronically, you may still access any of 
the publicly available docket materials through the docket facility 
identified in Unit I.B.1, above. Once in the system, select ``search,'' 
then key in the appropriate docket ID number.

III. Introduction

    In 1997, EPA published its first solicitation for project proposals 
that supported pesticide management and water quality protection in 
Indian country. (For the purposes of this solicitation, the term 
``Indian country'' means: (1) All land within the limits of any Indian 
reservation under the jurisdiction of the United States Government, 
notwithstanding the issuance of any patent, and including rights-of-way 
running throughout the reservation; (2) all dependent Indian 
communities within the borders of the United States, whether within the 
original or subsequently acquired territory thereof, and whether within 
or without the limits of the State; and (3) all Indian allotments, the 
Indian titles to which have not been extinguished, including rights-of-
way running through the same.
    Each year since 1997, EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, in 
coordination with the EPA regional offices, has published similar 
solicitations, awarding approximately $445,000 annually to eligible 
tribes and intertribal consortia for projects supporting pesticide 
management and water quality goals. This Federal Register notice 
provides qualification and application requirements to parties who may 
be interested in submitting proposals for fiscal year 2004 monies. The 
total amount available for award during this funding cycle is expected 
to be approximately $445,000. Maximum award amount per proposal is set 
at $50,000, and only one proposal per applicant will be accepted for 
consideration. Indirect cost rates will not increase the $50,000 
maximum funding amount.

IV. Program Description

A. Purpose and Scope

    Cooperative agreements awarded under this program are intended to 
provide financial assistance to eligible tribal governments or 
intertribal consortia for projects that assess and/or reduce the risks 
of pesticide exposure to human health and the environment. Funds may be 
used to support new activities that fit the requirements of this 
solicitation, or to further existing eligible projects or programs. 
Projects may be targeted to any pesticide related concern or need 
facing a tribe or intertribal consortium. Although the proposal may 
request funding for activities that will further long-term objectives, 
this program provides one time funding, and the maximum period of 
performance for funded activities is expected to be approximately 12 
months.
    This program is included in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/public/whole.pdf.

B. Goals and Objectives

    EPA intends that recipients will use funding provided under this 
Tribal Pesticide and Special Project Program to help address the 
specific, pesticide related concerns of their communities. The Agency 
will consider funding a broad range of projects that assess or reduce 
pesticide exposure risks to human health and the environment in Indian 
country. For a partial listing of eligible types of projects, see Unit 
IV.E.

C. Eligibility

    1. Applicants. Any federally recognized tribal government or 
intertribal consortium (as defined in Unit I.A.) that is eligible to 
receive federal funds may submit a project proposal. Only federally 
recognized tribes and intertribal consortia are eligible for funding 
under this program, and only one project proposal may be submitted per 
applicant.
    To be eligible for consideration, applicants must meet all of the 
following criteria. Failure to meet the following criteria will result 
in the automatic disqualification of the proposal for consideration for 
funding:
     The applicant must be eligible to receive 
funding under this announcement. (If you are applying as a consortium, 
you must provide verification of your eligibility according to the 
requirements of Unit I.A.)
     The proposal must meet all format and content 
requirements contained in this notice.
     The proposal must comply with the directions for 
submittal contained in this notice.
    If the applicant has received project funding in prior years 
through the Office of Pesticide Programs tribal grant program, does 
this proposal package include evidence that outcomes of prior projects 
were beneficial, sustainable, and/or transferable. (If the applicant 
has never received an award under this grant program, that should be 
clearly noted. If unexpected barriers were encountered during 
implementation of a prior project, those should be noted and briefly 
discussed as well.)
    2. Qualifications. Qualified applicants are limited to all 
federally recognized tribes and Alaska native villages, and intertribal 
consortia as defined in Unit I.A of this notice. Additional application 
requirements are listed under Unit IV.G.

[[Page 6658]]

    3. Incomplete or late proposals. Incomplete or late proposals will 
be disqualified for funding consideration. Contact the appropriate 
regional staff person if you need assistance or have questions 
regarding the creation or submission of a project proposal. To ensure 
proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket ID 
number OPP 2003-0398 in the subject line on the first page of your 
proposal.

