This part establishes the policies and procedures for the award of training assistance by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The provisions of this part supplement EPA's general grant regulations and procedures 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500.

The EPA is authorized to award training assistance under the following statutes:

(a) Section 103 of the Clean Air Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 7403);

(b) Sections 104(g), 109, and 111 of the Clean Water Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1254(g), 1259, and 1261);

(c) Sections 7007 and 8001 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6977 and 6981);

(d) Section 1442 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 300j-1).

Assistance agreements are awarded under this part to support students through traineeships for occupational and professional training, and to develop career-oriented personnel qualified to work in occupations involving environmental protection and pollution abatement and control. Training assistance is available to:

(a) Assist in developing, expanding, planning, implementing, and improving environmental training;

(b) Increase the number of trained pollution control and abatement personnel;

(c) Upgrade the level of occupational and professional training among State and local environmental control personnel;

(d) Train people to train others in occupations involving pollution abatement and control; and

(e) Bring new people into the environmental control field.

The following definitions supplement the definitions in 2 CFR part 200, subpart A.

Stipend. Supplemental financial assistance, other than tuition and fees, paid directly to the trainee by the recipient organization.

Trainee. A student selected by the recipient organization who receives support to meet the objectives in § 45.110.

Institutions, organizations, and individuals are eligible for EPA training awards as follows:

(a) Clean Air Act. Section 103(b)—Air pollution control agencies, public and nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals. No award may be made under this Act to any private, profitmaking organization.

(b) Clean Water Act. (1) Section 104(b)(3)—State water pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals. No award may be made to any private, profitmaking organization.

(2) Section 104(g)(3)(A)—Public or private agencies and institutions, and individuals.

(3) Sections 104(g)(1) and 104(g)(3)(C)—State and interstate agencies, municipalities, educational institutions and other organizations and individuals.

(4) Sections 109, 110, and 111—Institutions of higher education, or combinations of such institutions.

(c) Solid Waste Disposal Act. (1) Section 8001(a)—Public or private authorities, agencies, and institutions and individuals. No award may be made to any private, profitmaking organization.

(2) Section 7007(a)—State or interstate agencies, municipalities, educational institutions, and other organizations.

(d) Safe Drinking Water Act. Sections 1442(b) and 1442(d)—Public agencies, educational institutions, and other organizations. No awards may be made to profitmaking agencies or institutions.

Applicants must submit their requests for assistance on EPA Form 5700-12, “Application for Federal Assistance.” Applicants must submit the original and two copies of the application to EPA. If the assistance agreement is to be awarded by EPA Headquarters, the applicant must send the application to the Environmental Protection Agency, Grants Administration Division, (3903R), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. If the assistance agreement is to be awarded by an EPA Regional Office, the applicant must send the application to the appropriate Regional Office.

(a) Consistent with 2 CFR 200.205, the appropriate EPA program office staff will review training applications in accordance with the following criteria:

(1) Relevance of proposal to Agency objectives, priorities, achievement of national goals and technical merit;

(2) Competency of the proposed staff in relation to the type of project proposed;

(3) Feasibility of the proposal;

(4) Adequacy of the applicant's resources available for the project;

(5) Amount of funds necessary for the completion of the project;

(b) In addition, awards under section 104(g)(1) of the Clean Water Act, are subject to the following criteria:

(1) Assessment of need for training in a State or municipality based on problems with existing wastewater treatment plants, such as violation of discharge permit conditions, and faulty or improper operation or maintenance.

(2) Need for operating training based on the number of wastewater treatment construction grants in the State.

Training awards are subject to the following conditions:

(a) Trainees must be citizens of the United States, its territories, or possessions, or lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence.

(b) Recipients shall not require the performance of personal services by individuals receiving training as a condition for assistance.

(c) Trainees are entitled to the normal student holidays observed by an academic institution, or the holiday and vacation schedule applicable to all trainees at a nonacademic institution.

(d) Training awards may include a provision to pay stipends to trainees. Stipends must be paid under section 111 of the Clean Water Act consistent with prevailing practices under comparable federally supported programs.

(e) Training awards under section 111 of the Clean Water Act are subject to the following conditions:

(1) Recipients must obtain the following agreement in writing from persons awarded scholarships for undergraduate study of the operation and maintenance of treatment works:

(2) Recipients must take such action as may be reasonably required to enforce the condition in paragraph (e)(1) of this section. Recipients shall credit or pay EPA for any repayments.

The budget and project periods for training awards will be specified in the terms of the awards as provided by 2 CFR 200.211.

(a) Allocability and allowability of costs will be determined in accordance with 2 CFR part 200, subpart E.

(b) Costs incurred for the purchase of land or the construction of buildings are not allowable.

(a) Recipients must submit the reports required in 2 CFR 200.328 and 200.329.

(b) A draft of the final project report is required 90 days before the end of the project period. The recipient shall prepare the final projects report in accordance with the project officer's instructions and submit the final project report within 120 days after the end of the project period as provided in 2 CFR 200.344.

To be eligible for continuation assistance, the recipient must:

(a) Demonstrate satisfactory performance during all previous budget periods;

(b) Include in the application a detailed progress report showing the progress achieved and explain special problems or delays, a budget for the new budget period, and a detailed work plan for the new budget period; and

(c) Submit a preliminary financial statement for the current budget period that includes estimates of the amount the recipient expects to spend by the end of the current budget period and the amount of any uncommitted funds which the recipient proposes to carry over beyond the term of the current budget period.