FY 2008 Request for Proposals for the Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program for Nine of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Pollution Prevention Program Offices
Sponsoring Agency and Office: Nine of the Environmental Protection Agency's Regional Pollution Prevention Program Offices
Funding Opportunity Title: Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program
Announcement Type: Initial Announcement for Fiscal Year 2008
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.717
Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-HQ-OPPT-08-009
Submission Date: In order to be considered for funding, hard copy proposals must be received by the appropriate regional contact listed in Section VII by Monday, June 9, 2008. Electronic proposals submitted through Grants.gov must be date stamped by Monday, June 9, 2008 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered for funding (refer to Section IV for additional submission information).
OVERVIEWEPA annually awards grants and cooperative agreements under the Source Reduction Assistance (SRA) Grant Program to support pollution prevention/source reduction and/or resource conservation projects that reduce or eliminate pollution at the source. The grant program does not support projects that rely on reducing pollution by using recycling, treatment, disposal or energy recovery activities.
This solicitation announces that nine of the EPA's Regional Pollution Prevention Program Offices anticipates having up to approximately $130,000, per region, or anticipates having up to approximately $1,090,000 in total award funding to issue SRA awards in FY 2008 – FY 20091. EPA will issue the award funds in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements. All funding will be awarded and managed by the nine EPA Regional P2 Program Offices participating in this announcement. All of the forgoing estimates are subject to the availability of appropriations.
Please note: One of the ten EPA Regions, Region 8, has developed a grant announcement independent of this one. As a result, Region 8 will not award grants or cooperative agreements under this announcement and no awards for projects in Region 8 will be made under this announcement. For information on the announcement developed by EPA Region 8, please visit www.epa.gov/region08/grants.
Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, local governments, city or township governments, independent school districts, incorporated non-profit organizations (other than institutions of higher education), public and private institutions of higher education, community-based grassroots organizations, and Indian Tribes and Intertribal Consortia.
Individuals, for-profit businesses and non-profit 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 ineligible to apply for funding.
This solicitation includes the following information:
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Attachment A Instructions for Grants.gov
Attachment B Sample Cover Page
Attachment C Guidance for Submitting Expected P2 Outcome Information
Attachment D Project Timeline Samples
Attachment E Sample Budget Detail Guidance and Example
FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT
I. Funding Opportunity Description: Nine of EPA's Regional Pollution Prevention (P2) Program Offices (herein referred to as the Regions) are announcing the availability of SRA awards. EPA anticipates having up to approximately $130,000 available, per region or anticipates having up to approximately $1,090,000 in total award funding to issue SRA awards in FY 2008 - FY 2009 to support projects involving pollution prevention/source reduction and/or resource conservation activities during FY 2008 - FY 20092. All of the forgoing estimates are subject to the availability of appropriations.
Please note: One of the ten EPA Regions, Region 8, has developed a grant announcement independent of this one. As a result, Region 8 will not award grants or cooperative agreements under this announcement. Projects performed in Region 8 will be rejected. For information on the announcement developed by EPA Region 8 please visit www.epa.gov/region08/grants.
A. Introduction: This announcement describes the process by which EPA will award the grants and/or cooperative agreements under the SRA Grant Program. Applicants are advised to carefully read this announcement as it provides important information on the requirements and goals of the program, the evaluation criteria used to review proposals, proposal submission requirements, and award selection.
Under the SRA Grant Program, EPA will provide grants and cooperative agreements to fund pollution prevention (source reduction and resource conservation) activities. EPA is interested in funding projects which assist in reducing hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants entering waste streams or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment, disposal or energy recovery activities.
B. Grant Program Requirements: This section summarizes applicable grant policies
and requirements that apply to proposals submitted under this competitive announcement. Many of these requirements are also discussed in other sections of this announcement including Sections III, IV and V.
Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, local governments, city or township governments, independent school districts, incorporated non-profit organizations (other than institutions of higher education), public and private institutions of higher education, community-based grassroots organizations, and Indian Tribes and Intertribal Consortia.
Individuals, for-profit businesses and non-profit 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 ineligible to apply for funding.
Please note: Eligible non-profit organizations must be able to demonstrate their non-profit status with appropriate documentation by the time of award.
Definitions for Pollution Prevention/Source Reduction and Resource Conservation:
Pollution Prevention/Source Reduction: For purposes of this announcement, the term "pollution prevention" also means "source reduction" and is defined as any practice which reduces or eliminates the creation of pollutants through: increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other natural resources, or protection of natural resources by conservation activities.
