Region 9 multi-media and geographic priority projects
Projects may demonstrate innovative methods and involve stakeholder collaboration, leveraged funding, or socially equitable and ecologically sensitive land-use and transportation planning ("smart growth").
Projects funded under this program must be carried out within the area of EPA's Region 9, comprised of the states and tribal lands of Arizona, California, Hawaii, or Nevada, and of the Pacific islands associated with the United States.Multi-media assistance agreements cite two or more environmental statutes, appropriations legislation, or applicable legislative history as statutory authority.
Multi-media priorities for FY 2007 include agriculture in the Central Valley, Pacific Island infrastructure, and information management support.
Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2008: The Regional Adminstrator and Deputy Regional Administrator, with advice from the Senior Management Team, determine regional multi-media and geographic priorities.
Multi-media priorities for grant funding in FY 2008 include: climate change, environmental justice, infrastructure and capacity-building for the Pacific islands, and agriculture issues in the San Joaquin Valley of California.
This CFDA number was established in FY 2007.
Previously, grant funding for this purpose was listed under CFDA number 66.606, Surveys, Studies, Investigations, and Special Purpose Grants.
Multi-media grants under 66.606 often addressed environmental affects of agriculture.
The report, "USEPA Regional Geographic Initiative: Agricultural Sustainability Projects in California's San Joaquin Valley, 2001-2005," (http://www.epa.gov/docs/region09/ag/docs/ rgi-report-for-r9-ag-program-july-2006.pdf) describes these projects.
Regional priority funding has supported conferences, world-wide web content development, and geographic information systems work.
Multi-media issues addressed including food safety, Pacific island environmental issues, ocean issues, land use and transportation issues, and more.
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.
Program Accomplishments
In recent years, Regional Geographic Initiative and Environmental Priority Program funding has primarily supported work on diesel emission reduction under the West Coast Collaborative process and on dairy manure treatment through the San Joaquin Valley Dairy Manure Collaborative. The West Coast Collaborative has funded projects to address diesel emissions in eight sectors including agriculture, fuels, freight movement, and fleet operations, concentrating on the San Joaquin Valley and the major ports in Region 9. The Dairy Manure Collaborative has produced and distributed information on treatment technologies, funding opportunities, and geographic distribution of dairy manure through publications, conferences and maps. Each EPA Region has now replicated the West Coast Collaborative process, and entities associated with the Dairy Manure Collaborative have constructed 200 pilot treatment plants with $21 million from outside sources. In FY 2007 and FY 2008, 24 applications resulted in 9 awards.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Assistance awards, in the form of grants and cooperative agreements, to fund recepients' allowable directs costs plus allowable indirect costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations, may be available for projects that use a whole-systems approach to address multi-media human health and ecological risks.
Project activities may include surveys, studies, investigations, demonstrations, training, education, limited research, outreach, and/or special-purpose activities.
However, the Region will not fund research within the purview of EPA's Office of Research and Development.
Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information and computer information system applications, tools, and hardware used to generate, maintain, or distribute such information.
"Geospatial information" identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth, and may be derived from technologies such as geographic positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying, and from statistical data.
Further information regarding geospatial information is available from the following website: http://geodata.epa.gov.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Funding is available only for projects conducted within the geographic boundaries of EPA's Region 9, which includes states and tribal lands of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Navajo Nations land in New Mexico, and the Pacific islands associated with the United States.
Interstate, State, tribal, intrastate, and local government agencies, districts, and councils; and public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, and research facilities; and public or private non-governmental, nonprofit institutions are eligible to apply, unless restricted by the authorizing statutes.
Nonprofit organizations must have documentation of nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service or their state of incorporation, except that nonprofit organizations as defined in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995 or superseding legislation are ineligible.
For certain competitive funding opportunities under this CFDA description, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Interstate, State, tribal, intrastate, and local government agencies, districts, and councils; public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, and research facilities; and public or private non-governmental, nonprofit institutions are eligible to apply, unless restricted by the authorizing statutes.
