[Federal Register: April 15, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 72)]
[Notices]
[Page 18205]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15ap03-65]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7483-2]
Compliance Assistance Centers; Request for Suggestions on
Candidates for Compliance Assistance Center Development in FY 2004
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Solicitation for suggestions.
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SUMMARY: In partnership with industry, academic institutions,
environmental groups, and other agencies, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) supports thirteen Compliance Assistance Centers (Centers)
to help small- and medium-size businesses and local governments better
understand and comply with environmental regulations. These Centers
provide easy to understand compliance information targeted to specific
sectors, geographic and environmental topics: agriculture; automotive
service and repair; automotive recycling, chemical manufacturers;
construction; federal facilities; local governments, metal finishing;
paints and coatings; printed wiring board manufacturers; printers;
transportation; and the U.S. / Mexican border environmental issues. All
Centers can be accessed at http://www.assistancecneters.net.
EPA would like to expand the Center program to support other
sectors, geographical areas or topical issues.
To support new Center development, EPA has funded the National
Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) to develop, operate and
maintain the Compliance Assistance Center Platform (Platform) from
which new Centers can be ``launched.'' The Platform includes a suite of
comprehensive web-based tools necessary to create a full-featured
Center. States, industry, and compliance assistance providers can work
with NCMS to establish Centers that will help the regulated community
better understand and more efficiently comply with environmental
requirements. The Centers for the construction sector, automotive
recycling sector and U.S. / Mexican border environmental issues have
been developed in partnership with NCMS and the Platform. Visit http://www.envcap.org
to access Platform resources.
EPA is exploring new sector, geographical, or topical candidates
for Center development in FY 2004. Center candidates will be evaluated
initially against the following criteria: impact on health and the
environment; patterns of noncompliance; assessment that compliance
assistance is an appropriate ``tool'' to use; predominately involves or
affects small businesses; the problem or issue is prevalent nationally;
impact of new environmental regulations; subject to multiple
environmental statutes/regulations; and not currently supported by an
existing compliance assistance program. Once these threshold criteria
have been met, an additional criteria will be applied: willingness of a
sector or third-party organization to partner with EPA.
EPA invites feedback from interested parties on candidates for
Center development. The above criteria should be considered in your
evaluation of sector, geographic, or topical candidates. EPA
anticipates selecting the sectors, topics or geographic areas for which
new Centers will be developed in July, 2003. Pursuant to EPA's Grants
Competition Policy that went into effect October 1, 2002, EPA will
compete any assistance agreement that will be provided to support new
Center development in FY 2004.
Interested parties should communicate their suggestions regarding
new sectors, geographical areas or topical issues for Center
development to EPA by letter or e-mail to the contact listed below.
DATES: Contact by May 9, 2003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tracy Back, Team Leader, Compliance
Assistance Centers, US, EPA (mail code 2224A), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC 20460, E-mail: back.tracy@epa.gov. Telephone: 202-
564-7076, Fax: 202-564-0009.
Dated: April 3, 2003.
Lisa C. Lund,
Acting Director, Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 03-9209 Filed 4-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P