United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA/540/8-90/013
June 1990
Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OS-210)
SEPA Super-fund
Technical
Assistance
Grants
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For further information on the application process or any other aspect of
the TAG program, please contact your EPA Regional Office or call the
national information number, both of which are listed below. A copy o*
the Superfund Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Handbook, which
contains the necessary application and forms, is available free by calhi-
the EPA Regional Superfund Office for your State.
EPA Regional Superfund Offices
EPA Headquarters
Office of Emergency and
Remedial Response
401 M Street, SW
Washington. DC 20460
(202) 382-2449
EPA Region 1
Emergency and Remedial
Response Division
John F. Kennedy Building
Boston, MA 02203
(617)573-5701
Connecticut, Maine, Massachu-
setts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, Vermont
EPA Region 2
Superfund Branch
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
(212) 264-4534
New Jersey, New York,
Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
EPA Region 3
Superfund Branch
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia. PA 19106
(215)597-3239
Delaware, District of Columbia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, West Virginia
EPA Region 4
Waste Programs Branch
345 Courfland Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30365
(404) 347-2234
Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee
EPA Region 5
Emergency and Remedial
Response Branch
230 S. Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604
(312)353-1325 U.S.
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan
Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
EPA Region 6
Superfund Program Branch
Allied Bank Tower
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas. TX 75202-2733
(214) 655-2200
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Texas
EPA Region 7
Superfund Branch
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913)551-7762
(913)551-7513
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
EPA Region 8
Waste Management Division
1 Denver Place
999 18th Street
Denver, CO 80202-2413
(303) 293-1870
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
EPA Region 9
Superfund Programs Branch
1235 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415)744-1766
Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii,
Nevada, American Samoa
EPA Region 10
Superfund Branch
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 442-0603
Idaho, Oregon, Washington,
Alaska
Sup«rfund/RCRA Information
Hotline
(800) 424-9346 or 382-3000
in Washington, DC,
National Response Center
(800) 424-8802
(to reoort releases of oil and
hazardous substances)
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lominotogy: Evaluation of the impact of site runoff upon
the plant and animal life of nearby streams, lakes, and
other bodies of water;
o o o o o o
[oooooooooooooooo
/: Assessment of background atmospheric
conditions and the potential spread of contaminants
released into the air by the site; and/or
: Analysis of the development and evalu-
ation of remedial alternatives and the design and con-
struction of proposed cleanup actions.
A grant recipient may choose to hire more than one
technical advisor to obtain the combination of skills
required at a particular site. For example, a group may
be unable to find a single advisor experienced in both
hydrology and epidemiology, two of the skills most
needed at its site. Another approach would be to hire a
consulting firm that has experience in all the needed
areas. The Superfund Technical Assistance Grant
(TAG) Handbook identifies other issues that citizens'
groups may wish to consider in hiring a technical
advisor.
o o o o a o
In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) - otherwise
known as "Superfund" - established a trust fund for the
cleanup of hazardous waste sites in the United States.
CERCLA was amended and reauthorized when Con-
gress passed the Superfund Amendments and Reau-
thorization Act (SARA) of 1986. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), working in concert with the
States, is responsible for administering the Superfund
program.
An important aspect of the Superfund program is citizen
involvement at the local level in decision-making that
relates to site-specific cleanup actions. For this reason,
community outreach activities are underway at each of
the 1,200 sites that are presently on, or proposed for
listing on, the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is
EPA's published list of the most serious abandoned or
otherwise uncontrolled hazardous waste sites nation-
wide, which have been identified for possible remedial
cleanup under Superfund.
Recognizing the importance of community involvement
and the need for individuals living near NPL sites to be
well-informed, Congress included provisions in SARA to
establish a Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program
intended to foster informed public involvement in deci-
sions relating to site-specific cleanup strategies under
Superfund.
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In addition to regulatory and legal requirements, deci-
sions concerning cleanup initiatives at NPL sites must
take into account a range of technical considerations.
These might include:
a Analytical profiles of conditions at the site;
n The nature of the wastes involved; and
D The kinds of technology available for performing
the necessary cleanup actions.
The TAG Program provides funds for qualified local
groups to hire independent technical advisors to help
them understand and comment on such technical factors
in cleanup decisions affecting them.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Listed below are the basic provisions of the Technical
Assistance Grants Program.
D Grants of up to $50,000 are available to commu-
nity groups for the purpose of hiring technical
advisors to help individuals understand and inter-
pret site-related technical information.
a The group must cover 20 percent of the total
costs of the project to be supported by TAG
funds.
n The group must budget the expenditure of grant
funds to cover the entire cleanup period (which
averages six years).
a There may be only one TAG award per NPL site
at any one time.
Your EPA Regional Office is ready to answer any
questions you may have about the Technical Assistance
Grants Program. Telephone numbers and addresses of
EPA Regional Offices are listed at the end of this
pamphlet. Although the process to obtain a TAG can be
lengthy and does require a significant commitment from
you, EPA believes that this is an extremely valuable
program.
GOAL
When choosing a technical advisor, a group should
consider the kind of technical advice the group needs
most and whether a prospective advisor has the variety
of skills necessary to provide all of the advice needed.
A technical advisor must have:
n Knowledge of hazardous or toxic waste issues;
D Academic training in relevant fields such as those
listed below; and
n The ability to translate technical information into
terms understandable to lay persons.
In addition, a technical advisor should have:
D Experience working on hazardous waste or toxic
waste problems;
D Experience in making technical presentations and
working with community groups; and
D Good writing skills.
