(a) In the EPA, some programs require longer retention requirements for records by statute.

(b) When there is a difference between the retention requirements for records of the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200.334) and the applicable statute, the non-federal entity will follow to the retention requirements for records in the statute.

(a) Governmental revenues. Permit fees are governmental revenue and not program income. (See 2 CFR 200.307(c)).

(b) Use of program income. The default use of program income for EPA awards is addition even if the amount of program income the non-Federal entity generates exceeds the anticipated amount at time of the award of the assistance agreement. Unless the terms of the agreement provide otherwise, recipients may deduct costs incidental to the generation of program income from gross income to determine program income, provided these costs have not been charged to any Federal award. (See 2 CFR 200.307(b)). The program income shall be used for the purposes and under the conditions of the assistance agreement. (See 2 CFR 200.307(e)(2)).

(c) Brownfields Revolving Loan. To continue the mission of the Brownfields Revolving Loan fund, recipients may use EPA grant funding prior to using program income funds generated by the revolving loan fund. Recipients may also keep program income at the end of the assistance agreement as long as they use these funds to continue to operate the revolving loan fund or some other brownfield purpose as outlined in their respective closeout agreements.

(d) Other revolving loan programs. Recipients of EPA funding for other revolving loan fund programs may use EPA grant funding prior to using program income funds generated by the revolving loan fund. Recipients may also keep program income at the end of the assistance agreement as long as they use these funds to continue to operate the revolving loan fund or some other authorized purpose as outlined in their closeout agreement. This paragraph (d) does not apply to EPA's Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs which are subject to their own regulations.

Pre-award Costs. EPA award recipients may incur allowable project costs 90 calendar days before the Federal awarding agency makes the Federal award. Expenses more than 90 calendar days pre-award require prior approval of EPA. All costs incurred before EPA makes the award are at the recipient's risk. EPA is under no obligation to reimburse such costs if for any reason the recipient does not receive a Federal award or if the Federal award is less than anticipated and inadequate to cover such costs.

(a) EPA will limit its participation in the salary rate (excluding overhead) paid to individual consultants retained by recipients, and their contractors or subcontractors to the maximum daily rate for level 4 of the Executive Schedule unless a greater amount is authorized by law. (These non-Federal entities may, however, pay consultants more than this amount with non-EPA funds.) The limitation in this paragraph (a) applies to consultation services of designated individuals with specialized skills who are paid at a daily or hourly rate. This rate does not include transportation and subsistence costs for travel performed; recipients will pay these in accordance with their normal travel reimbursement practices.

(b) All contracts between recipients and subrecipients and individual consultants are subject to the procurement standards in subpart D of 2 CFR part 200. Contracts or subcontracts with multi-employee firms for consulting services are not affected by the limitation in paragraph (a) of this section provided the contractor or subcontractor rather than the recipient or subrecipient selects, directs and controls individual employees providing consulting services.

(c) Borrowers under EPA revolving loan fund capitalization grant programs are not subject to paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

(a) If the recipient is satisfied with the qualifications and performance of the architect or engineer who provided any or all of the facilities planning or design services for a waste-water treatment works project and wishes to retain that firm or individual during construction of the project, it may do so without further public notice and evaluation of qualifications, provided:

(1) The recipient received a facilities planning (Step 1) or design grant (Step 2), and selected the architect or engineer in accordance with EPA's procurement regulations in effect when EPA awarded the grant; or

(2) The award official approves noncompetitive procurement under 2 CFR 200.320(c)(4) for reasons other than simply using the same individual or firm that provided facilities planning or design services for the project; or

(3) The recipient attests that:

(i) The initial request for proposals clearly stated the possibility that the firm or individual selected could be awarded a contract for services during construction; and

(ii) The firm or individual was selected for facilities planning or design services in accordance with procedures specified in this section.

(iii) No employee, officer or agent of the recipient, any member of their immediate families, or their partners have financial or other interest in the firm selected for award; and

(iv) None of the recipient's officers, employees or agents solicited or accepted gratuities, favors or anything of monetary value from contractors or other parties to contracts.

(b) However, if the recipient uses the procedures in paragraph (a) of this section to retain an architect or engineer, any Step 3 contracts between the architect or engineer and the grantee must meet all other procurement provisions in 2 CFR 200.317 through 200.327.

(a) Quality assurance applies to all assistance agreements that involve environmentally related data operations, including environmental data collection, production or use.

(b) Recipients shall develop a written quality assurance system commensurate with the degree of confidence needed for the environmentally related data operations.

(c) If the recipient complies with EPA's quality policy, the system will be presumed to be in compliance with the quality assurance system requirement. The recipient may also comply with the quality assurance system requirement by complying with American National Standard ASQ/ANSI E4:2014: Quality management systems for environmental information and technology programs.

(d) The recipient shall submit the written quality assurance system for EPA review. Upon EPA's written approval, the recipient shall implement the EPA-approved quality assurance system.

(e) EPA Quality Policy is available at: https://www.epa.gov/quality.

(f) The standards required in this section are incorporated by reference into this section with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.

The material is available for inspection at the Environmental Protection Agency's Headquarters Library, Room 3340, EPA West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20004, (202) 566-0556. A copy is also available for inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html.

(1) American Society for Quality, 600 North Plankinton Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53201, 1-800-248-1946, http://asq.org.

(i) American National Standard ASQ/ANSI E4:2014: Quality management systems for environmental information and technology programs—Requirements with guidance for use, approved February 4, 2014.

(ii) [Reserved]

(2) [Reserved]