D. Authority

    EPA expects to enter into grants and cooperative agreements under 
the authority provided in FIFRA, section 20 which authorizes the Agency 
to issue grants or cooperative agreements for research, public 
education, training, monitoring, demonstration and studies; and in 
FIFRA section 23(a)(1) which authorizes EPA to enter into cooperative 
agreements with states and Indian tribes to implement pesticide 
enforcement programs. Pursuant to the Departments of Veterans Affairs 
and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies 
Appropriations Act for FY 1999, pesticide program implementation grants 
under section 23(a)(1) of FIFRA are available for ``pesticide program 
development and implementation, including enforcement and compliance 
activities.''
    The award and administration of these grants will be governed by 
the Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative 
Agreements to states, tribes, and local governments set forth at 40 CFR 
part 31. Grants awarded pursuant to this solicitation are program 
grants subject to the regulations for ``Environmental Program Grants 
for Tribes'' set forth at 40 CFR part 35, subpart B. In addition, the 
provisions in 40 CFR part 32, governing government wide debarment and 
suspension, and the provisions in 40 CFR part 40, regarding 
restrictions on lobbying, apply.
    All costs incurred under this program must be allowable under the 
applicable OMB Cost Circular A-87. Copies of this circular can be found 
at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/. In accordance with EPA 
policy and the OMB circular, any recipient of funding must agree not to 
use assistance funds for fund-raising, or political activities such as 
lobbying members of Congress or lobbying for other federal grants, 
cooperative agreements, or contracts. See 40 CFR part 40.

E. Activities that May Be Funded

    Projects may be targeted to any pesticide concern or need facing a 
tribe or intertribal consortium, including, but not limited to:
     Water quality.
     Development/support of exposure and risk 
assessment capacity.
     Traditional tribal lifeways/subsistence. Effects 
of pesticides on cultural activities.
     Assessment of the need for and/or development of 
a pesticide management policy or plan.
     Consideration of integrated pest management, 
reduced pesticide use, or alternatives to pesticides.
     Sampling.
     Concerns associated with the return of 
culturally and spiritually significant items that may have been exposed 
to pesticides as part of historical preservation efforts by museums or 
other collectors.
     Noxious weed education materials and/or control 
alternatives.
     Public outreach/education materials relating to 
pest management and/or pesticide safety.
    In addition, eligible proposals may be focused on the monitoring of 
surface water or ground water (e.g., assessing dietary exposure to 
pesticides via drinking water, determining those water bodies that may 
be impaired by pesticides, predicting potential exposure to endangered 
or threatened aquatic species, or establishing a baseline of 
contamination from which to measure progress toward future improvement 
in the environment).
    Water quality projects may involve information gathering and 
baseline development including vulnerability assessment, identifying 
pesticides (from either on or off reservation sources) that are most 
likely to impact water quality, providing information to pesticide 
users on ways they can assist in protecting the quality of water 
sources, and developing other measures that protect water from 
pesticides. Water quality work may also focus on the development or 
implementation of programs aimed at preventing contamination of water 
sources, mitigating contaminated water sources or implementing best 
management practices.
    Other projects, not necessarily linked to water quality issues, may 
include the establishment of tribal pesticide codes, creating and 
implementing a system for the proper disposal of pesticides, and/or 
educational outreach to the community. Sampling projects may include 
soil sampling, residue sampling on culturally significant/medicinal 
plants, or sampling to determine the effects of pesticides on cultural 
activities, such as subsistence hunting and fishing.
    Water quality and non-water quality pesticide related projects are 
equally eligible for funding under this grant program. Reviewers will 
give additional consideration to proposals that recognize and build 
upon existing, publicly available, technical and educational 
information. There are no cost share requirements for this project; 
however, leveraging of these funds by matching funds and/or in-kind 
contributions is encouraged.

F. Award and Distribution of Funds

    1. Available funding. Funding for each award recipient will be in 
the form of a cooperative agreement for $50,000 or less, under FIFRA 
sections 20 and 23(a)(1). Total funding available for award is expected 
to be approximately $445,000.
    Should additional funding become available for award, the Agency 
may make additional monies available, based on this solicitation and in 
accordance with the final selection process, without further notice of 
competition. The Agency also reserves the right to decrease available 
funding for this program, or to make no awards based on this 
solicitation. All costs charged to these awards must be allowable under 
the applicable OMB Cost Circular, A-87 which may be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/.
    2. Evaluation process and criteria. Proposals will be reviewed and 
approved for validity and completeness by EPA regional office 
personnel. If the region determines that an application is incomplete, 
the proposal will not be considered further. The region will forward 
all complete proposal packages, along with regional comments, to an EPA 
review panel convened by the Office of Pesticide Programs. If 
necessary, the panel will consult with regional staff regarding 
proposal content and regional comments. If money remains after the 
award selection process is completed, the review team will determine 
the allocation of the remaining money. Final selections will be made by 
close of business 60 days after the closing date for receipt of 
proposals.
    Applicants must submit information, as specified in this 
solicitation, to address award criteria. Applicants must also provide 
information specified in this solicitation that will assist EPA in 
assessing the tribe's capacity to do the work outlined in the project 
proposal. The proposed work plan and budget should reflect activities 
that can realistically be completed during the period of performance of 
the cooperative agreement. Criteria that will be used to review, rank 
and award funding are found below.
    a. General background information requirement. Pesticide related 
projects

