Enhancement of Local Public Health Departments Participation in Brownfields Decisions and Actions; Notice of Availability of Funds

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[Program Announcement 98095]

Enhancement of Local Public Health Departments Participation in

Brownfields Decisions and Actions; Notice of Availability of Funds

Introduction

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 1998 funds for a

cooperative agreement program for a pilot activity with a select number

of local health departments to demonstrate effective public health

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interventions around Brownfields properties.

ATSDR is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease

prevention objectives of Healthy People 2000, a national activity to

reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of life. This

announcement is related to the priority area of Environmental Health.

(For ordering a copy of Healthy People 2000, see the section Where to

Obtain Additional Information.)

ATSDR is also fully committed to implementing the President's

Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice to ensure the full

representation and participation on all levels, of minority and low-

income population groups.

Authority

This program is authorized under Sections 104 (i) (4), (6), (7),

(14), and (15) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended by the

Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) [42 U.S.C.

9604 (i)(4), (6), (7), (14), and (15)].

Smoke-Free Workplace

ATSDR strongly encourages all grant and cooperative agreement

recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of

all tobacco products, and Public Law 103-227, the Pro Children Act of

1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities that receive Federal

funds in which education, library, day care, health care, and early

childhood development services are provided to children.

Eligible Applicants

Applicants will be limited to the official county, city and other

local public health agencies of local communities (with the exception

of Rhode Island where the State Health Department is the eligible

applicant) located in the sixteen (16) Brownfields Showcase Communities

as designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(62 FR

44274). The Brownfields Showcase Communities are:

1. Portland, Oregon

2. Chicago, Illinois

3. Southeast Florida (Eastward Ho!)

4. Trenton, New Jersey

5. Kansas City, Kansas & Missouri

6. Dallas, Texas

7. Baltimore, Maryland

8. Lowell, Massachusetts

9. Salt Lake City, Utah

10. Seattle/King County, Washington

11. St. Paul, Minnesota

12. Los Angeles, California

13. State of Rhode Island

14. East Palo Alto, California

15. Stamford, Connecticut

16. Glen Cove, New York

Only one application will be accepted from each of the 16

Brownfields Showcase Communities. Each Brownfields Showcase community

should coordinate between appropriate county, city and other local

public health departments to ensure only one application is received

from each showcase community. If more than one application is received

from the same showcase community, all applications from that showcase

community will be returned as unresponsive. See also Executive Order

12372 referenced later in this announcement.

Availability of Funds

Approximately $350,000 is available in FY 1998 to fund an estimated

five to seven awards. The average award is expected to be approximately

$60,000, ranging from $50,000 to $70,000. It is expected that the

awards will begin on or about September 30, 1998, and will be made for

a 12-month budget and project period. There is currently no expectation

that projects will be continued for more than one year. Funding

estimates may vary and are subject to change.

Use of Funds

Funds may be expended for reasonable program purposes, such as

personnel, travel, supplies, and services. Funds for contractual

services may be requested; however, the grantee, as the direct and

primary recipient of ATSDR grant funds, must perform a substantive role

in carrying out project activities and not merely serve as a conduit

for an award to another party or provide funds to an ineligible party.

Equipment may be purchased with grant funds. The equipment proposed

should be appropriate and reasonable for the activities to be

conducted. The applicant, as part of the application process, should

provide: (1) a justification for the need to acquire the equipment, (2)

the description of the equipment, (3) the intended use of the

equipment, and (4) the advantages/disadvantages of leasing versus

purchase of the equipment.

Background

Brownfields are abandoned, idled or under-utilized industrial and

commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated

by real or perceived contamination. The Brownfields Initiative was

launched by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to empower

States, local governments, and other stakeholders in community

redevelopment to work together to assess, clean up, and sustainably

reuse Brownfields. In May 1997, Vice President Gore announced a

Brownfields National Partnership to bring together the resources of 17

Federal agencies to address local cleanup and reuse issues in a more

coordinated manner. ATSDR is among the agencies participating in the

partnership. This multi-agency partnership has pledged support to

sixteen ``Brownfields Showcase Communities''--models demonstrating the

benefits of collaborative activity on Brownfields. The designated

Brownfields Showcase Communities are distributed across the country and

vary by size, resources, and community type. It is expected that

because of their location, Brownfields property redevelopment will

disproportionately impact low-income minority communities; therefore,

the President's Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice should

be fully implemented.

