[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 21, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19526-19527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10004]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPTS-00267; FRL-6066-8]
Notice of Availability of Grants and Selection Criteria for
PrintSTEP Pilots
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability of PrintSTEP grants.
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SUMMARY: To support States implementing PrintSTEP project pilots, EPA
plans to award three to five cooperative agreements of approximately
$100K each. To be eligible for PrintSTEP grants, all projects should
have an impact on regulating simultaneous air, water and hazardous
waste releases of chemicals or mixtures covered by Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA) from printing facilities.
DATES: The application must be submitted to EPA by close of business
July 20, 1999. EPA anticipates awarding the cooperative agreements no
later than September 30, 1999.
ADDRESSES: One original and four copies of the application must be
submitted to: Gina Bushong (2224A), Office of Compliance, Environmental
Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gina Bushong (2224A), Office of
Compliance, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: (202) 564-2242; e-mail address:
bushong.gina@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Printers Simplified Total Environmental Partnership
(PrintSTEP) model program was developed by a diverse group of
stakeholders as part of EPA's Common Sense Initiative (CSI). The
PrintSTEP program, which States will pilot, is designed to result in a
single-enforceable agreement that regulates a printing facility's
releases of chemicals or mixtures covered by TSCA to the air, water,
and hazardous waste streams all at once. The PrintSTEP design does not
change the existing environmental emissions or release standards for
the printing industry. Instead, it changes the process of implementing
those standards to improve efficiency, simplify requirements, and
improve environmental performance. Under the EPA budget, funds are
available to support States wishing to pilot test an alternative system
for regulating printing facilities.
PrintSTEP has been design to benefit State regulatory agencies,
printers, and the community. The combined features of PrintSTEP create
a system which integrates multiple interests and concerns, including a
process that is transparent, business flexible, and reduces
environmental impacts. Some of the PrintSTEP benefits to be evaluated
under the State PrintSTEP pilot projects include: Reducing the time and
resources spent on the administrative components of environmental
regulation, providing a multimedia plain language approach to
simplifying environmental requirements, providing early and meaningful
public participation, enhancing environmental protection, and providing
operational flexibility for printing facilities.
To assist in the implementation of PrintSTEP, three documents have
been developed. The first is a State Guide to PrintSTEP which provides
the States with what they need to know to implement a PrintSTEP pilot
program for their printers. The second, the Plain Language Workbook
provides printers with simplified tools to allow them to identify their
regulatory requirements. The Workbook also includes pollution
prevention information specific to the printing sector to help printers
reduce their emissions. Finally, the Community Handbook, provides
citizens an overview of environmental issues, background on the
printing industry, and suggestions for working with printers as part of
PrintSTEP.
It is strongly recommended that States requesting funding to pilot
a PrintSTEP program become familiar with the three documents described
above prior to submitting an application. Copies of these documents may
be obtained from Gina Bushong at the address under ``FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.''
II. Statutory Authority
The funding authority for making these cooperative agreements is
section 28 of TSCA. The authority provides that ``the Administrator may
make grants to States for the establishment and operation of programs
to prevent or eliminate unreasonable risks within the States to health
or the environment which are associated with a chemical substance or
mixture and with respect to which the Administrator is unable or is not
likely to take action under this chapter for their prevention and
elimination.'' This initiative addresses chemicals covered under TSCA
and complements, but does not duplicate, the Administrator's actions
under TSCA. These funds are being made available to States for priority
needs not currently addressed by the Administrator under TSCA due to
resource constraints.
III. Matching Requirements
States receiving TSCA section 28 grant funding are required to
contribute a minimum of 25% of the project cost. The State may utilize
in-kind services to satisfy this requirement consistent with 40 CFR
31.24.
IV. Eligibility
In accordance with TSCA, eligible applicants for purposes of
funding under this grant program include the 50 States, the District of
Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
Guam, the Canal Zone, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, or
any territory or possession of the United States. For convenience, the
term ``State'' in this notice refers to all eligible applicants. Local
governments, tribes, private universities, private nonprofit entities,
private businesses, and individuals are not eligible.