[[Page 6659]]

that address a wide variety of issues of concern to Indian country are 
eligible for funding under this grant program. If the applicant tribe 
or consortium has previously received project funding from the Office 
of Pesticide Programs Tribal Grant Program, specific information about 
those funded projects should be included with this proposal, for 
example:
     What was the project?
     When was the award made, and for what dollar 
amount?
     What successes or barriers were encountered as 
the project moved forward?
     What outputs from previously funded OPP projects 
continue to provide benefits to the tribe (e.g., retention of trained 
personnel, continued use of purchased equipment, accretion of baseline, 
sampling and analysis data)?
     Information on projects previously funded by 
this OPP tribal grant program may be provided in several ways: You may 
include descriptive language either in the narrative of the current 
proposal or as an appendix to the current proposal, or you may include 
a copy of the previous project's final report as an appendix to this 
proposal. The name of the EPA Project Officer for any projects 
previously funded under this grant program should also be included. If 
the applicant has never received funding under this grant program, that 
should be clearly noted in the proposal.
    Failure to address this information request may render your 
proposal non responsive to this solicitation. If you have questions 
about this requirement, please contact your EPA region, or the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    b. Selection criteria - Total possible points: 100
Technical Qualifications, Overall Management Plan, Past Awards and 
Performance (30 Points)
    Does the person(s) designated to lead the project have the 
technical expertise he or she will need to successfully complete it? 
Does the project leader have experience in grant and project 
management?
    Proposals should provide complete information on the education, 
skills, training and relevant experience of the project leader. As 
appropriate, please cite technical qualifications and specific examples 
of prior, relevant experience. If this project will develop new tribal 
capacity, describe how the project leader and/or staff will gain 
necessary training and expertise.
    To whom does the project leader report? What systems of 
accountability and management oversight are in place to ensure that 
this project stays on track?
    If previously performed work directly impacts this project, briefly 
describe the connection. If a directly relevant project is currently 
ongoing, what progress has been made? If this new project builds upon 
earlier efforts, how will the tribe use the knowledge, data, and 
experience derived from previous projects to shape this new proposed 
activity?
    If appropriate, reviewers will give additional consideration to 
proposals that recognize and build upon existing, publicly available, 
technical and educational information.
Justification for Need of the Project, Soundness of Technical Approach 
(35 Points)
    To provide reviewers with context for your proposed project, and to 
assist them in gaining the clearest possible sense of the positive 
impact of this project on your tribe and the environment, please 
briefly provide some information about your reservation:
    1. Specify the size, geography, and general climate of the 
reservation.
    2. About how many residents are tribal members and how many are not 
tribal members?
    3. How much of the reservation is under cultivation?
    4. Does the reservation include wetlands or other preserves?
    5. If there is relevance to your project, briefly describe the 
tribal and non-tribal populations of surrounding counties/states, and 
surrounding land use.
    6. How many people (tribal/non-tribal) are employed by the tribal 
government (e.g., in government services, including health care, police 
and fire protection)?
    7. How many are employed on the reservation in other areas that use 
pesticides or may be impacted by their use (e.g., agriculture, animal 
husbandry, fisheries/fishing, forestry, construction, casinos/resorts/
golf course maintenance, etc.)?
    8. If you are concerned about pesticide pollution that may 
originate within reservation boundaries, what are the potential sources 
and what chemicals might be involved?
    9. If you are concerned with pollution migration from off-
reservation sources, what are those potential sources, and what 
chemicals are of specific concern?
    10. Is the tribe concerned about water quality issues? If so, 
please describe the nature of these concerns.
    11. Does the tribe currently have any pesticide policy or pesticide 
management program in place?
    12. Why is this project important to the tribe or the tribal 
consortium? What environmental issues(s) will it address and how 
serious and/or pervasive are these issues? What is the expected outcome 
of the project? What benefits will this project bring to the tribe in 
terms of human and environmental health?
    13. Has the tribe identified a need to coordinate or consult with 
other parties (tribal and/or non-tribal) to ensure the success of this 
project? If so, who are they and what is your plan to involve them? How 
will they be affected by the outcome of the project?
    14. What are the key outputs of this project? How do you propose to 
quantify and measure progress? Have interim milestones for this project 
been established? If so, what are they? How will you evaluate the 
success of the project in terms of measurable environmental results?
    15. Does your budget request accurately reflect the work you 
propose? Please provide a clear correlation between expenses and 
project objectives. Will EPA funding for this project be supplemented 
with funding from other source(s)? If so, please identify them.
    16. Please describe the steps you will take to ensure successful 
completion of the project. Provide a time line and description of 
interim and final results and deliverables.
Benefits, Sustainability, Transferable Results (35 Points)
    Will the results from this project continue to provide benefits to 
the tribe or other tribes after the period of performance has expired 
and this funding is no longer available? How are the benefits of this 
effort expected to be sustained over time? Can the project results be 
incorporated into existing and/or future pesticide-related tribal 
environmental activities? Are any of the deliverables, experiences, 
products, or outcomes resulting from the project transferable to other 
communities? Might this project readily be implemented by another 
tribe?
    What ecological or human health benefits does this project provide? 
What quality of life issues does the project address? Does the project 
have limited or broad application to address risks related to 
pesticides?
    Does the applicant recognize a need for coordination between tribal 
agencies and outside communities, and/or federal, state or local 
agencies? Will the project help build tribal infrastructure and 
capacity? How?
    c. Selection official. The final funding decision will be made from 
the group of top rated proposals by the Chief of the Government and 
International Services