Pollution prevention/source reduction does not include any practice which alters the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics or the volume of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant through a process or activity which itself is not integral to and necessary for the production of a product or the providing of a service. Projects which apply any of these practices will not be eligible for funding.
Examples of acceptable pollution prevention/source reduction projects include, but are not limited to: equipment or technology modifications, process or procedure modifications, reformulation or redesign of products, substitution of raw materials, improvements in housekeeping, maintenance, training, and inventory control.
Please note: Pollution prevention includes what is commonly called "in-process recycling," but not "out-of-process recycling". Although recycling activities share many of the advantages of prevention (e.g., reducing the need for end-of-pipe treatment and promoting energy and resource conservation), they are a distinct and separate category of activity under EPA's Solid Waste Management Hierarchy and not eligible for funding. For more information on the Solid Waste Management Hierarchy, please go to www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/municipal/faq.htm#1.
Resource Conservation: The term "resource conservation" is defined as an activity that prevents pollution by reducing the use of toxic chemicals, and/or conserving energy, water and materials.
EPA Statutory Authorities for SRA Grants: SRA grants and cooperative agreements will be awarded using the following EPA statutory authorities: Clean Air Act, Section 103(b), as amended; Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3), as amended; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20, as amended; Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442 (a)(1) and (c), as amended; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001(a), as amended; and Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, as amended.
Please note: Projects must consist of activities within the statutory terms of these EPA authorities. The statutes authorize EPA to award grants or cooperative agreements for the following activities: "research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstration of new or innovative techniques, surveys and studies." These activities relate generally to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing awareness. Proposals should emphasize this "learning" concept, as opposed to "fixing" an environmental problem using a well-established method. For example, a proposal to install a more energy efficient heating system in the applicant's facility in order to conserve energy, would not fall within research, studies, demonstrations, etc. All activities in the applicant's proposal must be eligible under one or more of the statutory authorities. EPA will not fund projects that focus on recycling, treatment, disposal and/or energy recovery activities.
Programmatic Capability: Applicants are required to describe in their proposals their ability to successfully complete and achieve the goals of the proposed project(s). To do so, the applicant must address these topics:
- Experience Achieving Project Objectives: Describe how the applicant's organizational experience and resources support the successful completion of the proposed project. Also, describe if and how the applicant participates in the National Pollution Prevention Results Data System. The System collects P2 measures on a national basis and reflects the applicant's overall ability to measure and demonstrate P2 achievements. For more information visit: www.p2rx.org/services/measurement.cfm; and,
- Staff Qualifications: Describe how the applicant's staff has the qualifications and knowledge to successfully accomplish the proposed project.
Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements: EPA requires the applicant to provide a minimum 5% match, as part of the total allowable project cost. For example, the Federal government will provide 95% of the total allowable cost of the project and the recipient will provide the remaining 5%. The match may be issued in the form of cash and/or in-kind contributions, e.g., donated services, charges for real property and equipment or the value of goods and services directly benefiting the EPA funded project. Proposals which do not describe how the 5% match requirement will be met will not be reviewed or considered for funding.
Please note: Insular area applicants in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are advised to contact the applicable regional P2 contact in EPA Region 2 or 9 to determine if cost share requirements will be waived in all or in part, as authorized by the Omnibus Territories Act of 1977, as amended, 48 U.S.C. Section 1469a. Refer to Section VII to locate the applicable Regional P2 contact.
- Funding Period: EPA will reject proposals that include projects of more than two years.
Alignment with EPA's Environmental Results Policy: Applicants are required to describe outcome and output environmental measurement efforts in their proposals. The term "outcome," as defined by the Agency, refers to the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related or programmatic in nature and must be able to be quantified. The term "output," as defined by the Agency, refers to an environmental activity or effort and associated work product related to an environmental goal or objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative, but must be measurable during the assistance agreement funding period.3
Examples of outcome measures expected to be achieved under the assistance agreements awarded through this announcement include, but are not limited to:
- Pounds of hazardous materials reduced,
- BTUs of energy conserved,
- Gallons of water saved, and
- Dollars saved through P2 efforts.
Please note: EPA may in the future require reporting of metric tons of
carbon equivalent reduced in place of BTUs of energy conserved. In this event, further guidance on how to convert BTUs of energy to metric tons of carbon equivalent reduced will be provided by the Agency.In addition, further guidance on how to quantify additional sources of metric tons of carbon equivalent, beyond BTUs reduced will be provided by the Agency.Examples of output measures expected to be achieved under assistance agreements awarded through this announcement include, but are not limited to:
- Number of stakeholder groups involved in the process,
- Number of assistance visits,
- Number of workshops, trainings and courses conducted, and
- Number of fact sheets developed or distributed.
