[Federal Register: April 22, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 77)]
[Notices]
[Page 19813-19815]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22ap03-74]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7486-5]
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Act (CERCLA) or Superfund, Section 311(c); Request for Applications
(RFA)--Grants
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: On April 22, 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
will begin to accept proposals from non-profit organizations and
educational institutions for grants to support research on improving
meaningful non-Federal stakeholder involvement in decisions concerning
the cleanup of hazardous waste at Federal facilities. EPA believes
meaningful stakeholder involvement in the cleanup decision making
process has resulted in significantly reducing costs, increasing
effectiveness, and promoting decisions which reflect the diverse
interests of those responsible for or affected by Federal facilities.
DATES: Please submit applications on or before June 23, 2003.
ADDRESSES: U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC
20460 (mailing address); Crystal Gateway (1st Floor), 1235 Jefferson
Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202 (building address); http://epa.gov/swerffrr/index.htm
(Web site address).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean M. Flynn with EPA's Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Federal Facilities Restoration and
Reuse Office: (703) 603-0080 or flynn.sean@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Instructions for Submitting a Proposal (See
http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/how_to_apply.htm.)
EPA will accept proposals either postmarked or received by EPA via
registered or tracked mail by 12 PM (Eastern) on (60 days after date of
publication). Copies of Standard Form 424 (SF 424), Application for
Federal Assistance may be obtained by following the links to standard
forms on the following Web site: http://www.gsa.gov/forms. Applicants
should send one (1) original (clearly labeled as such) and five (5)
copies of their proposal to Sean M. Flynn, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. (5106G), Washington,
DC 20460, RE: RFA 03-OSWER-001.
Applicants must clearly mark any information in their proposal that
they consider confidential. EPA will make final confidentiality
decisions in accordance with Agency regulations found at 40 CFR part 2,
subpart B.
Authority: The Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) section 311(c) authorizes
EPA to use appropriated Superfund money to fund research projects
for the conduct and dissemination of scientific, socioeconomic,
institutional, and public policy related to the effects, risks, and
detection of hazardous substances in the environment, including that
found on current or former Federal facilities.
As required by statute, all research must relate to hazardous
substances. Furthermore, available funding is restricted to
``research'' as defined at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
30.2(dd). EPA has interpreted ``research'' under CERCLA section 311(c)
to include study that extends to socioeconomic, institutional, and
public policy issues, as well as the ``natural'' sciences.
Background: This solicitation is targeted at non-profit
organizations and educational institutions interested in researching
ways to improve meaningful non-Federal stakeholder participation in the
discussion and resolution of issues concerning hazardous waste
contamination caused, generated, or managed by Federal agencies and
departments. Historically, most of EPA's work in the Federal facilities
program has been focused on addressing hazardous waste contamination at
DoD and DOE sites on the National Priorities List (NPL) and at Base
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) properties. Greater attention, however,
is increasingly being given to contamination at other Federal agency/
department sites, including properties formerly owned or operated by
the Federal government.
In order to promote citizen involvement, EPA's Federal Facilities
Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO) collaborates with States and
tribes, local governments, environmental and community groups, labor
organizations, and universities to provide the maximum possible level
of stakeholder involvement in decision making and priority setting for
the cleanup of Federal facilities. This collaboration is often
accomplished via the award of grants and cooperative agreements to
outside parties. Such is the purpose of this solicitation.
The research grants resulting from this solicitation will directly
benefit non-Federal stakeholders in the Federal facility cleanup
process. The research is not meant to directly benefit EPA or other
Federal agencies, although EPA and other Federal agencies may derive
indirect benefits. Grants, unlike cooperative agreements, provide for
little or no involvement on the part of the Federal government. By
awarding a grant, EPA does not expect to have any substantial
involvement in the research process. Nevertheless, EPA will be in
contact with the grant recipients periodically via phone, e-mail, and,
as appropriate, site visits.
For Federal fiscal year `04, EPA anticipates awarding between one
and three grants and will consider funding requests up to a maximum of
$150,000 per grant. Furthermore, the anticipated project period is
September 2003--August 2004.
Eligibility for Funding: Interested non-profit organizations and
educational institutions must structure their research in a way that
generates recommendations for use by non-Federal stakeholders, rather
than by EPA, DoD, DOE, or another Federal agency or department.
Projects which provide services for the direct use or
[[Page 19814]]
benefit of Federal agencies are not eligible for funding.
The term ``non-profit'' is defined in U.S. Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) Circular A-122, while ``educational institution'' refers
to colleges and universities subject to OMB Circular A-21. Groups of
two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a coalition and
submit a single application in response to this solicitation. However,
one applicant will be accountable to EPA for proper expenditure of
funds. Furthermore, any financial transactions between coalition
members must comply with 40 CFR part 30.
Per section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, non-profit
organizations that engage in lobbying activities--as defined in Section
3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995--are not eligible to apply for
or be part of a coalition. Non-profit organizations and educational
institutions are not required to provide matching funds for grants
awarded under section 311(c).
Evaluation of Proposals: EPA will conduct the competition
consistent with EPA Order 5700.5, Policy on Competition for Assistance
Agreements (9/12/02). EPA will assemble a review panel consisting of
members familiar with the Federal facilities program and non-Federal
stakeholder involvement in the cleanup process. The review panel will
use a point system to rank applications and make recommendations to
FFRRO's Office Director, who will then make the final selections.
Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified of their
award status in writing. Disputes will be resolved in accordance with
40 CFR 30.63. EPA anticipates awarding grants within sixty (60)
calendar days of the application deadline.
EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no
awards.
Proposal Contents: Proposals must be clear and decisive, strictly
follow the specified criteria, and provide sufficient detail in order
for the panel members to compare the merits of each and decide which
proposal best supports the intent of the research. Vague descriptions
and unnecessary redundancy may reduce the chance of a favorable rating.
Proposals providing the best evidence of a quality project and
appropriate use of funds will have the greatest chance of being
recommended by the panel. Each proposal must include the following
sections, all of which are described in detail further below:
Cover page (1 page)
Overview (1page)
Budget (1 page)
Responses to Threshold Criterion (\1/2\ page)
Eligibility
Responses to Evaluation Criteria (up to 12 pages)
Familiarity with Subject Matter
Technical Approach
Past Performance on Other Grants
Leveraging Other Resources
To ensure fair and equitable evaluation of the proposals, do not
exceed the single-sided page limitations referenced above. There is no
guarantee that pages submitted beyond the limitations will be reviewed
by the evaluation panel. In addition, all materials included in the
proposal (including attachments) must be printed on letter-sized paper
with font sizes no smaller than 12 points. Furthermore, all materials
must be printed double-sided on paper with a minimum recycled content
of at least 35%.
Cover Page: This page is intended to introduce the applicant and
identify a primary point of contact for communication with EPA. The
cover page should be a single page and include the following
information. Applicants are free to use any format they choose:
[sbull] Applicant identification--the name of the main implementor
of the project.
[sbull] Contact--the name of the person who is responsible for the
proposal.
[sbull] Mailing address/telephone/fax/e-mail of the point of
contact for the proposal.
[sbull] Submittal date.
Overview: Briefly summarize your approach to undertaking the
necessary research and how you envision the findings will be applied.
Budget: Present a clear and detailed budget for the project. The
following budget categories may be useful: salaries, fringe benefits,
indirects, other direct, travel, equipment, supplies, printing,
administrative, and contracts. EPA defines ``equipment'' as any item
which costs $5,000 or more. Items less than $5,000 are considered
supplies. Allowable expenses include direct costs related to the
research and any indirect costs authorized under the applicable OMB
Circular.
Threshold Criterion: The applicant must satisfy the following
threshold criterion in order for the proposal to be considered:
[sbull] Eligibility: All applicants must demonstrate that they are
either an eligible non-profit organization or an educational
institution.
Evaluation Criteria: An applicant's response to each of the
following criteria will be the primary basis upon which EPA rates the
proposal. The evaluation panel will review each proposal carefully and
assess the responses based on how well they address the criteria. A
point system will be used to evaluate the proposals. Listed next to the
title of each evaluation factor below is the maximum number of points
that can be earned for that particular criterion (out of a maximum
possible score of 100).
1. Familiarity With Subject Matter (35 Points)
[sbull] Describe your experience with environmental cleanups,
especially those conducted at Federal facilities (e.g., Former Used
Defense Sites (FUDS), BRAC sites, NPL sites).
[sbull] Describe your experience with public participation,
especially with regard to Federal programs.
[sbull] Describe your experience conducting research and
disseminating the results.
[sbull] What do you consider to be the greatest challenge(s)
currently facing the Federal facilities cleanup program, and how would
enhanced non-Federal stakeholder involvement better assist the process?
[sbull] What do you consider to be ``meaningful'' stakeholder
involvement?
2. Technical Approach (35 Points)
[sbull] What, specifically, do you propose to research (e.g.,
certain issues, certain sites, etc.) and why?
[sbull] Describe which research methods you propose to use and why.
[sbull] What difficulties do you expect to encounter and how might
they be overcome?
[sbull] What will be the deliverables/end products?
[sbull] How and to whom will the findings be disseminated?
[sbull] How do you envision the findings will be applied?
[sbull] What measures will you use to determine the success of the
project?
[sbull] What role will environmental justice play in your research?
3. Past Performance on Other Grants (25 Points)
[sbull] Describe your performance history administering grants or
cooperative agreements for EPA, other Federal agencies, and/or state/
local/tribal regulatory agencies; provide contact information so that
the evaluation panel members can obtain additional information as
necessary.
[sbull] You must also demonstrate satisfactory past performance
conducting research; you may include evaluation results from previous
projects, as well as letters of commendation.
[[Page 19815]]
4. Leveraging Other Resources (5 Points)
[sbull] Although EPA does not require cost sharing for CERCLA
section 311(c) research proposals submitted in response to a
solicitation, describe any plans you have to obtain additional
financial or in-kind support for your efforts in performing this
research.
Pre-application Assistance: EPA will offer pre-application
assistance by answering all questions posted on the following Web site:
http://clu-in.org/fracrock/proposal. All questions and answers will be
posted.
Terms and Reporting: Grants will include programmatic and
administrative terms and conditions. These terms and conditions will
describe what is expected from the grant recipient.
The grantee will be required to submit quarterly progress reports.
The grantee should only report on activities funded (in whole or in
part) via the grant. The narrative should include descriptions of all
action items resulting from meetings, site visits, and other
activities, as well as milestones achieved and any challenges
encountered. The reports should include lists of action items and
corresponding milestone dates (e.g., a toolkit to be developed, a
letter sent to DoD, or a meeting scheduled to address citizen
concerns). In addition, all quarterly reports must be internally
reviewed and approved for quality assurance purposes prior to
submission. Costs incurred in complying with reporting requirements are
an eligible expense under CERCLA section 311(c).
Dated: April 14, 2003.
James E. Woolford,
Director, Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office, Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. 03-9911 Filed 4-21-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P