[[Page 6660]]

Branch, Field and External Affairs Division, Office of Pesticide 
Programs.
    d. Dispute resolution process. The procedures for dispute 
resolution at 40 CFR 30.63 and 40 CFR 31.70 apply.

G. Application Requirements

    1. Content requirements. Proposals must be typewritten, double 
spaced, in 12 point or larger print, on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with 
minimum 1 inch horizontal and vertical margins. Pages must be numbered, 
in order, starting with the cover page and continuing through the 
appendices. One original and one electronic copy (e-mail or disk) is 
required.
    In order to be considered for funding, proposals must be submitted 
to the regional tribal pesticide staff contact indicated in Unit IV.H. 
of this solicitation.
    Your application package must include the following:
     Cover page. Including descriptive project title.
     Executive summary. The executive summary shall 
be a stand alone, overview document, of one page or less. It should 
quickly explain the high points of the proposed project and why it is 
important for the protection of human health and the environment in 
your part of Indian country. What do you intend to do with these grant 
funds and what do you expect these activities to accomplish?
     Table of contents. List the different sections 
of your proposal and the page number on which each section begins.
     Tribal project manager contact information, 
including qualifications.
     Proposal narrative. Includes sections I-IV as 
identified below. The narrative should not exceed 10 pages.
     Part I--Project title. Descriptive project 
title.
     Part II--Project description and objectives. In 
this section describe the project, its goals, and address relevant 
evaluation criteria.
     Part III--Approach and methods. In this section 
describe approach and methods and address appropriate evaluation 
criteria.
     Part IV--Impact assessment. In this section 
describe impacts your project will have on human health and the 
environment and address appropriate evaluation criteria.
    2. Draft work plan (1-2 pages). The submitted draft work plan 
should outline:
     Description/list of deliverables.
     The separate phases of the project.
     The tasks associated with each phase of the 
project.
     The time frames for completion of each phase or 
task.
     The name, title of the person(s) who will 
conduct each phase or task.
     The dates when progress reports will be provided 
to EPA, clearly showing deliverables, accomplishments, delays and/or 
obstacles. (Project costs cannot be incurred until a final work plan 
has been approved by the appropriate EPA regional office.)
    3. Estimated budget. The estimated budget should outline costs for 
personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, 
indirect cost rate, and any other costs associated with the proposed 
project.
    4. Letter or resolution from the tribal leadership showing support 
for, and commitment to, the project. (If it is not possible to obtain a 
letter/resolution from your tribal leader to submit with your project 
proposal, an interim letter of explanation must be included with the 
proposal. An original letter/resolution from your tribal leadership 
will be required prior to project award.) If the applicant is a 
consortium of federally recognized tribes (as defined in Unit I.A.), a 
letter from the consortium leadership, on consortium letterhead, 
affirming consortium status and member tribes' support for the project, 
must accompany the proposal.
    5. Letter of confirmation of availability for any other funds 
needed to complete the project. If your proposal requires the use of 
additional funds for leveraging, please include a letter from the 
funding source, confirming that these monies are available for the 
project. If the budget includes a tribal in-kind contribution, a letter 
of confirmation is not needed.
    6. Confidential business information. Applicants must clearly mark 
information considered confidential business information. EPA will make 
a final confidentiality determination for information the applicant 
claims as confidential business information, in accordance with Agency 
regulations at 40 CFR part 2, subpart B.
    7. Additional information. Additional information, including maps, 
data tables, excerpts from studies, photographs, news media reports, or 
other documents may be included in appendices to the main project 
proposal, when they add significant supporting detail to the main 
proposal. Appendix titles, and their starting page numbers, should be 
included in the Table of Contents, just after the proposal cover page.