Work Plan Measurement Elements: To ensure that an environmental measurement strategy is fully incorporated into the proposal, applicants will need to submit a Work Plan that includes the following elements (for a complete description of the applicant's Work Plan refer to Section IV.D.3.b):
- Numeric estimates of expected P2 results per project;
- A description of the relevant data collection methods (e.g., surveys, pre/post tests, participant reporting arrangements);
- A description of the equations, factors and assumptions used to calculate the estimated pollution prevention results;
- An itemized budget that reflects the resources needed to pay for measurement and reporting activities. In some cases this may require 10-20% of the proposed budget;4 and,
- A project timeline that includes data collection and evaluation activities supporting environmental outcome measures.
Alignment with EPA's Strategic Plan: Proposals must commit to and work towards the following four long-term goals of EPA's Pollution Prevention Program. The program based the numeric targets for these goals on the anticipated cumulative results from all program areas by 2011. Baseline amounts count reductions achieved by the program by the baseline year. For hazardous materials, the program had counted reductions of 44 million pounds by 2000. It aims to reduce 4.46 billion more pounds cumulatively by 2011, totaling 4.5 billion pounds cumulatively reduced by 2011. For BTUs, the program had counted reductions of zero by 2002, and aims to reduce 31.5 trillion cumulatively by 2011.
The Pollution Prevention program's goals in the Agency's 2006-2011Strategic Plan are located in Goal 5: Objective 5.2: Improve Environmental Performance Through Pollution Prevention and the Adoption of Other Stewardship Practices that Lead to Sustainable Outcomes, Sub-Objective 5.2.1 Prevent Pollution and Promote Environmental Stewardship by Business, Government and the Public:
By 2011, reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, and improve other
environmental stewardship practices while reducing costs through implementation
of EPA's pollution prevention programs.Strategic Targets
By 2011, reduce 4.5 billion pounds of hazardous materials cumulatively compared to the 2000 baseline of 44 million pounds reduced.By 2011, reduce, conserve, or offset 31.5 trillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) cumulatively compared to the 2002 baseline of 0 BTUs reduced, conserved, or offset.
By 2011, reduce water use by 19 billion gallons cumulatively compared to the 2000 baseline of 220 million gallons reduced.
By 2011, save $791.9 million through pollution prevention improvements in business, institutional, and governmental costs cumulatively compared to the 2002 baseline of $0.0 saved.
For more information, go to www.epa.gov/ocfopage/plan/2006/goal_5.pdf (20 pp, 1.15M, About PDF) and scroll down to page 129 to Objective 5.2.
Past Performance: Applicants are required to describe their past performance regarding grant management/performance and compliance with reporting requirements. To do so, the applicant must submit a list of Federally-funded agreements (assistance agreements include Federal grants and cooperative agreements, but not Federal contracts) similar in size, scope and relevance to the proposed project that they performed within the last three years (no more than 5 agreements, and preferably EPA agreements), and address the three items listed below for each such agreement.
- Experience Managing Grants: Describe the applicant's past performance in successfully completing and managing the agreements;
- Experience Meeting Reporting Requirements: Describe the applicant's history of meeting reporting requirements under the agreements including submission of acceptable final technical reports; and,
- Experience Reporting Expected Results: Describe whether the applicant adequately documented and/or reported on their progress towards achieving the expected results (e.g., outcomes and outputs) under the agreements. If such progress was not being made, indicate whether and how the applicant adequately documented and/or reported why not.
Please note: Applicants with no relevant or available past performance or reporting history will receive a neutral score for these factors in accordance with the evaluation process in Section V.
C. Region-Specific Priorities: The following regional priorities are provided to highlight specific environmental issues/projects/programs that are focal points within each of the Regions participating in the announcement. Project activities must either be research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations of new or innovative techniques, surveys and/or studies. When submitting proposals, applicants must apply to the Region(s) where they plan to conduct the project (refer to Section IV, Part A on how to submit a proposal). For a list of States and/or territories represented by the participating Regions, please refer to Section VII. Any projects proposed to be performed in Region 8 will be rejected.
Region 1
- Promote P2 projects that use source reduction techniques and strategies to reduce pounds of pollution, conserve water and energy, reduce greenhouse gas, and save money;
- Promote energy conservation and renewable energy projects that reduce greenhouse gases;
- Promote P2 assistance to the autobody sector;
- Promote low impact infrastructure strategies to address stormwater runoff;
- Promote P2 assistance to the hospitality sector;
- Green the supply chain with lean manufacturing practices;
- Green government agencies with energy efficiency, environmentally preferable purchasing, and other P2 projects; and/or
- Use source reduction to reduce priority and emerging chemicals identified by the Agency, including persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals.
