(a) Your group must use all or most of your funds to procure a technical advisor(s) to help you understand the nature of the environmental and public health hazards at the site, the various stages of health and environmental investigations and activities, cleanup, and “operation and maintenance” of a site, including exposure investigation, health study, surveillance program, health promotion activities (for example, medical monitoring and pediatric health units), remedial investigation, and feasibility study, record of decision, remedial design, selection and construction of remedial action, operation and maintenance, and removal action. This technical assistance should contribute to the public's ability to participate in the decision making process by improving the public's understanding of overall conditions and activities at the site.
(b) Your group may use a portion of your funds to:
(1) Undertake activities that communicate site information to the public through newsletters, public meetings or other similar activities;
(2) Procure a grant administrator to manage your group's grant; and/or
(3) Provide one-time health and safety training for your technical advisor to gain site access to your local Superfund site. To provide this training, you must:
(i) Obtain written approval from the EPA regional office; and
(ii) Not spend more than $1,000.00 for this training, including travel, lodging and other related costs.
Your TAG funds cannot be used for the following activities:
(a) Lawsuits or other legal actions;
(b) Attorney fees for services:
(1) Connected to any kind of legal action; or
(2) That could, if such a relationship were allowable, be interpreted as resulting in an attorney/client relationship to which the attorney/client privilege would apply;
(c) The time of your technical advisor to assist an attorney in preparing a legal action or preparing and serving as an expert witness at any legal proceeding;
(d) Political activity and lobbying that is unallowable under 2 CFR part 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles, (this restriction includes activities such as attempting to influence the outcomes of any Federal, State or local election, referendum, initiative, or similar procedure through in-kind or cash contributions, endorsements, or publicity, or attempting to influence the introduction or passage of Federal or state legislation; this regulation is available at http://www.ecfr.gov.)
(e) Other activities that are unallowable under the cost principles stated in 2 CFR part 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles (such as costs of amusement, diversion, social activities, fund raising and ceremonials);
(f) Tuition or other training expenses for your group's members or your technical advisor except as §35.4070(b)(3) allows;
(g) Any activities or expenditures for your group's members' travel;
(h) Generation of new primary data such as well drilling and testing, including split sampling;
(i) Reopening or challenging final EPA decisions such as:
(1) Records of Decision; and/or
(2) Disputes with EPA under its dispute resolution procedures set forth 2 CFR Part1500 Subpart E (see §35.4245); and
(j) Generation of new health data through biomedical testing (for example, blood or urine testing), clinical evaluations, health studies, surveillance, registries, and/or public health interventions.
[65 FR 58858, Oct. 2, 2000, as amended at 79 FR 76058, Dec. 19, 2014