(a) Generally. Before the Regional Administrator (RA) may award a capitalization grant, the State must establish an SRF that complies with section 603 of the Act and this rule.
(b) SRF accounts. The SRF can be established within a multiple-purpose State financing program. However, the SRF must be a separate account or series of accounts that is dedicated solely to providing loans and other forms of financial assistance, but not grants.
(c) SRF administration. The SRF must be administered by an instrumentality of the State that is empowered to manage the Fund in accordance with the requirements of the Act. Where more than one agency of the State is involved in administering the activities of the State's program, the functions and the relationships of those agencies must be established to the satisfaction of the RA.
(d) Documentation of the establishment of an SRF program.
(1) As part of its initial application for the capitalization grant, the State must furnish the RA with documentation of the establishment of an SRF and designation of the State instrumentality that will administer the SRF in accordance with the Act.
(2) With each capitalization grant application, the State's Attorney General (AG), or someone designated by the AG, must sign or concur in a certification that the State legislation establishing the SRF and the powers it confers are consistent with State law, and that the State may legally bind itself to the terms of the capitalization grant agreement.
(3) Where waiting for the AG's signature or concurrence would by itself significantly delay awarding the first grant (i.e., there are no other issues holding up the award), the head or chief legal officer of the State agency which has direct responsibility for administering the SRF program may sign the certification at the time of the capitalization grant award, provided the capitalization grant agreement contains a special condition requiring the State to submit the AG/designee's concurrence to EPA within a reasonable time, not to exceed 120 days, after the grant is awarded.
(e) Allotment.
(1) Appropriations for fiscal years 1987 through 1990 under both title II and title VI programs will be allotted in accordance with the formula contained in section 205(c)(3) of the Act.
(2) Title VI funds are available for the Agency to obligate to the State during the fiscal year in which they are allotted and during the following fiscal year. The amount of any title VI allotment not obligated to the State at the end of this period of availability will be reallotted for title VI purposes in accordance with 40 CFR 35.2010.
(3) A State that does not receive grants that obligate all the funds allotted to it under title VI in the first year of its availability will not receive reallotted funds from that appropriation.
(4) Notwithstanding 40 CFR 35.910 and 40 CFR 35.2010(a), deobligations and reallotments of title II funds may be transferred to a title VI capitalization grant regardless of either the year in which the title II funds were originally allotted or the year in which they are deobligated or reallotted.
(f) Transfer of title II allotments. A State may exercise the option to transfer a portion of its title II allotment for deposit, through a capitalization grant, into an established water pollution control revolving fund, under section 205(m) of the Act.
(1) If the State elects this option, the Governor of the State must submit a Notice of Intent to the RA specifying the amount of the title II allotment the State intends to use for title VI purposes during the fiscal year for which it is submitted. The Notice may also identify anticipated, unobligated title II funds from the prior fiscal year, and request transfer of those funds as well.
(2) Each Notice of Intent must be submitted on or before July 3 of the year preceding the Federal fiscal year in which those funds are available. If a State fails to file a Notice of Intent on or before the prescribed date, then the State may not transfer title II allotments into an SRF in the upcoming fiscal year. A timely Notice of Intent may be later withdrawn or amended.
(3) When the capitalization grant is awarded, funds requested under section 205(m) of the Act will be obligated under title VI for the activities of the SRF. If a Notice of Intent anticipates transfer of funds under the authority of section 205(m), but those funds are not so obligated by the end of the two year period of availability, they will be subject to reallotment as construction grant funds.
(g) Reserves and transferred allotments.
(1) Funds reserved under section 205(g) of the Act can be used to develop SRF programs. However, before any of these funds may be used for purposes of the SRF, the State must establish to the satisfaction of the RA that adequate funds, up to the section 205(g) maximum, will be available from any source to administer the construction grants program.
(2) Funds reserved under sections 205(j)(1) and 205(j)(5) of the Act must be calculated based on the State's full title II allotment, and cannot be transferred to the SRF.
(3) Funds reserved under sections 201(l)(2), 205(h), and 205(i) of the Act must also be calculated based upon the State's full title II allotment. However, these reserves may be transferred into an SRF.
(4) The State must reserve from each fiscal year's title VI allotment the greater of one percent of its allotment or $100,000 to carry out planning under sections 205(j) and 303(e) of the Act.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2040-0118)