While the full magnitude of the Brownfields problem is not known,

it has been estimated that there are as many as 600,000 Brownfields

properties in the United States and its territories, affecting

virtually every community in the Nation. Whereas environmental clean up

is a building block to economic redevelopment, public health should be

the cornerstone. Public health concerns must go hand-in-hand with

restoration of contaminated properties and bringing life and economic

vitality back to a community.

ATSDR's role in the National Brownfields Initiative is to develop

strategies and methods to protect the health and quality of life of

people living around brownfields properties by focusing on public

health issues related to previous environmental degradation.

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to assist the local public health

departments (LHDs) with jurisdiction in the 16 Brownfields Showcase

Communities to develop and implement strategies to ensure that efforts

to remediate and redevelop properties do not present environmental

public health hazards to current and future community residents. It is

expected that this program will stimulate LHDs to enlist the

cooperation of local governing officials, community-based

organizations, and State governments to work together in a timely

manner to ensure that public health issues are considered in the

earliest phases of remediation and

[[Page 35935]]

redevelopment of the Brownfields properties.

ATSDR and local stakeholders have identified the need to develop

public health science, build environmental health capacity in State and

local health departments, assure principles of environmental justice,

and implement communication and empowerment strategies to enhance

community support for and participation in the Brownfields

Redevelopment Initiative. A goal for ATSDR is to assist in empowering

local community stakeholders by providing them with the tools to

monitor the health of Brownfields workers and community residents

during assessment, clean up, and redevelopment of Brownfields. It is

expected that by using this comprehensive public health approach to

Brownfields redevelopment, the health and quality of life of persons

working or living on or near Brownfields properties will be adequately

protected. The incorporation of the President's Executive Order 12898

on Environmental Justice is essential for successful Brownfields

redevelopment. Therefore, recipients will be expected to fully

implement the Executive Order. In addition, it is expected that this

strategy will encourage open lines of communication among local

stakeholders, particularly local officials and residents living on or

near Brownfields properties and promote the development of working

partnerships with these groups. This program highlights the 16

Brownfields Showcase Communities as examples of how public health

activities can be implemented. The examples will serve as models which

can be generalized to other communities throughout the Nation.

Program Requirements

ATSDR will assist or work jointly with the recipients in conducting

the activities of this cooperative agreement program. The application

should be presented in a manner that demonstrates the applicant's

ability to address the health issues in a collaborative manner with

local community stakeholders and with ATSDR in adherence with the

Executive Order on Environmental Justice to ensure the full

participation of minority and low-income population groups. Recipient

and ATSDR activities are listed below:

A. Recipient Activities

The recipient will have primary responsibility for:

1. Obtaining an inventory of Brownfields properties in the local

community and analyzing existing contaminant data.

2. In collaboration with ATSDR, State health departments, and EPA,

using environmental data, community health concerns, medical and other

public health data, and other relevant information to evaluate

Brownfields properties for property-specific environmental public

health issues.

3. Assuring relevant health data, including perceived or real

affected community concerns is collected and used in decision-making.

4. Developing Brownfields Showcase Public Health teams composed of

representatives from the LHD and local stakeholders, e.g., particularly

those from affected Brownfields communities to include minorities and

low-income population groups in accordance with Executive Order 12898.

Co-host with local stakeholders on community workshops on the types of

health considerations necessary for land use planning. Work with the

local Brownfields Public Health Teams to provide information on

sensitive populations to be input into the local development agency's

Geographical Information System.

5. Assuring public health concerns are integrated into the

Brownfields Showcase decision-making related to assessment, clean up,

and redevelopment.

