[Federal Register: August 23, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 164)]
[Notices]
[Page 44345-44346]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23au01-47]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7041-3]
Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust Fund Cooperative
Agreements--USTfields Pilots; Announcement of Proposal Deadline for
Request for Proposals for the Competition for USTfields Pilots
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Request for proposals; notice of deadline.
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SUMMARY: EPA is accepting proposals for financial assistance for
USTfields Pilots. "USTfields" are abandoned or underused industrial
and commercial properties with real or perceived environmental
contamination from petroleum from federally-regulated underground
storage tanks (USTs). Up to half of the estimated 450,000 brownfields
sites in the United States may contain abandoned underground storage
tanks or be impacted by petroleum leaks from such tanks. However,
petroleum contamination is generally excluded from coverage under the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) and is not, therefore, covered under EPA's Brownfields
program.
EPA's USTfields initiative is intended to bridge this gap and take
advantage of the many advances in Brownfields work that could and
should be applied to the numerous USTfields sites across the country.
The USTfields initiative will accomplish this by selecting pilots
intended to: help clean up abandoned or underused underground storage
tank sites; demonstrate how federal, state, tribal, local, and private
entities can combine their knowledge and resources to effectively
address USTfields properties; take advantage of the expertise and
existing infrastructure being used in similar EPA cleanup projects to
maximize the use of available resources; and disseminate the lessons
learned from these pilots.
EPA is inviting states (including the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American
Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands),
federally-recognized Indian tribes, and eligible intertribal consortia
to submit up to three proposals each to compete for these pilots. EPA
expects to select up to 40 USTfields pilots in 2001. Each selected
pilot will receive up to $100,000 in Leaking Underground Storage Tank
(LUST) Trust Fund monies. These USTfields Pilots will be selected on a
competitive basis. Detailed instructions and information on how to
apply for these pilots, the eligibility requirements, the factors that
will be used to evaluate the proposals, and a description of the
evaluation process EPA will use can be found in The USTfields
Initiative: Proposal Guidelines for USTfields Pilots (EPA 510-B-01-001,
August 2001) and is available on EPA's website at www.epa.gov/oust and
from other sources (see below). To assist state, tribal, and
intertribal consortia applicants, EPA will conduct a series of regional
conference calls. Please consult the same website for the schedule of
these conference calls. Questions and answers from the conference calls
will also be summarized and posted as soon as possible on this website.
DATES: The deadline for submitting proposals for the USTfields Pilots
is October 22, 2001. All proposals must be postmarked by that date.
States, tribes, and intertribal consortia must send their proposals to
their respective EPA Regional office via registered or tracked mail.
(EPA Regional office contact information is provided in the Proposal
Guidelines.)
ADDRESSES: Besides obtaining the Proposal Guidelines on EPA's website
at www.epa.gov/oust, interested persons can also obtain a copy by
contacting their EPA Regional office or by calling the RCRA, Superfund,
and EPCRA Call Center at the following numbers: Callers outside the
Washington, DC metro area at 1-800-424-9346; callers in the Washington,
DC metro area at (703) 412-9810; TDD for the hearing impaired at 1-800-
553-7672.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven McNeely, EPA Office of
Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) at (703) 603-7164,
mcneely.steven@epa.gov, or Tim R. Smith, EPA OUST at (703) 603-7158,
smith.timr@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA's goal is to select a broad array of
USTfields Pilots that will serve as models for states, local areas,
tribes, and U.S. territories. EPA anticipates that at least one
USTfields Pilot will be awarded in each of its ten Regions. EPA also
anticipates that at least one USTfields Pilot will be awarded for a
pilot submitted by a tribal or intertribal consortium applicant. A
preference will be given to applicants that have previously
participated in an EPA cleanup program (e.g., Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot or RCRA Brownfields Pilot). EPA reserves the right
to reject all applications and make no awards.
[[Page 44346]]
The following is a summary of the evaluation criteria that will be
used.
- Eligibility and Threshold Requirements is intended to
gauge if the proposal is complete and otherwise meets the eligibility
and threshold requirements for applicants and proposed properties and
activities.
- Resource Use and Leveraging is intended to gauge how well
a proposed project will utilize potential USTfields Pilot LUST Trust
funds, including how it will leverage existing infrastructure.
- Community Involvement is intended to gauge how well a
proposed pilot is supported by its community and the benefits to that
community.
- Communication and Outreach is intended to gauge how well a
proposed pilot will be able to convey "lessons learned" and the
progress and results from conducting the project.
- Corrective Action Challenge is intended to gauge how well
a proposed pilot will address the corrective action challenges.
- Project Planning and Schedule is intended to gauge how
comprehensive the plans are for completing the proposed pilot and how
soon the pilot will be completed.
Dated: August 13, 2001.
Michael Shapiro,
Acting Assistant Administrator,Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response.
[FR Doc. 01-21336 Filed 8-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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