H. Application Procedures

    1. Submission instructions. The applicant must submit the project 
proposal to the appropriate EPA regional contact, as listed below. One 
original, signed package must be sent by mail. An electronic copy of 
the proposal is also required and may either accompany the mailed 
package or be sent separately via e-mail to the regional contact. The 
proposal must be received by your EPA region no later than close of 
business March 29, 2004. Incomplete or late proposals will be 
disqualified for funding consideration. Contact the appropriate 
regional staff person if you need assistance or have questions 
regarding the creation or submission of a project proposal. To ensure 
proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket ID 
number OPP 2003-0398 in the subject line on the first page of your 
proposal.
    EPA regional tribal pesticide contacts are as follows:
    EPA Region I (Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, 
Vermont). Rob Koethe, EPA Region I, One Congress St., Suite 1100, 
(CPT), Boston, MA 02114-2023, telephone: (617) 918-1535, fax: (617) 
918-1505, e-mail: [email protected].
    EPA Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands). 
Tracy Truesdale, EPA Region II, U.S. EPA Facilities, Raritan Depot 
(MS50), 2890 Woodbridge Ave., Edison, NJ 08837-3679, telephone: (732) 
906-6894, fax: (732) 321-6771, e-mail: [email protected].
    EPA Region III (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West 
Virginia, District of Columbia). Fatima El Abdaoui, EPA Region III, 
Chestnut Building (3AT11), Philadelphia, PA 19107, telephone: (215) 
814-2129, fax: (215) 814-3114, e-mail: [email protected].
    EPA Region IV (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, 
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee). Randy Dominy, EPA Region 
IV, 61 Forsyth St., SW., Atlanta, GA 30303, telephone: (404) 562-8996, 
fax: (404) 562-8973, e-mail: [email protected].
    EPA Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin). 
Meonii Crenshaw, EPA Region V, 77 West Jackson Boulevard (DRT8J), 
Chicago, IL 60604-3507, telephone: (312) 353-4716, fax: (312) 353-4788, 
e-mail: [email protected].
    EPA Region VI (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas). 
Jerry Collins, EPA Region VI, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75202-2733, 
telephone: (214) 665-7562, fax: (214) 665-7263, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    EPA Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska). John Tice, EPA 
Region VII, 100 Centennial Mall N., Room 289, Lincoln, NE 68508,

[[Page 6661]]

telephone: (402) 437-5080, fax: (402) 323-9079, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    EPA Region VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, 
Utah, Wyoming). Margaret Collins, EPA Region VIII, 999 18th St., (8P 
P3T), Denver, CO 80202-2466, telephone: (303) 312-6023, fax: (303) 312-
6116, e-mail: [email protected].
    EPA Region IX (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, 
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam). Marcy Katzin, 
EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne St., (CMD 5), San Francisco, CA 94105, 
telephone: (415) 947-4215, fax: (415) 947-3583, [email protected].
    EPA Region X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington). Theresa Pimentel, 
EPA Region X, 1200 Sixth Avenue, (ECO-084), Seattle, WA 98101, 
telephone: (206) 553-0257, fax: (206) 553-1775, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    2. Notification process. Regions will notify their respective 
applicants of the selections. Those applicants not awarded funds may 
request an explanation for the lack of award from EPA regional staff.

V. Post Selection Activity

    Selected applicants must formally apply for funds through the 
appropriate EPA regional office. In addition, selected applicants must 
negotiate a final work plan, including reporting requirements, with the 
designated EPA regional project officer. For more general information 
on post award requirements and the evaluation of grantee performance, 
see 40 CFR part 31.

VI. Submission to Congress and the Comptroller General

    Grant solicitations such as this are considered rules for the 
purpose of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA, 5 U.S.C. 801 et 
seq., as added by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness 
Act of 1996 (SBREFA), 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 rule 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. 
This rule is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides, Tribes.


    Dated: February 5, 2004.
William H. Sanders,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and 
Toxic Substances.
[FR Doc. 04-2955 Filed 2-6-04; 2:07 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S