[Federal Register: March 19, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 53)] [Notices] [Page 13578] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19mr99-73] [[Page 13578]] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-6312-4] Interagency Project To Clean Up Open Dumps on Tribal Lands: Request for Proposals AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The national Tribal Solid Waste Interagency Workgroup (Workgroup) is soliciting proposals for its Tribal Open Dump Cleanup Project (Cleanup Project). Approximately $1.6 million is available to fund selected proposals with the possibility of additional funds depending on the scope of the individual project. The Cleanup Project is intended to demonstrate the Federal government's ability to provide comprehensive solid waste management funding and technical support to tribes by assisting three to six tribes with the closure or upgrade of ``high priority'' waste disposal sites. In determining whether a site is high priority, the Workgroup will generally rely on the Indian Health Service's 1997 Report--Open Dumps on Indian Lands. The Workgroup recognizes that an individual tribe may have information on high priority sites that are not included in the IHS Report. To address such sites, the Request for Proposals package includes criteria that allow a tribe to demonstrate that a site represents a serious threat to human health and the environment and should be considered high priority. The Workgroup plans to use information gathered from the Cleanup Project to devise a strategy to support further tribal efforts to address solid waste management needs. The Tribal Solid Waste Interagency Workgroup was established in April 1998 to devise a Federal plan for helping tribes bring their waste disposal sites into compliance with the municipal solid waste landfill criteria (40 CFR part 258), i.e., closing or upgrading open dumps and planning for appropriate alternative disposal. Current workgroup members include representatives from EPA (Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and American Indian Environmental Office), the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Departments of Agriculture (Hazardous Waste Management Group and Rural Utilities Service) and Defense. Criteria: Eligible recipients of assistance under the Cleanup Project include Federally recognized tribes, Alaska native villages, and multi-tribe 501(c)(3) organizations whose membership consists of Federally recognized tribes and/or Alaska native villages. Proposals should be no more than 10 pages in length, excluding supporting documentation. A full explanation of the submittal process, the qualifying requirements, and the criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals for this Cleanup Project may be found in the Request for Proposals package. DATES: To be considered, proposals must be postmarked no later than April 23, 1999. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For copies of the Request for Proposals package, or, if you have questions regarding this request or the Tribal Solid Waste Interagency Workgroup, please contact your regional EPA office or EPA--Melanie Barger Garvey, 202-564-2579 or Beverly Goldblatt, 703-308-7278, IHS--Steve Aoyama, 301-443-1046, BIA-- Jerry Gidner, 202-208-5696. The Request for Proposals package may be downloaded from the Internet at . Click on ``What's New.'' Matthew Hale, Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste. [FR Doc. 99-6783 Filed 3-18-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P