[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 231 (Friday, December 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69563-69564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20351]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8250-4]


State Innovation Grant Program, Notice of Availability of 
Solicitation for 2007 Awards

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Center for 
Environmental Innovation (NCEI) is giving notice of the availability of 
its solicitation for pre-proposals for the 2007 ``State Innovation 
Grant Program,'' an assistance agreement program to support innovation 
by state environmental regulatory agencies.
    Only the principal environmental regulatory agency within each 
state, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia (generally, where 
delegated authorities for federal environmental regulations exist) is 
eligible to receive funding under this solicitation.

DATES: Eligible agencies will have until January 18, 2007 to respond 
with a pre-proposal, budget, and project narrative. Eligible agencies 
from the fifty (50) states, four (4) U.S. territories, and Washington, 
DC were notified of the solicitation's availability by e-mail and 
transmittals on November 27 and November 28, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Copies of this solicitation can be downloaded from EPA's 
State Innovation Grant Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/innovation/stategrants/solicitation2007.pdf. Copies of 
this solicitation may also be requested from the Agency by telephone 
((202)-566-2186), by e-mail ([email protected]), or by 
mail (see below).
    Applicants are requested to apply electronically through http://www.grants.gov, as explained in Section IV of the solicitation. 
Applicants must submit all information, as explained in Section IV of 
the solicitation, with their application package. Questions concerning 
the solicitation, and/or questions about responding to this notice may 
be submitted in writing via:
    E-mail to: [email protected]; Fax to: (202) 
566-2220; or USPS mail to: State Innovation Grants Program, National 
Center for Environmental Innovation, Office of the Administrator, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (MC 1807T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; or EPA will respond to all questions in 
writing, and all questions and responses will be posted on the EPA 
State Innovation Grant Web site at http://www.epa.gov/innovation/stategrants/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) is soliciting pre-proposals for the ``State Innovation Grant 
Program,'' an assistance agreement program, in an effort to support 
innovation by state environmental regulatory agencies. In

[[Page 69564]]

April 2002, EPA issued its plan for future innovation efforts, 
published as Innovating for Better Environmental Result: A Strategy to 
Guide the Next Generation of Innovation at EPA (EPA 100-R-02-002; 
http://www.epa.gov/innovation/pdf/strategy.pdf). This assistance 
agreement program strengthens the EPA's partnership with the states by 
assisting state innovation that supports EPA's Strategy. EPA would like 
to help states build on previous experience and undertake strategic 
innovation projects that promote larger-scale models for ``next 
generation'' environmental protection and that promise better 
environmental results. EPA is interested in funding projects that: (1) 
Go beyond a single facility experiment to promote change that is 
``systems-oriented,'' (2) provide better results from a program, 
process, or sector-wide innovation, and (3) promote integrated (multi-
media) environmental management with high potential for transfer to 
other states, U.S. territories, and tribes.
    ``Innovation in Permitting'' is again the theme for the 2007 State 
Innovation Grants solicitation. Under this theme, EPA is interested in 
pre-proposals for projects that:
     Support the development of state Environmental Results 
Programs (ERPs);
     Involve the application of Environmental Management 
Systems (EMS), including those that explore the relationship of EMS to 
permitting or otherwise promote the use of EMS to improve environmental 
performance beyond permit requirements (see EPA's Strategy for 
Determining the Role of EMS in Regulatory Programs at http://www.epa.gov/ems or http://www.epa.gov/ems/docs/EMS_and_the_Reg_Structure_41204Fpdf); or
     Implement National Environmental Performance Track 
Programs, or similar state performance-based environmental leadership 
programs, particularly including the development and implementation of 
incentives.
    EPA interprets ``innovation in permitting'' broadly to include 
permitting programs, pesticide licensing programs, and other 
alternatives or supplements to permitting programs. EPA is interested 
in creative approaches for both: (1) Achieving mandatory federal and 
state standards; and (2) encouraging performance and addressing 
environmental issues above and beyond minimum requirements.
    This solicitation begins the fifth State Innovation Grant 
competition. Of State Innovation Grant Program awards made in prior 
rounds under the theme of ``Innovation in Permitting'' (including those 
with pending awards): Fifteen (15) were provided for development of 
Environmental Results Programs, seven (7) were related to Environmental 
Management Systems and permitting, five (5) were to enhance 
Performance-Based Environmental Leadership programs, two (2) were for 
Watershed-based permitting, and one (1) was for an information 
technology innovation for the application of Geographic Information 
Systems (GIS) and a web-based portal to a permitting process. For more 
information on the prior State Innovation Grant Program solicitations 
and awards, please see the ``Highlights of Previous Awards'' attachment 
to this solicitation, or see the EPA State Innovation Grants Web site 
at http://www.epa.gov/innovation/stategrants.

    Dated: October 30, 2006.
Elizabeth Shaw,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy Innovation.
[FR Doc. E6-20351 Filed 11-30-06; 8:45 am]
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