V. Pre-Proposal Submission
A. Scope
The funding authority provides an avenue for supporting cross-
media environmental projects such as PrintSTEP. Applicants for
PrintSTEP pilot funding, should propose an approach addressing the
significant components to be evaluated under the PrintSTEP pilot
project. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to obtain and
review copies of the materials, discussed in Unit I. of this document,
which have been developed for printers, communities and State
regulators as part of the development of PrintSTEP prior to developing
a pre-proposal. These materials may be obtained from the person listed
under ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.'' EPA will evaluate each
application with regard to its applicability to the key principles in
the PrintSTEP design. These key elements are outlined in the selection
criteria section of this notice. Pre-proposals
[[Page 19527]]
should be no more than 15 pages in length. Pre-proposals should be as
complete as possible since EPA may make selections for funding based on
the pre-proposals without further consultations with the applicants.
B. Selection Criteria
Include:
1. Delegation of program authority. The pre-proposal should include
a statement confirming that the applicant has the legal authority to
implement the Federal program for each environmental media covered by
their proposed PrintSTEP project. In the case where all media are not
covered in the pre-proposal, an explanation should be provided for any
omissions.
2. Stakeholder involvement. A plan for involvement of all
stakeholder groups (industry, environmental and environmental justice
groups, labor, regulators, etc.) in the design of the State PrintSTEP
program should be submitted. If possible, letters of support from
stakeholder groups should be included.
3. Regulatory components/coordination. A proposed design providing
a modular, multimedia regulatory system for printers who volunteer for
this pilot, including a process for coordination among various levels
of government should be provided. The design should include:
i. Description of the regulatory program and requirements covered
by the State's PrintSTEP program, including a discussion of which media
programs are included and a discussion of how the level of regulatory
requirements is directly related to the level of wastes generated.
ii. Description of how the program will cover new and/or existing
printing facilities, including a process for printing facility
modifications.
iii. Discussion of the type of printing facilities expected to be
included in the State's PrintSTEP pilot program (facility size,
printing process type etc.). The PrintSTEP pilots should only include
printing facilities that wish to volunteer to be part of the project.
iv. Geographic location of proposed PrintSTEP pilot (targeting a
pilot to a location where investigations are already underway to
evaluate a community's cumulative pollution exposure will be judged
favorably).
4. Public involvement. The key aspects of the program design to
enhance public involvement should be described including:
i. A description of the proposed information repository for making
printing facility information available to the public.
ii. Discussion of approaches to providing actual notice of printing
facility permitting to the public.
iii. A proposed method for identifying the relevant community
affected by a printing facility.
iv. Identification and discussion of any environmental justice
concerns within the geographic area proposed for the pilot.
v. A method for providing technical assistance to the community.
5. Printing facility support. Information should include:
i. A discussion of technical assistance available to businesses
seeking information about source reduction/pollution prevention
opportunities.
ii. Efforts to provide compliance assistance targeted to small
businesses.
6. Evaluation. The applicant must agree to work cooperatively with
EPA, the PrintSTEP development team, and the other grantees to develop
a final strategy for evaluating the PrintSTEP pilots. This will require
participation in at least one meeting of all awardees and the PrintSTEP
development team to be held in Washington, DC. A copy of the draft
evaluation strategy template should be requested from the person listed
under ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.''
7. Administrative components--i. A proposed staffing plan for
project.
ii. Compliance and enforcement program including a description of
resources.
iii. A proposed schedule for implementing the pilot.
iv. A breakdown of costs should be provided (Note: States must
provide a minimum of 25% of the total project costs).
v. Completed grant application forms. The Federal application forms
may be obtained from the person listed under ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.''
VI. Application Process
One original and four copies of the application must be submitted
to EPA at the address under ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT,'' by
close of business July 20, 1999. EPA anticipates awarding the
cooperative agreements no later than September 30, 1999. All non-
awarded applicants will be notified at that time. This solicitation is
authorized under the information collection request, Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) control number 2030-0020.
VII. Congressional Review Act
Under the Agency's current interpretation of the definition of a
``rule,'' grant solicitations such as this which are competitively
awarded on the basis of selection criteria, are considered rules for
the purpose of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). (The PrintSTEP
program itself is not considered a rule.) 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, Business and industry, Grants--
environmental protection, Printing.
Dated: April 9, 1999.
Elaine Stanley,
Director, Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 99-10004 Filed 4-21-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F
