[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49728-49729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20554]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-10000-19-OLEM]
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Act (CERCLA) or Superfund, Section 128(a); Notice of Grant Funding
Guidance for State and Tribal Response Programs for Fiscal Year 2020
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: EPA Section 128(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended,
authorizes a noncompetitive $50 million grant program to establish and
enhance state and tribal response programs. These response programs
generally address the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of
brownfields sites and other sites with actual or perceived
contamination. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, EPA will consider grant
requests up to a maximum of $1.0 million per state or tribe. This
document announces the availability of guidance that will assist states
and tribes in the development and submission of grant applications and
the use of Fiscal Year 2020 section 128(a) funds.
DATES: The FY 2020 grant funding guidance is applicable as of October
1, 2019. EPA expects to make non-competitive grant awards to states and
tribes which apply during FY 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Lentz, Office of Brownfields
and Land Revitalization, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number (202)
566-2745.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
You may be affected by this action if you administer a State or
tribal response program that oversees assessment and cleanup activities
at brownfield sites across the country.
B. How can I get copies of the grant funding guidance and other related
information?
1. Docket. The docket for this action, identified by docket
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OLEM-2019-0540, is available online
at https://www.regulations.gov or in person at the Office of Land and
Emergency Management Docket (OLEM Docket), Environmental Protection
Agency Docket Center (EPA/DC), West William Jefferson Clinton Bldg.,
Rm. 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The Public Reading
Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OLEM Docket is
(202) 566-0270. Please review the visitor instructions and additional
information about the docket that is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
2. Electronic access. To access the grant funding guidance on EPA's
website, please go to https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding.
II. Authority
CERCLA section 128(a) (42 U.S.C. 9628(a)) authorizes a
noncompetitive $50 million grant program to establish and enhance state
and tribal response programs. CERCLA section 128(a)(1)(B)(ii)(III)
authorizes a noncompetitive $1.5 million grant program to assist small
communities, Indian tribes, rural areas, or disadvantaged areas to
carry out CERCLA section 104(k)(7) (42 U.S.C. 9604(k)(7)) (i.e., by
providing training, research, and technical assistance to individuals
and organizations, as appropriate, to facilitate the inventory of
brownfields sites, site assessments, remediation of brownfield sites,
community involvement, or site preparation).
III. Background
1. General. State and tribal response programs oversee assessment
and cleanup activities at brownfield sites across the country. The
depth and breadth of these programs vary. Some focus on CERCLA related
activities, while others are multi-faceted, addressing sites regulated
by both CERCLA and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (42
U.S.C. 6901 et seq.). Many states also offer accompanying financial
incentive programs to spur cleanup and redevelopment. In enacting the
Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act
(Pub. L. 107-118, 115 Stat. 2356), which added section 128 to CERCLA,
Congress recognized the value of state and tribal response programs in
cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield sites. Section 128(a)
recognizes the response programs' critical role in overseeing cleanups
and strengthens EPA's partnerships with states and tribes.
CERCLA section 128(a) response program grants are funded with
categorical State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) appropriations.
Categorical grants are issued by Congress to fund state and local
governments for narrowly defined purposes. This funding is intended for
those states and tribes that have the required management and
administrative capacity within their government to administer a federal
grant. The primary goal of this funding is to ensure that state and
tribal response programs include, or are taking reasonable steps to
include, certain elements of an environmental response program and that
the program establishes and maintains a public record of sites
addressed.
Section 128(a) cooperative agreements are awarded and administered
by the EPA regional offices. Generally, these response programs address
the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of brownfields sites and
other sites with actual or perceived contamination. Subject to the
[[Page 49729]]
availability of funds, EPA regional personnel will provide technical
assistance to states and tribes as they apply for and carry out section
128(a) cooperative agreements.
2. Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) and EPA Funding
Opportunity Number (FON). The CFDA entry for the section 128(a) State
and Tribal Response Program cooperative agreements is 66.817. The FON
for FY 2020 section 128(a) funds is EPA-CEP-02. This grant program is
eligible to be included in state and tribal Performance Partnership
Grants under 40 CFR part 35 Subparts A and B, with the exception of
funds used to capitalize a revolving loan fund for brownfield
remediation under CERCLA section 104(k)(3) or of funds received for a
Small Technical Assistance Grant under CERLCA section
128(a)(I)(B)(ii)(III); or purchase environmental insurance or
developing a risk sharing pool, an indemnity pool, or insurance
mechanism to provide financing for response actions under a State or
Tribal response program.
3. Application period. Requests for funding will be accepted from
October 1, 2019 through December 6, 2019. Requests EPA receives after
December 6, 2019 will not be considered for FY 2020 funding. States or
tribes that do not submit the request in the appropriate manner may
forfeit their ability to receive funds. First time requestors are
strongly encouraged to contact their respective Regional EPA
Brownfields contacts, identified in Table 1, prior to submitting their
funding request. EPA will consider funding requests up to a maximum of
$1.0 million per state or tribe for FY 2020.