B. ATSDR Activities

ATSDR will have primary responsibilities for:

1. Collaborating with and assisting the recipient in the collection

of environmental data, medical and other public health data and other

relevant information to evaluate Brownfields properties for property-

specific public health issues.

2. Convening a Public Health Empowerment Workshop for recipients to

discuss mechanisms for community-based organizations and local health

departments to implement public health strategies in their communities.

3. Evaluating recommendations prepared by the recipient and

providing timely advice and assistance to further the objectives of

this program.

4. Providing the recipient with an exposure assessment algorithm

(EAA) for addressing the public health impacts on Brownfields

properties. The EAA is an environmental differential diagnosis that

local public health professionals may use to help focus in on the

possible risks from Brownfields properties.

5. Ensuring compliance with the requirements for peer and technical

reviews as identified below under ``Technical Reporting Requirements''.

Technical Reporting Requirements

A final financial status and performance report is required 90 days

after the end of the 12-month budget and project period. All reports

are to be submitted to Ron Van Duyne, Grants Management Officer, Grants

Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Mailstop

E-13, Atlanta, GA 30305-2209. The final performance report must include

the following for the program, function, or activity involved: (1) a

comparison of actual accomplishments to the goals established for the

period; (2) the reasons for slippage if established goals are not met;

and (3) other pertinent information.

Peer and Technical Reviews

A. CERCLA, as amended by SARA, Section 104(i)(13), and [42 U.S.C.

9604(i)] requires all studies and results of research (other than

public health assessments) that ATSDR carries out or funds in whole or

in part will be peer reviewed by ATSDR. The ATSDR peer review process

for final reports requires that:

1. Studies must be reported or adopted only after appropriate peer

review.

2. Studies shall be peer reviewed within a period of 60 days to the

maximum extent practical.

3. Studies shall be reviewed by no fewer than three or more than

seven reviewers who (1) are selected by the Administrator, ATSDR; (2)

are disinterested Scientific experts; (3) have a reputation for

scientific objectivity; and (4) who lack institutional ties with any

person involved in the conduct of the study or research under review.

B. ATSDR encourages the rapid reporting and interpretation of

laboratory results and references back to individual participants.

However, if summary tables or distribution of laboratory results are

prepared using the study data, this is considered a preliminary finding

and will require ATSDR technical and peer review prior to release.

C. When, in the opinion of the investigator(s), a public health

concern exists requiring the release of summary study statistics prior

to the completion of the study, the investigator must obtain

concurrence from ATSDR prior to releasing the summary statistics. A

request for ATSDR concurrence for the release of information must be

documented in a letter to ATSDR and should outline the public health

concern, and recommended response,

[[Page 35936]]

and the draft document proposed for release by the investigator. ATSDR

will provide a technical review and peer review within ten (10) working

days to the maximum extent possible. Summary statistics may be released

only after peer review. The release of summary statistics does not

preclude the requirement for a final report.

D. By statute, the reporting of preliminary studies and preliminary

research results to the public is not acceptable without prior review

by ATSDR. This includes manuscripts prepared for publication,

presentations at scientific meetings, and reporting of preliminary

findings to the community or the media.

E. The final report for every study should include a detailed

description of the problem, hypothesis, methods, results, conclusions,

and recommendations that constitute a complete performance record of

the study.

F. ATSDR is responsible for the technical and peer review of draft

final reports of any study that it funds prior to the submission of the

final report. This will allow for the recipient to incorporate all

technical and peer review comments into the final report. Responses to

all ATSDR required technical and peer review comments should be

summarized in a letter to ATSDR. This letter should also include the

investigator's response to each comment and a rationale for those

responses. Based upon the comments of the technical and peer reviewers,

modifications in the study report may result. The modified study report

should accompany the letter to ATSDR.

