(a)

(1) A city or county with a population of less than fifty thousand (50,000) according to the most recent federal decennial census may apply to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality for grant funds to be used under this subchapter.

(2) Grant funds approved for use by a county shall not be used for a stabilization and abatement activity within a city that has a population of fifty thousand (50,000) or greater according to the most recent federal decennial census.

(b) To be eligible to receive grant funds under this subchapter, a city or county shall certify the following information to the department in the form required by the department for grant applications under this subchapter:

(1) Verification from an authorized local government official that:

(A) There is an eligible structure located in the city or county;

(B) The city or county either:

(i) Owned the eligible structure at the time the eligible structure collapsed, was at imminent risk of collapse, or failed in its structural integrity; or

(ii) Has taken ownership of the eligible structure since the eligible structure collapsed, was at imminent risk of collapse, or failed in its structural integrity; and

(C) The city or county did not cause or contribute to the collapse or failure of the structural integrity of the eligible structure;

(2) Verification in the form of a report and site assessment from an asbestos abatement consultant or asbestos abatement contractor licensed under § 20-27-1006 that the friable asbestos materials in the eligible structure pose a potential threat to public health;

(3) A proposed project design and work plan that complies with the regulations of the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission; and

(4) An estimate of the anticipated costs associated with and any costs already incurred for each stabilization and abatement activity.

(c) When the department approves a grant application received under this section, the department shall distribute grant funds based on the available moneys dedicated to the Asbestos Abatement Grant Program in the Asbestos Control Fund according to procedures established by the Director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.