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| 66.115 SURVEYS, STUDIES, INVESTIGATIONS, TRAINING, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND SPECIAL PURPOSE GRANTS FOR EPA REGION 10 REGIONAL GEOGRAPHIC INITIATIVE |
| FEDERAL AGENCY |
| REGION 10, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY |
| AUTHORIZATION |
| Clean Water Act, Section 104; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20; Clean Air Act, Section 103; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001; Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442; Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10. |
| OBJECTIVES |
| To support investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, studies, research and special purpose assistance to protect public health and prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and/or Washington. Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2008: This program is not being funded in 2008. |
| TYPES OF ASSISTANCE |
| Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements). |
| USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS |
| Grants and cooperative agreements are available to support recipients' allowable direct costs incident to approved investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, studies, research and special purpose assistance plus allowable indirect costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Funding awarded for research does not include 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. The Regional Office will accept submissions only for projects to be performed in States, Tribal Lands, and Territories within Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and/or Washington. Projects that are national in scope are not eligible for funding under this CFDA. |
| Applicant Eligibility |
| Subject to any restrictions in the authorizing statutes, assistance under this program is generally available to States, territories, Indian Tribes, and possessions of the U.S., including the District of Columbia; public and private universities and colleges; hospitals; laboratories; local governments; and other public or private nonprofit institutions. 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. Nonprofit organizations must be able to demonstrate that they are eligible through documentation of nonprofit status provided the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or their state of incorporation. However, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply. |
| Beneficiary Eligibility |
| State and local governments, U.S. territories and possessions, Indian Tribes, universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, other public and private nonprofit institutions, and individuals. |
| Credentials/Documentation |
| Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments and Indian Tribes, OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions, OMB Circular No. A-122 for nonprofit institutions, and FAR Part 31 for profit makers. Applicants may be requested to demonstrate they have appropriate background, academic training, experience in the field, and necessary equipment to carry out projects. EPA may ask applicants or principal investigators to provide curriculum vitae and relevant publications. Nonprofit organizations must be able to demonstrate that they are eligible through documentation of nonprofit status provided the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or their state of incorporation. |
| Preapplication Coordination |
| EPA awards grants and cooperative agreements supporting investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, studies, research and special purpose projects, considering relevance and likelihood of success of proposed projects and other appropriate criteria. 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. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circulars No. A-102 and No. A-110. 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. |
| Application Procedure |
| The standard application forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 and A-110 must be used for this program. EPA requires final applications to be made on Standard Form 424. Application kits should be requested from and submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, Grants Administration Office, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101. Detailed information and assistance, including an application kit, required forms, and a check list, are available at: http://www.epa.gov/region07/economics/index.htm. For competitive awards, the competitive funding announcement will specify application procedures. Applicants may be able to use http://www.grants.gov to electronically apply for certain grant opportunities under this CFDA. |
| Award Procedure |
| 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 awards, deadlines will be specified in the competitive funding announcement. |
| Range of Approval/Disapproval Time |
| Approximately 180 days. |
| 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 |
| None. A standard grant application should be prepared and submitted as a new grant, which will be reviewed in the same manner as the original application and will compete for available funds. EPA can incrementally fund grants and cooperative agreements for investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, studies, research and special purpose assistance. Approval of subsequent funding increments is dependent on satisfactory project progress, continued relevance of the project to EPA's priorities, and availability of funds. |
| Formula and Matching Requirements |
| Not applicable. |
| Length and Time Phasing of Assistance |
| Grants and cooperative agreements are normally funded on a 12-month basis (annual) and will be paid electronically utilizing automated funds transfer. The total approved project period may not exceed 5 years for competitive awards. |
| Reports |
| EPA includes reporting requirements for grants and cooperative agreements in the terms and conditions of the agreements. Agreements may require quarterly, interim, and final progress reports, and financial, equipment, and invention reports. Reporting requirements are also identified in the Grant Regulations Part 30 and Part 31. |
| 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 Non-Profit Organizations," non-federal 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. Non-federal 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 keep financial records, including all documents supporting entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes in grants, available to personnel authorized to examine EPA recipients grants and cooperative agreements records. Recipients must maintain all records until 3 years from the date of submission of final expenditure reports. If questions, such as those raised as a result of audits remain following the 3-year period, recipients must retain records until the matter is completely resolved. |
| Account Identification |
| 68-0108-0-1-304. |
| Obligations |
| Estimated funds available will vary based on regional allocation. The funding level for FY 07 was $350,000; FY 08 was $0; and FY 09 will be determined in the EPA appropriations bill. |
| Range and Average of Financial Assistance |
| The range of awards for 2007 was $50,000 to $100,000 and the average was $87,500. |
| PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
| Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI) funding supports EPA Region 10's ability to protect human health and the environment. RGI projects have enabled recipients to identify environmental concerns at the local level that are best addressed using innovative, collaborative approaches that further both local and regional environmental objectives. In FY 07 4 awards were made out of 43 applications received (9 percent). |
| REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE |
| Investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, studies, research, and special purpose grants and cooperative agreements are subject to EPA's General Grant Regulations (40 CFR Part 30 and 40 CFR Part 31). |
| Regional or Local Office |
| EPA encourages potential applicants to communicate with the EPA Region 10 located at 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101, Daniel Steinborn, Telephone: (206) 553-2728, Fax: (206) 553-6984, E-mail: Steinborn.daniel@epa.gov. |
| Headquarters Office |
| Not applicable. |
| Web Site Address |
| http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/HOMEPAGE.NSF/webpage/Grants |
| RELATED PROGRAMS |
| None. |
| EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS |
| These three projects (of 9 total) were funded in 2006:1- Neighborhood Air Pollution Assessment; 2- Implementation of Biological Weed Control in Western Washington; 3- Smart Growth in a High Growth, Small Community. These three projects (out of 4 total) were funded in 2007: 1- Reducing Alaska's Carbon Footprint through Utility-Scale Wind Energy Development, Business Energy Efficiency and Public Engagement; 2- Pacific Northwest Carbon Neutral Building Initiative; 3- Maximizing the Environmental and Energy Benefits from Washington State's Renewable Energy Tax Credit. |
| CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS |
| The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this CFDA description will be described in the announcement of the competitive funding opportunity. EPA selects proposed projects for funding based on factors such as relevancy to EPA's mission, technical merit, and the likelihood of success and other relevant factors. |
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General Services Administration Office of Chief Acquisition Officer Regulatory and Federal Assistance Division (VIR) |
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