97-13480. Notice of Availability of Regional Environmental Stewardship Program Grants

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28474-28475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13480]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-00482; FRL-5716-4]


Notice of Availability of Regional Environmental Stewardship 
Program Grants

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Regional Pesticide Environmental 
Stewardship Program Grants.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the availability of approximately $498 
thousand in fiscal year 1997 grant/cooperative agreement funds under 
section 20 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act 
(FIFRA) as amended, (the Act), for grants to States and all Federally 
recognized Native American Tribes. The grant dollars are targeted at 
State and Tribal programs that address reduction of the risks 
associated with pesticide use in agricultural and non-agricultural 
settings in the United States. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs is 
offering the following grant opportunities to interested and qualified 
parties.

DATES: In order to be considered for funding during the FY97 award 
cycle, all applications must be received by the appropriate EPA 
regional office on or before June 6, 1997. EPA will make its award 
decisions by June 27, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Your EPA Regional Pesticide 
Environmental Stewardship Program Coordinator. Contact names for the 
coordinators are listed under Unit IV. of this document.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Availability of FY 97 Funds

    With this publication, EPA is announcing the availability of 
approximately $498 thousand in grant/cooperative agreement funds for 
FY97. The Agency has delegated grant making authority to the EPA 
Regional Offices. Regional offices are responsible for the solicitation 
of interest, the screening of proposals, and the selection of projects. 
Grant guidance will be provided to all applicants along with any 
supplementary information the Regions may wish to provide.
    All applicants must address the criteria listed under Unit III.B. 
of this document. In addition, applicants may be required to meet any 
supplemental Regional criteria. Interested applicants should contact 
their Regional PESP coordinator listed under Unit IV. of this document 
for more information.

II. Eligible Applicants

    In accordance with the Act, 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, any 
territory or possession of the United States, any agency or 
instrumentality of a State including State universities, and all 
Federally recognized Native American tribes. For convenience, the term 
``State'' in this notice refers to all eligible applicants. Local 
governments, private universities, private nonprofit entities, private 
businesses, and individuals are not eligible. The organizations 
excluded from applying directly are encouraged to work with eligible 
applicants in developing proposals that include them as participants in 
the projects. Contact your EPA Regional PESP coordinator for assistance 
in identifying and contacting eligible applicants. EPA strongly 
encourages this type of cooperative arrangement.

III. Activities and Criteria

A. General

    The goal of PESP is to reduce the risks associated with pesticide 
use in agricultural and non-agricultural settings in the United States. 
The purpose of the grant program is to support the establishment and 
expansion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a tool to be used to 
accomplish the goals of PESP. The grant program is also designed to 
research alternative pest management practices, demonstrate unique 
application techniques, research control methods for pest complexes, 
produce educational materials for better pest identification or 
management, and other activities that further the goals of PESP. EPA 
specifically seeks to build State and local IPM capabilities or to 
test, at the State level, innovative approaches and methodologies that 
use application or other strategies to reduce the risks associated with 
pesticide use. Funds awarded under the grant program should be used to 
support the Environmental Stewardship Program and its goal of reducing 
the risk/use of pesticides. State projects might focus on, for example:
      Developing multimedia activities, including but not 
limited to: promoting local IPM activities, user-community awareness of 
new innovative techniques for using pesticides, providing technical 
assistance to pesticide users; collecting and analyzing data to target 
outreach and technical assistance opportunities; conducting outreach 
activities; developing measures to determine and document progress in 
pollution prevention; and identifying regulatory and non-regulatory 
barriers or incentives to pollution prevention and developing plans to 
implement solutions, where possible.
      Institutionalizing IPM as an environmental management 
priority, establishing prevention goals, developing strategies to meet 
those goals, and integrating the ethic within both governmental and 
nongovernmental institutions of the State or region.
      Initiating demonstration projects that test and support 
innovative pesticide use practices, approaches and methodologies 
including measuring progress towards meeting the goal of 75% 
implementation of IPM by the year 2000.

B. Criteria

    Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

[[Page 28475]]

    1. Qualifications and experience of the applicant relative to the 
proposed project.
      Does the applicant demonstrate experience in the field of 
the proposed activity?
      Does the applicant have the properly trained staff, 
facilities, or infrastructure in place to conduct the project?
    2. Consistency of applicant's proposed project with the risk 
reduction goals of the PESP.
    3. Provision for measuring and documenting the project's results 
quantitatively and qualitatively (evaluation).
      Is the project designed in such a way that it is possible 
to measure and document the results quantitatively and qualitatively?
      Does the applicant identify the method that will be used 
to measure and document the project's results quantitatively and 
qualitatively?
      Will the project assess or suggest a new means of 
measuring progress in reducing risk/use of pesticides in the United 
States.
    4. Likelihood that the project can be replicated in other areas by 
other organizations to benefit other communities or that the product 
may have broad utility to a widespread audience. Can this project, 
taking into account typical staff and financial restraints, be 
replicated by similar organizations in different locations to address a 
problem that exists in other communities?

C. Program Management

    Awards of FY 1997 funds will be managed through the EPA Regional 
Offices.

D. Contacts

    Interested applicants are requested to contact the appropriate EPA 
Regional PESP coordinator listed under Unit IV. of this document to 
obtain specific instructions and guidance for submitting proposals.

IV. Regional Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program Contacts

Region I: (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode 
Island, Vermont), Robert Koethe, (CPT), 1 Congress St., Boston, MA 
02203. Telephone: [phone], [e-mail]
Region II: (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands), Fred 
Kozak, (MS-240), 2890 Woodbridge Ave., Edison, NJ 08837. Telephone: 
[phone], [e-mail]
Region III: (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, 
District of Columbia), Lisa Donahue, (3AT11), 841 Chestnut Bldg., 
Philadelphia, PA 19107. Telephone: [phone], 
[e-mail]
Region IV: (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North 
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee), Richard Pont, 12th Floor, Atlanta 
Federal Center, 61 Forsyth St., SW., Atlanta, GA 30303-3104. Telephone: 
[phone], [e-mail]
Region V: (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin), 
David Macarus, (DRT-14J), 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604, 
[phone] [e-mail]
Region VI: (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas), Jerry 
Collins, (6PD-P), 1445 Ross Ave., 6th Floor, Suite 600, Dallas, TX 
75202, Telephone: [phone], [e-mail]
Region VII: (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska), Glen Yager, 726 
Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101. Telephone: [phone], 
[e-mail]
Region VIII: (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, 
Wyoming), Debbie Kovacs, (8P2-TX), 999 18th St., Suite 500, Denver, CO 
80202-2466. Telephone: [phone], [e-mail]
Region IX: (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam), 
Roccena Lawatch, (CMD4-3), 75 Hawthorne St., San Francisoco, CA 94105, 
Telephone: [phone], [e-mail]
Region X: (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington), Karl Arne, (ECO-084), 
1200 Sixth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101. Telephone: [phone], 
[e-mail]

    Dated: May 16, 1997.
Kathleen D. Knox,
Acting Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, 
Office of Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 97-13480 Filed 5-22-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F