Credentials/Documentation
EPA may require applicants and principle investigators to demonstrate appropriate background, academic training, experience in the field, and necessary equipment to carry out projects, and to provide curriculum vitae and relevant publications. EPA may require nonprofit organizations to provide documentation of nonprofit status accorded by the Internal Revenue Service or their state of incorporation.
Aplication and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Potential applicants should direct preapplication communications to the Office of the Regional Administrator (ORA-1), Region 9, Environmental Protection Agency.
Regarding pre-application/pre-proposal assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this program description, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application/pre-proposal assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the competitive announcement.
For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed as "Information Contacts" or see Appendix IV of the Catalog.This program is eligible for coverage under E.O.
12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
Application Procedures
For competitive awards, the competitive funding announcement will provide specific application procedures. Prospective applicants must submit requests for application packages through the EPA Regional Office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog. This program requires applicants to use standard application forms furnished by the Agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 and A-110, including Standard Form 424 for final applications. Applicants may be able to use http://www.grants.gov to electronically apply for certain grant opportunities under this CFDA.
Award Procedures
For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications, proposals, and/or submissions in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements.
Deadlines
For competitive funding opportunities, the competitive funding announcement will specify application deadlines.
Authorization
Statutory authority includes but is not limited to: Clean Air Act, Section 103; Clean Water Act, Section 104; Safe Drinking Water Act, Sections 1442; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20; Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10; Pollution Prevention Act, Section 6605; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Section 8001; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, Sections 104 and 311; Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, Section 203; National Environmental Education Act, Section 6.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Approximately 180 days from receipt of final application, through selection and notification, and development and approval of work plan, to award of funds.
Appeals
Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Copies of these procedures may also be requested by contacting the individual(s) listed as "Information Contacts." Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 40 CFR 30.63 or 40 CFR 31.70, as applicable.
Renewals
EPA can fund grants and cooperative agreements for surveys, studies, investigations, demonstrations, training, education, limited research, outreach, and/or special-purpose activities incrementally. Approval of incremental funding depends on satisfactory project progress as well as continued relevance of the project and availability of funds. The application procedure is identical to applying for a new grant, with the same funds source, selection criteria, and review procedure.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula for funds distribution and no requirement for matching funds, unless specifically stated in a request for proposals.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Assistance agreements generally fund projects for one or two years, with a maximum project period of five years. Funds are issued electronically through automated funds transfer.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
EPA may include reporting requirements in the terms and conditions of the assistance agreements, which may require quarterly, interim, and final performance reports, and financial, equipment, and inventory reports.
Audits
Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend $500,000 or more in a year in Federal awards shall have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in OMB Circular No. A-133.
Records
Recipients must demonstrate financial management capability, keep financial records including documentation for entries on accounting and for any changes in grant requirements, and make records available to personnel authorized to examine assistance recipients' records. Recipients must maintain all records for a minimum of three years from the date of submission of the final report and until all questions regarding the assistance agreement, such as those arising from audits, are resolved.
Financial Information
Account Identification
68-0108-0-1-304.
Obigations
FY 07 $124,000; FY 08 $463,000; and FY 09 $200,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Projects funded from Regional Geographic Initiative and Environmental Priority Program funding have ranged from a low of $1,500 to a high of $160,000, with an average of approximately $60,000 per project.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
Assistance agreements under this program are subject to EPA's General Grant Regulations, 40 CFR Part 30 and 40 CFR Part 31.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
Lynn Kuo, Special Assistant,Office of the Regional Administrator, Region 9, Environmental Protection Agency, 75 Hawthorne Street (ORA-1), San Francisco, CA 94105; Telephone: (415) 972-3501, Fax: (415) 947-3588, E-mail: Kuo.Lynn@epa.gov.
Headquarters Office
None.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this CFDA description will be described in the competitive announcement.
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