Requests submitted by the December 6, 2019 request deadline are
preliminary; final cooperative agreement work plans and budgets will be
negotiated with the regional offices once final funding allocation
determinations are made. As in previous years, EPA will place special
emphasis on reviewing a cooperative agreement recipient's use of prior
section 128(a) funding in making allocation decisions and unexpended
balances are subject to 40 CFR 35.118 and 40 CFR 35.518 to the extent
consistent with this guidance. Also, EPA will prioritize funding for
recipients establishing their response programs.
Table 1--EPA Regional Brownfields Contacts for State and Tribal Response
Programs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State response Tribal response
Regional office program contact program contact
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Region 1 (CT, ME, MA, NH, James Byrne, 5 Post AmyJean McKeown, 5
RI, VT). Office Square, Post Office Square,
Suite 100 (OSRR07- Suite 100 (OSRR07-
2), Boston, MA 2), Boston, MA
02109-3912, Phone: 02109-3912, Phone:
(617) 918-1389; (617) 918-1248;
Fax: (617) 918-1294. Fax: (617) 918-
1294.
Region 2, (NJ, NY, PR, VI).. John Struble, 290 Phillip Clappin, 290
Broadway, 18th Broadway, 18th
Floor, New York, NY Floor, New York, NY
10007-1866, Phone: 10007-1866, Phone:
(212) 637-4291; (212) 637-4431;
Fax: (212) 637-3083. Fax: (212) 637-
3083.
Region 3, (DE, DC, MD, PA, Michael Taurino, Michael Taurino,
VA, WV). 1650 Arch Street 1650 Arch Street
(3HS51), (3HS51),
Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia, PA
19103, Phone: (215) 19103, Phone: (215)
814-3371; Fax: 814-3371; Fax:
(215) 814-3274. (215) 814-3274.
Region 4, (AL, FL, GA, KY, Cindy Nolan, 61 Cindy Nolan, 61
MS, NC, SC, TN). Forsyth Street SW, Forsyth Street SW,
10TH FL (9T25), 10TH FL (9T25),
Atlanta, GA 30303- Atlanta, GA 30303-
8960, Phone: (404) 8960, Phone: (404)
562-8425; Fax: 562-8425; Fax:
(404) 562-8788. (404) 562-8788.
Region 5, (IL, IN, MI, MN, Keary Cragan, 77 Rosita Clark, 77
OH, WI). West Jackson West Jackson
Boulevard (SB-5J), Boulevard (SB-5J),
Chicago, IL 60604- Chicago, IL 60604-
3507, Phone: (312) 3507, Phone: (312)
353-5669; Fax: 886-7251; Fax:
(312) 692-2161. (312) 697-2075.
Region 6, (AR, LA, NM, OK, Roger Hancock, 1445 Roger Hancock, 1445
TX). Ross Avenue, Suite Ross Avenue, Suite
1200 (6SF), Dallas, 1200 (6SF), Dallas,
TX 75202-2733, TX 75202-2733,
Phone: (214) 665- Phone: (214) 665-
6688; Fax: (214) 6688; Fax: (214)
665-6660. 665-6660.
Region 7, (IA, KS, MO, NE).. Susan Klein, 11201 Jennifer Morris,
Renner Boulevard 11201 Renner
(SUPRSTAR), Lenexa Boulevard
KS 66219, Phone: (SUPRSTAR), Lenexa
(913) 551-7786; KS 66219, Phone:
Fax: (913) 551-9786. (913) 551-7341;
Fax: (913) 551-
9341.
Region 8, (CO, MT, ND, SD, Christina Wilson, Melisa Devincenzi,
UT, WY). 1595 Wynkoop Street 1595 Wynkoop Street
(EPR-AR), Denver, (EPR-AR), Denver,
CO 80202-1129, CO 80202-1129,
Phone: (303) 312- Phone: (303) 312-
6706; Fax: (303) 6377; Fax: (303)
312-6065. 312-6962.
Region 9, (AZ, CA, HI, NV, Jose Garcia, Jr., Jose Garcia, Jr.,
AS, GU, MP). 600 Wilshire Blvd, 600 Wilshire Blvd,
Suite 1460, Los Suite 1460, Los
Angeles, CA 90017, Angeles, CA 90017,
Phone: (213) 244- Phone: (213) 244-
1811; Fax: (213) 1811; Fax: (213)
244-1850. 244-1850.
Region 10, (AK, ID, OR, WA). Mary K. Goolie, 222 Mary K. Goolie, 222
West 7th Avenue #19 West 7th Avenue #19
(AOO), Anchorage, (AOO), Anchorage,
AK 99513, Phone: AK 99513, Phone:
(907) 271-3414; (907) 271-3414;
Fax: (907) 271-3424. Fax: (907) 271-
3424.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 9628(a).
Dated: September 10, 2019.
David R. Lloyd,
Director, Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization.
[FR Doc. 2019-20554 Filed 9-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P