§ 6908. Small town environmental planning
(a)
Establishment
The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (hereafter referred to as the “Administrator”) shall establish a program to assist small communities in planning and financing environmental facilities. The program shall be known as the “Small Town Environmental Planning Program”.
(b)
Small Town Environmental Planning Task Force
(1)
The Administrator shall establish a Small Town Environmental Planning Task Force which shall be composed of representatives of small towns from different areas of the United States, Federal and State governmental agencies, and public interest groups. The Administrator shall terminate the Task Force not later than 2 years after the establishment of the Task Force.
(2)
The Task Force shall—
(A)
identify regulations developed pursuant to Federal environmental laws which pose significant compliance problems for small towns;
(B)
identify means to improve the working relationship between the Environmental Protection Agency (hereafter referred to as the Agency) and small towns;
(C)
review proposed regulations for the protection of the environmental and public health and suggest revisions that could improve the ability of small towns to comply with such regulations;
(c)
Identification of environmental requirements
(1)
Not later than 6 months after October 6, 1992, the Administrator shall publish a list of requirements under Federal environmental and public health statutes (and the regulations developed pursuant to such statutes) applicable to small towns. Not less than annually, the Administrator shall make such additions and deletions to and from the list as the Administrator deems appropriate.
(2)
The Administrator shall, as part of the Small Town Environmental Planning Program under this section, implement a program to notify small communities of the regulations identified under paragraph (1) and of future regulations and requirements through methods that the Administrator determines to be effective to provide information to the greatest number of small communities, including any of the following:
(d)
Small Town Ombudsman
The Administrator shall establish and staff an Office of the Small Town Ombudsman. The Office shall provide assistance to small towns in connection with the Small Town Environmental Planning Program and other business with the Agency. Each regional office shall identify a small town contact. The Small Town Ombudsman and the regional contacts also may assist larger communities, but only if first priority is given to providing assistance to small towns.
(e)
Multi-media permits
(f)
“Small town” defined
For purposes of this section, the term “small town” means an incorporated or unincorporated community (as defined by the Administrator) with a population of less than 2,500 individuals.
(g)
Authorization
There is authorized to be appropriated the sum of $500,000 to implement this section.