G. ATSDR will make available assistance to investigators in

formatting and copy editing draft final reports, should the

investigator request this assistance. Editing will be conducted by

ATSDR staff and an edited copy of the draft final report will be

supplied to the investigator for review and concurrence. Editing will

occur DURING the conduct of the peer review. It is requested that the

report be furnished in WordPerfect 5.1 on a disk with the hard copy

double-spaced, with clearly numbered pages, unbound and unstapled, and

printed on one side only. All appendices, including maps and reproduced

forms used in this study, should be furnished to ATSDR by the

investigator.

H. Following the steps outlined above, a final report of all

studies and results of research carried out or supported by ATSDR must

be submitted to the Procurement and Grants Office with a copy furnished

to ATSDR.

I. If assistance in printing the final report is needed, the

Principal Investigator can submit a hard copy of the final report to

the Procurement and Grants Office with a copy furnished to ATSDR.

Application Content

In a narrative format, the applicant should include discussion of

areas listed under the EVALUATION CRITERIA section of this announcement

as they relate to the proposed program. Because these criteria will

serve as the basis for evaluation of the application, omissions or

incomplete information may affect the rating of the application.

Although this program does not require in-kind or matching funds, the

applicant should describe any in-kind support in the formal

application. For example, if the in-kind support includes personnel,

the applicant should provide the qualifying experience of the personnel

and clearly state the type of activity to be performed.

Evaluation Criteria

The application will be reviewed and evaluated according to the

following criteria:

1. Proposed Program (60 percent)

A. Applicants ability to address the following:

1. Identification of relevant Brownfields properties in the area

including but not limited to those identified in the Brownfields

Showcase award.

2. Identification of all local Brownfields stakeholder groups,

particularly minority and low-income local residents from affected

communities. These groups should be developed into Brownfields Showcase

Public Health Teams with public health making authority.

3. Demonstrate how they will effectively use local health data in

Brownfields public health evaluation and assurance.

4. Demonstrate how they will effectively implement the Executive

Order on Environmental Justice, by demonstrating working partnerships

with community-based organizations of targeted populations in

Brownfields communities.

5. Describe how they will evaluate and sustain the public health

activities after the project period.

2. Program Evaluation (20 percent)

The adequacy of the proposal relative to the extent to which

evaluation plan includes measures of program outcome (e.g., effect on

participant's knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors).

3. Applicant Capability (20 percent)

a. Applicant's basic knowledge/experience required to perform the

applicant's responsibilities in the project;

b. Description of the adequacy and commitment of institutional

resources to administer the program and the adequacy of the facilities.

4. Program Budget (not scored)

The extent to which the budget is reasonable, clearly justified,

and consistent with the intended use of cooperative agreement funds.

Executive Order 12372 Review

The application is subject to Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs as governed by Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, which sets up a

system for State and local government review of proposed Federal

assistance applications. The applicant should contact their Single

Point of Contact (SPOC) as early as possible to alert them to the

prospective application and receive any necessary instructions on the

State process. For proposed projects serving more than one State, the

applicant is advised to contact the SPOC for each affected State. A

current list of SPOCs is included in the application kit. If SPOCs have

any State process recommendations on applications submitted to CDC,

they should forward them to Ron Van Duyne, Grants Management Officer,

Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE.,

Atlanta, GA 30305-2209, no later than 45 days after the application

deadline date. The requirement for a 60-day State Process period has

been waived under governing regulations 45 CFR 100. The granting agency

does not guarantee to ``accommodate or explain'' State process

recommendations it receives after that date.

Public Health System Reporting Requirements

This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting

Requirements.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

The catalog of Federal Assistance Number is 93.161.

Other Requirements

A. Paperwork Reduction Act

Projects that involve the collection of information from ten or

more individuals and funded by cooperative agreement will be subject to

review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork

Reduction Act.

