§35.130 Purpose of Performance Partnership Grants.

(a) Purpose of section. Sections 35.130 through 35.138 govern Performance Partnership Grants to States and interstate agencies authorized in the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996, (Pub. L. 104-134; 110 Stat. 1321, 1321-299 (1996)) and the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998, (Pub. L. 105-65; 111 Stat. 1344, 1373 (1997)).

(b) Purpose of program. Performance Partnership Grants enable States and interstate agencies to combine funds from more than one environmental program grant into a single grant with a single budget. Recipients do not need to account for Performance Partnership Grant funds in accordance with the funds' original environmental program sources; they need only account for total Performance Partnership Grant expenditures subject to the requirements of this subpart. The Performance Partnership Grant program is designed to:

(1) Strengthen partnerships between EPA and State and interstate agencies through joint planning and priority-setting and better deployment of resources;

(2) Provide State and interstate agencies with flexibility to direct resources where they are most needed to address environmental and public health priorities;

(3) Link program activities more effectively with environmental and public health goals and program outcomes;

(4) Foster development and implementation of innovative approaches such as pollution prevention, ecosystem management, and community-based environmental protection strategies; and

(5) Provide savings by streamlining administrative requirements.