A technical advisor will need specific knowledge of one
or more of the following subjects:
Chemistry: Analysis of the chemical constituents and
properties of wastes at the site;
Toxicotogy: Evaluation of the potential effects of site
contaminants upon human health and the environment;
EpidemooOogy: Evaluation of the pattern of human
health effects potentially associated with site
contaminants;
Hydrology and Hydrogeology: Evaluation of potential
contamination of area surface water and ground-water
wells from wastes at the site;
Soii Science: Evaluation of potential and existing soil
contamination;
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WHO MAY APPLY
Groups eligible to receive grants under the TAG pro-
gram are those whose membership may be affected by
a release or threatened release of toxic wastes at any
facility listed on the NPL or proposed for listing, and
where preliminary site work has begun. In general,
eligible groups are groups of individuals who live near
the site and whose health, economic well-being, or
enjoyment of the environment are directly threatened.
Any group applying for a TAG must be nonprofit and
incorporated or working towards incorporation under
applicable State laws.
Applications are encouraged from:
Groups that have a genuine interest in learning
more about the technical aspects of a nearby
hazardous waste site; and
Groups that have, or intend to establish, an or-
ganization to manage a grant efficiently and ef-
fectively.
For example, such groups could be:
Existing citizens' associations;
Environmental or health advocacy groups; or
Coalitions of such groups formed to deal with
community concerns about the hazardous waste
site and its impact on the surrounding area.
Groups that are not eligible for grant funds are:
Potentially responsible parties: any individuals or
companies (such as facility owners or operators,
or transporters or generators of hazardous
waste) potentially responsible for, or contributing
to, the contamination problems at a Superfund
site;
Academic institutions;
Political subdivisions; and
Groups established and/or sustained by govern-
mental entities (including emergency planning
committees and some citizen advisory groups).
HOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANT
Requirements
When applying for a TAG, a group must provide infor-
mation to EPA (or to the State, if the State is administer-
ing the TAG program) to determine if the group meets
specific administrative and management requirements.
The application also must include a description of the
group's history, goals, and plans for using the technical
assistance funds.
Factors that are particularly important in this evaluation
process include:
The group's ability to manage the grant in compli-
ance with EPA grant and procurement
regulations;
The degree to which the group members' health,
economic well-being, and enjoyment of the
environment are adversely affected by a hazard-
ous waste site;
The group's commitment and ability to share the
information provided by the technical advisor with
others in the community;
Broad representation of affected groups and indi-
viduals in the community; and
Whether the applicant group is incorporated for
TAG purposes. (Only incorporated groups may
receive grants. Groups must either be incorpo-
rated specifically for the purpose of addressing
site-related problems or incorporated for broader
purposes if the group has a substantial history of
involvement at the site.)
In general, a group must demonstrate that it is aware of
the time commitment, resources, and dedication needed
to successfully manage a TAG. Applicant groups should
consult the Superfund Technical Assistance Grant
(TAG) Handbook for detailed instructions on how to
present such information in the application.
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EPA will award only one TAG per site at any one time.
To ensure that all eligible groups have equal access to
technical assistance and an equal opportunity to com-
pete for a single available grant (if a coalition of groups
proves to be impossible), EPA has established a formal
notification process, which includes the following steps:
a Groups wishing to apply for a technical assis-
tance grant must first submit to EPA a short letter
stating their group's desire to apply and naming
the site(s) involved. If site project work is already
underway or scheduled to begin, EPA will provide
formal notice through mailings, meetings, or other
public notices to other interested parties that a
grant for the site soon may be awarded.
D Other potential applicants then would have 30
days to contact the original applicant to form a
coalition.
n If potential applicants are unable to form a coali-
tion, they will notify EPA within this time period
and EPA will accept separate applications from
all interested groups for an additional 30-day
period.
a EPA would then award a grant to the application
that best meets the requirements described
above.
The maximum grant that can be awarded to any group is
$50,000. The actual amount depends on what the group
intends to accomplish. A group's minimum contribution
of 20 percent of the total costs of the technical assis-
tance project can be covered with cash and/or "in-kind"
contributions, such as office supplies or services
by the group. These services might include, for ex-
ample, publication of a newsletter or the time an ac-
countant donates to managing the group's finances.
The value of donated professional services is deter-
mined based on rates charged for similar work in the
area.
In special cases where an applicant group intends to
apply for a single grant covering multiple sites in close
proximity to each other, EPA can allow a deviation from
the $50,000 grant limit. In such cases, however, the
recipient cannot receive more than $50,000 for each site
to which it intends to apply funds (for example: 3 sites x
$50,000 = maximum grant amount of $150,000).
Local groups may use grant funds to hire technical advi-
sors to help them understand information that already
exists about the site or information developed during the
Superfund cleanup process.
Acceptable uses of these grant funds include payments
to technical advisors for services such as:
D Reviewing site-related documents, whether pro-
duced by EPA or others;
D Meeting with the recipient group to explain techni-
cal information;
D Providing assistance to the grant recipient in
communicating the group's site-related concerns;
D Disseminating interpretations of technical infor-
mation to the community; and
a Participating in site visits, when possible, to gain
a better understanding of cleanup activities.
TAG funds may not be used to develop new information
(for example, additional sampling) or to underwrite legal
actions in any way, including the preparation of testi-
mony or the hiring of expert witnesses.
You can obtain a complete list of eligible and ineligible
uses of grant funds by contacting your EPA Regional
Office or EPA Headquarters. In addition, this informa-
tion is included in the EPA publication entitled Superfund
Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Handbook (OSWER
Directive 9230.1 03), also available from your Regional
EPA Office.
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