Notice of Availability of Grants and Selection Criteria for PrintSTEP Pilots

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

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