Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds for the Watershed Cooperative

Agreement Program.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM)

of the U.S. Department of the Interior is announcing its intent to

solicit applications from eligible, not-for-profit candidates for

funding under the Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program to undertake

local acid mine drainage reclamation projects.

DATES: Applications for the cooperative agreements should be submitted

to the appropriate individual listed under ADDRESSES AND FURTHER

INFORMATION starting December 27, 1999. Applications will be accepted

until June 1, 2000, or until all available funds have been awarded,

whichever is sooner.

ADDRESSES AND FURTHER INFORMATION: Requests for an application package,

which includes further information on the program, the application

forms and evaluation criteria, should be directed to the appropriate

Appalachian Clean Streams Coordinator: Alabama: Jeannie O'Dell,

Birmingham Field Office, 135 Gemini Circle, Suite 215, Homewood, AL

35209, Telephone 205-290-7282, ext. 21; Illinois: Ken Foit,

Indianapolis Field Office, Minton-Capehart Federal Building, 575 N.

Pennsylvania Street, Room 392, Indianapolis, IN 46204, Telephone 317-

226-6166 ext 230; Indiana: Michael Kalagian, Indianapolis Field Office,

Minton-Capehart Federal Building, 575 N. Pennsylvania Street, Room 392,

Indianapolis, IN 46204,

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Telephone 317-226-6166 ext 234; Iowa: Stephen Preston, Mid-Continent

Regional Coordinating Center, Alton Federal Center, 501 Belle Street,

Room 216, Alton, IL 62002, Telephone 618-463-6463 ext 120; Kentucky:

Dave Beam, Lexington Field Office, 2675 Regency Road, Lexington, KY

40503, Telephone 606-233-2896; Maryland: Peter Hartman, Appalachian

Regional Coordinating Center, 3 Parkway Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15220;

Telephone 412-937-2905; Missouri: Jeff Gillespie, Mid-Continent

Regional Coordinating Center, Alton Federal Center, 501 Belle Street,

Room 216, Alton, IL 62002, Telephone 618-463-6463 ext 128; Ohio: Max

Luehrs, Columbus Area Office, 4480 Refugee Road, Suite 201, Columbus,

OH 43232, Telephone 614-866-0578 ext. 110; Oklahoma: Daniel Trout,

Tulsa Field Office, 5100 East Skelly Drive S-550, Tulsa, OK 74135,

Telephone 918-581-6430 ext 25; Pennsylvania: David Hamilton, Harrisburg

Field Office, 415 Market Street, Suite 3, Harrisburg, PA 17101,

Telephone 717-782-2285; Tennessee: Danny Ellis, Knoxville Field Office,

530 Gay Street, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN 37902, Telephone 423-545-4103

ext 147; Virginia: Ronnie Vicars, Big Stone Gap Field Office, 1941

Neeley Road, Suite 201, Compartment 116, Big Stone Gap, VA 24219,

Telephone 540-523-5053; West Virginia: Rick Buckley, Charleston Field

Office, 1027 Virginia Street East Charleston, WV 25301, Telephone 304-

347-7162 ext 3024.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For Fiscal year 2000, OSM expects to award

up to 1.75 million dollars to eligible not-for-profit groups to

undertake actual construction projects to clean up streams impacted by

acid mine drainage The cooperative agreements will be in the $5,000-

$80,000 range in order to assist as many groups as possible. The

cooperative agreements will have a performance period of two years.

Eligible applicants are not-for-profit, established organizations

with IRS 501(c)(3) status. Applicants must have other partners,

contributing either funding or in-kind services; the partners must

provide a substantial portion of the total resources needed to complete

the project.

Projects in the following States are eligible: Alabama, Illinois,

Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma,

Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Projects must meet

eligibility criteria for coal projects outlined in Section 404 of the

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977:

Lands and water eligible for reclamation or drainage abatement

expenditures under this title are those which were mined for coal or

which were affected by such mining, wastebanks, coal processing, or

other coal mining processes * * * and abandoned or left in an

inadequate reclamation status prior to the date of enactment of this

Act [August 3, 1977], and for which there is no continuing

reclamation responsibility under State or other Federal laws.

There must be demonstrated public support for the project. The

project should propose to use proven or innovative technology that has

a high probability of success. The project must produce tangible

results, e.g., fishery restored, stream miles improved, educational and

community benefits, pollutants removed from the streams. The funds must

be used primarily for the construction phase of a project;

reimbursement of administrative costs will be carefully scrutinized.

There must be a plan to address any ongoing operation/maintenance

considerations.

Two copies of a complete application should be submitted to the

appropriate Appalachian Clean Streams Coordinator identified under

ADDRESSES AND FURTHER INFORMATION. Awards are subject to the

availability of funds. Applications will receive technical and

financial management reviews.

Dated: December 17, 1999.

Kathy Karpan,

Director, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

[FR Doc. 99-33463 Filed 12-23-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-05-M