[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65571-65572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22755]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8498-4]


State Innovation Grant Program, Notice of Availability of 
Solicitation for Proposals for 2008 Awards

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for 
Environmental Innovation (NCEI) is giving notice of the availability of 
its solicitation for proposals for the 2008 grant program to support 
innovation by state environmental regulatory agencies--the ``State 
Innovation Grant Program.''
    The solicitation is available at the Agency's State Innovation 
Grant Web site: http://www.epa.gov/innovation/stategrants/solicitation2008.pdf, or may be requested from the Agency by e-mail to: 
[email protected], telephone, or by mail. Only the 
principal environmental regulatory agency within each State (generally, 
where delegated authorities for Federal environmental regulations 
exist) is eligible to receive these grants.

DATES: State environmental regulatory agencies will have until January 
3, 2008 to respond with a pre-proposal, budget, and project summary. 
The environmental regulatory agencies from the fifty (50) States; 
Washington, DC, and four (4) territories were notified of the 
solicitation's availability by fax and email transmittals on November 
15, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the solicitation can be downloaded from the 
Agency's Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/innovation/stategrants or may 
be requested by telephone (202-566-2186), or by e-mail (Innovation--
[email protected]). You can request a solicitation application 
package be sent to you by fax or by mail by contacting NCEI as 
indicated below.
    Applicants are requested to apply online using the Grants.gov Web 
site with an electronic signature. Applicants are encouraged to submit 
their pre-proposals early. For those applicants who lack the technical 
capability to apply electronically via Grants.gov, please contact 
Sherri Walker by phone at: (202) 566-2186 and/or by e-mail to: 
[email protected] for alternative submission 
procedures. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation, or 
questions concerning the solicitation should be sent 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, 
(202) 566-2186, (202) 566-2220 FAX, [email protected].
    For courier delivery only: Sherri Walker, State Innovation Grants 
Program, U.S. EPA, EPA West Building, Room 4214D, 1301 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20005.
    Proposal responses or questions 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 Sherri Walker at 202-566-2186. EPA will acknowledge all responses 
it receives to this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) is soliciting pre-proposals for an assistance agreement program 
(the ``State Innovation Grant Program'') in an effort to support 
innovation by State environmental regulatory agencies. In 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 EPA's partnership with the States by supporting 
state innovation compatible with EPA's Innovation Strategy. EPA wants 
to encourage states to build on previous experience (theirs and others) 
to undertake strategic innovation projects that promote larger-scale 
models for ``next generation'' environmental protection and promise 
better environmental outcomes and other beneficial results. EPA is 
interested in funding projects that: (i) Go beyond a single facility 
experiment and provide change that is ``systems-oriented;'' (ii) 
provide better results from a program, process, or sector-wide 
innovation; and (iii) promote integrated (multi-media) environmental 
management with a high potential for transfer to other states, U.S. 
territories, and tribes.
    ``Innovation in Permitting'' is again the theme for the 2008 
solicitation. Under this theme, EPA is interested in pre-proposals 
that:
    (a) Support the development of state Environmental Results Programs 
(ERPs);
    (b) Implement National Environmental Performance Track (PT) or 
similar performance-based environmental leadership programs by states, 
particularly including the development and implementation of 
incentives; or
    (c) Involve the application of Environmental Management Systems 
(EMS), including those that explore the relationship of EMS to 
permitting, or otherwise support integrated or multimedia strategies.

EPA continues to interpret ``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. EPA's focus 
on a small number of topics within this general subject area 
effectively concentrates the limited resources available for greater 
strategic impact. EPA may contemplate a very limited number of projects 
not linked to these focus areas, but otherwise related to the general 
theme of innovation in permitting, in particular as they address EPA 
regional and state environmental permitting priorities.
    This solicitation begins the sixth State Innovation Grant 
competition. Of the 35 projects that have been awarded in the prior 
rounds seventeen (17) were provided for development of environmental 
results programs, eight (8) were to enhance performance-based 
environmental leadership programs, eight (8) were related to 
environmental management systems and permitting, 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 
information on prior State Innovation Grant Program solicitations and 
awards, please see the EPA State Innovation Grants Web site at http://www.epa.gov/innovation/stategrants.


[[Page 65572]]


    Dated: November 6, 2007.
Elizabeth Shaw,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy Innovation.
[FR Doc. E7-22755 Filed 11-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P