[[Page 35937]]

B. Cost Recovery

CERCLA, as amended by SARA, provides for the recovery of costs

incurred for response actions at each Superfund site from potentially

responsible parties. The recipient would agree to maintain an

accounting system that will keep an accurate, complete, and current

accounting of all financial transactions on a site-specific basis,

i.e., individual time, travel, and associated cost including direct

cost, as appropriate for the site. The recipient would also maintain

documentation that describes the site-specific response actions taken

with respect to the site, e.g., contracts, work assignments, progress

reports, and other documents that describe the work performed at a

site. The recipient will retain the documents and records to support

these financial transactions and documentation of work performed, for

possible use in a cost recovery case, for a minimum of ten years after

submission of a final financial status report, unless there is

litigation, claim, negotiation, audit or other action involving the

specific site, then the records will be maintained until resolution of

all issues on the specific site.

C. Third Party Agreements

Project activities which are approved for contracting pursuant to

the prior approval provisions shall be formalized in a written

agreement that clearly establishes the relationship between the grantee

and the third party. The written agreement shall at a minimum:

1. State or incorporate by reference all applicable requirements

imposed on the contractors under the grant by the terms of the grant,

including requirements concerning technical review (ATSDR selected

reviewers), release of data, ownership of data, and the arrangement for

copyright when publications, data or other copyrightable works are

developed under or in the course of work under a PHS grant supported

project or activity.

2. State that any copyrighted or copyrightable works shall be

subject to a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable license to

the Government to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use them, and to

authorize others to do so for Federal Government purposes.

3. State that whenever any work subject to this copyright policy

may be developed in the course of a grant be a contractor under a

grant, the written agreement (contract) must require the contractor to

comply with these requirements and can in no way diminish the

Government's right in that work.

4. State the activities to be performed, the time schedule for

those activities, the policies and procedures to be followed in

carrying out the agreement, and the maximum amount of money for which

the grantee may become liable to the third party under the agreement.

The written agreement required shall not relieve the grantee of any

part of its responsibility or accountability to ATSDR under the

cooperative agreement. The written agreement shall, therefore, retain

sufficient rights and control to the grantee to enable it to fulfill

this responsibility and accountability.

Application Submission and Deadline

The original and two copies of application PHS Form 5161-1 (OMB

Number 0937-0189) should be submitted to Ron Van Duyne, Grants

Management Officer, Attn: Patrick A. Smith, Grants Management Branch,

Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC), 225 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300, Mailstop E-

13, Atlanta, GA 30305-2209, on or before August 10, 1998. (By formal

agreement, the CDC Procurement and Grants Office will act for and on

behalf of ATSDR on this matter.)

A. Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the

deadline if they are either:

1. Received on or before the deadline date, or

2. Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for

submission to the objective review group. (Applicants must request a

legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated

receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. Private

metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.)

B. Late Applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria

in A.1. or 2. above are considered late applications. Late applications

will not be considered.

Where to Obtain Additional Information

To receive additional written information call 1-888-GRANTS4. You

will be asked to leave your name, address, and phone number and will

need to refer to ATSDR Announcement Number 98095. You will receive a

complete program description, information on application procedures,

and application forms. CDC will not send application kits by facsimile

or express mail.

If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the

documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained

from Patrick A. Smith, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management

Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300, Mail Stop

E-13, Atlanta, GA 30305-2209, telephone (404) 842-6803, Internet:

[email protected].

Programmatic technical assistance may be obtained from Rueben C.

Warren, DDS, MPH, DrPH, Associate Administrator for Urban Affairs,

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Road,

N.E., Mail Stop E-29, Atlanta, GA 30333 or by calling (404) 639-5060,

Internet: [email protected].

Please refer to announcement number 98095 when requesting

information and submitting an application.

Potential applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full

Report, Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or Healthy People 2000 (Summary

Report, Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) referenced in the INTRODUCTION

through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office,

Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 (Telephone 202-783-3238).

This and other CDC announcements are available through the CDC

homepage on the Internet. The address for the CDC homepage is: http://

www.cdc.gov.

Dated: June 25, 1998.

Georgi Jones,

Director, Office of Policy and External Affairs Agency for Toxic

Substances and Disease Registry.

[FR Doc. 98-17459 Filed 6-30-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163-70-P