[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 161 (Wednesday, August 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44274-44276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22071]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5878-5]
Brownfields Showcase Communities
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Solicitation of statements of interest from communities
interested in being designated as Brownfields Showcase Communities.
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SUMMARY: Participating Agencies Programs within the following Federal
agencies are participating in the selection and implementation of the
Brownfields Showcase Communities: Department of Agriculture, Department
of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department
of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of
Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department
of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of Transportation,
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Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, General
Services Administration, Small Business Administration.
Background
Brownfields are abandoned, idled or underused industrial and
commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated
by real or perceived contamination. The Brownfields Initiative was
launched to empower States, local governments, and other stakeholders
in economic redevelopment to work together to assess, clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. Communities have asked for more
interaction among all levels of government, the private sector, and
non-governmental organizations. In response, Federal agencies have
joined together to strengthen and improve their collaborative efforts
to clean up and reuse contaminated property.
A partnership of Federal agencies with interests in brownfields
redevelopment has been formed that will offer special technical,
financial and other assistance to selected communities. These
communities will be called Brownfields Showcases Communities and will
be models demonstrating the benefits of focused attention on
brownfields. The Federal partners plan to designate ten Brownfields
Showcase Communities, distributed across the country, varying by size,
resources and community character. The Brownfields Showcase Communities
project will be the centerpiece of the Brownfields Initiative and will
provide a pattern for future efforts.
Goals
The goals of the Brownfields Showcase Communities project are to:
Promote environmental protection and restoration, economic
redevelopment, job creation, community revitalization, and public
health protection, through the assessment, cleanup, and sustainable
reuse of brownfields;
Link Federal, State, local and non-governmental action
supporting community efforts to restore and reuse brownfields; and
Develop national models demonstrating the positive results
of public and private collaboration in addressing brownfields
challenges.
Benefits
A community will receive the following benefits from being
designated as a Brownfields Showcase Community.
National visibility for a community's brownfields efforts;
Coordinated delivery of technical and financial support
from participating Federal agencies. Participating agencies and
programs will vary for each Showcase Community depending upon the
particular Showcase's needs and plans. For example, an urban Showcase
Community might be served by different programs and resources than a
rural community;
Financial assistance, grants and cooperative agreements
from participating agency programs subject to the requirements of those
programs; and
Staff support in the form of a Federal employee assigned
to each Showcase Community to assist with coordination and
implementation activities.
Structure of the Statement of Interest
To be considered for selection as a Brownfields Showcase Community,
interested communities should submit a statement of interest that
includes the following information:
Proposal title;
Location: city, county, and state of the Showcase area;
Applicant identification: the name of the project director
of the Showcase project;
Contact Name/Title/Organization;
Contact Phone/Fax/E-Mail;
Name and contact information of the representative of the
appropriate governmental subdivision (Mayor, County Executive, Tribal
President) if different from the project director;
Date submitted: the date when the proposal is postmarked
or sent to EPA via registered or tracked mail;
Proposal Overview: explain how designation as a
Brownfields Showcase Community will help the community meet its
objectives and will advance the Brownfields Showcase Community goals;
and
Related Designations: identify whether the applicant or
the area for the proposed Showcase Community project is designated as a
Federal or State Brownfields pilot, a Federal or State Empowerment
Zone, Enterprise Community or other special economic area.
Statements of Interest are limited to two pages. Supplemental
materials such as appendices, maps, records, etc., will not be
considered during the initial screening phase of the selection process.
All communities, or regional groupings of communities, are eligible for
consideration as a Brownfields Showcase Community. Previous designation
as an EPA brownfields pilot is not a requirement for consideration, nor
are such communities precluded from applying. Statements of Interest
will be accepted from any party, but must be submitted in partnership
with a governmental entity to be eligible for consideration.
Selection Process
Selection of the Brownfields Showcase Communities will be done in
two phases. During Phase I, interested communities are invited to
submit two-page Statements of Interest which describe how the
community's designation as a Showcase Community will advance the goals
of the Showcase Communities project as described above. For example:
A community with well-defined brownfields problems that
can be addressed effectively through environmental cleanup and
sustainable reuse is more likely to be considered as a candidate
community than a community that suspects that there are brownfields
problems in their jurisdiction that may require attention;
A community with an established network of working
relationships among Federal, State, and local governments, and other
public and private stakeholders is more likely to be considered as a
candidate community than a community which is just beginning to create
these types of relationships;
A community that has begun preliminary work such as
cleanup and redevelopment planning, securing private investors, and
exploring public financial opportunities is more likely to be
considered as a candidate community than a community that has just
started to address its brownfields issues. Within two years after
designation, a Brownfields Showcase Community should be able to
demonstrate success in dealing with cleanup and reuse issues.
The Showcase Communities Selection Board, which represents the
participating Federal agencies, will evaluate the Statements of
Interest. It will screen the applications to create a list of 30 to 40
candidate communities which will then be invited to move into Phase II
of the selection process.
During Phase II, the 30 to 40 candidate communities will be invited
to submit ten-page proposals which more fully describe their
brownfields efforts. At that stage, communities will be encouraged to
submit supporting materials which demonstrate the breadth of support
for their application within the community. The Showcase Communities
Selection Board will then evaluate and select the ten Brownfields
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Showcase Communities, using the detailed criteria listed below.
1. Brownfields Potential: Describe the brownfields that exist, or
are perceived to exist, in the community and that have reasonable
potential for environmental restoration and economic reuse in the near-
term.
2. Community Need: Describe how this is an area which has social
and economic conditions which would benefit from Federal assistance for
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.
3. Local Commitment: Describe the degree of local commitment to
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment including existing community
efforts and investment of community resources.
4. Federal, State, and Local Partnerships: Describe the Federal,
State, and local agencies and organizations participating in the
community's brownfields activities, including other programs and funds
available for brownfields activities.
5. Strategic Planning: Describe the extent to which the brownfields
strategy is part of a larger redevelopment strategy that will link
brownfields cleanup to economic redevelopment strategies, job creation,
increased environmental protection, and sustainability.
6. Management Capability: Describe prior experience or knowledge in
managing similar redevelopment, cleanup, and community participation
activities. Also describe what specific planning and programmatic
requirements have been met for Federal financing programs anticipated
for use.
7. Environmental Justice: Describe the extent to which low-income,
minority, and other disadvantaged communities will participate in the
development of community brownfields redevelopment plans.
8. National Replicability: Describe how the community will serve as
a model for other similarly situated communities in addressing
brownfields redevelopment.
Communities that are invited to submit Phase II proposals should
respond directly to these criteria in their proposals. Further
application requirements and guidelines will be provided to the
candidate communities to assist them in preparing their application.
Note that in Phase I (the initial Statement of Interest) of the
selection process, interested communities should consider the detailed
criteria, but do not have to respond to each criterion.
DATES: Submit Statements of Interest on or before September 19, 1997.
All proposals must be postmarked or sent to EPA via registered or
tracked mail by the deadline cited above.
ADDRESSES: Address Statements of Interest to Gayle Rice or Sven-Erik
Kaiser, U.S. EPA (5101), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gayle Rice, 202-260-8431 or Sven-Erik
Kaiser, 202-260-5138.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additional information, if any, will be
updated on the Internet Worldwide Web at the Universal Resource
Location address of ``http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.'' Persons lacking
Internet access can communicate with the contact persons listed above.
Dated: August 14, 1997.
Timothy Fields, Jr.,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response.
[FR Doc. 97-22071 Filed 8-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