Region 2
- Promote projects that prevent pollution through the use of sustainable tools (e.g., Design for the Environment, green chemistry, green engineering, environmental management systems, environmentally preferable purchasing), and achieve measurable results in reducing energy use, hazardous materials, conserving water or saving money; and/or
- Promote projects which address the above criteria and focus on the hospitality, pharmaceutical, health care sectors and colleges/universities campuses; and/or in the geographical areas of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Region 3
- Source waste reduction and pollution prevention;
- Design for the environment and green manufacturing;
- Energy conservation and innovation including renewable energy resource development and reduction of energy waste/production emissions;
- Greening of government agencies (recycling, energy efficiency, environmentally preferable purchasing, solid waste, etc); and/or
- Urban environments and environmental justice efforts.
Region 4
Priority projects will have a region-wide focus:
- College and universities – integrating pollution prevention with compliance objectives and "greening" campus facilities.
- Greening of government agencies (energy efficiency, environmentally preferable purchasing, etc);
- Greening the supply chain with State environmental leadership program members (manufacturers leveraging pollution prevention/performance among their suppliers); and/or
- Small business outreach initiatives.
Region 5
- Incorporating improved measurement methods including carbon equivalent reductions into pollution prevention projects;
- Applying/disseminating sustainability tools and practices including green building, environmentally preferable purchasing, energy conservation or water conservation;
- Implementing P2 opportunities in the healthcare and hospitality sectors; and/or
- Greening the industrial supply chain.
Region 6
- Energy - Sources/Conservation – promote projects that advance energy conservation, reduction of greenhouse gases or promote the development of new renewable energy sources;
- Water Quality/Conservation – promote projects that advance improved water quality and/or conservation of water resources;
- Integrate P2 into Compliance Assistance – promote projects that look for ways to use P2 techniques in a compliance assistance setting;
- Local Governments/Municipal/ Tribal - promote projects that assist entities in using P2 techniques and/or strategies to impact their operations such as development and implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS), green building/purchasing or other P2 related activity;
- Public Consumption – promote projects that emphasize the impact of individual's consumptive have on the world and how P2 can impact those decisions; and/or
- Regulatory Integration of P2 Programs – promote projects that integrate the ability to use P2 into statutory and/or regulatory programs.
Region 7
- Promote energy conservation and renewable energy projects that reduce greenhouse gases;
- Source reduction of hazardous waste and substances, and priority/emerging chemicals;
- Promote pollution prevention alternatives for hazardous air pollutants and Clean Air Act source categories; and/or
- Encourage participation in Sustainable Skyways, Blue Skyways, P2 opportunities with hospitals, environmentally preferable purchasing, greening the government or supply chain, Performance Track, NPEP, Waste Wise, Energy Star and/or pollution prevention based environmental management systems or partnership programs.
Region 9
- Promote green building in K-12 schools, or in the residential business sector;
- Promote pollution prevention as a means to address environmental justice;
- Promote measurable reductions in the use or emissions of toxic chemicals.
Region 10
- Facilitation and support of the network of pollution prevention technical assistance providers;
- Environmentally preferable purchasing, including renewable energy certificate market development projects; and/or
- Developing pollution prevention projects of interest to States, regions and/or Indian Tribes and intertribal consortia that meet the requirements for treatment in a manner similar to a State as noted in 40 CFR 31.
II. Award Information. EPA will issue SRA awards in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, the degree of involvement by the EPA will be determined by the Region(s).
EPA anticipates having up to approximately $130,000 available, per region (for Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10) {approximately $1,090,000 in total award funds in FY 2008 – FY 2009} to fund source reduction/pollution prevention and/or resource conservation projects during FY 2008 – FY 2009.5 All of the forgoing estimates are subject to the availability of appropriations. EPA anticipates awards will be in the range of $10,000 - $100,000. EPA estimates it will receive approximately 250 grant proposals and issue approximately 40 awards.
A. Partial Funding: In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund proposals by funding discrete activities, portions, or phases of the proposed project. If EPA decides to partially fund a proposal, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposal, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and that maintains the integrity of the competition and the evaluation/selection process.
Please note: In order to be considered for partial funding, proposals must have clearly delineated activities or phases with separate budget estimates for each activity/phase of the project. All awards will be consistent with the applicable EPA regulations and policies.
EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals and issue no awards under this announcement, or issue fewer awards than anticipated.
B. Funding Restrictions: EPA assistance agreement funds may only be used for the purposes set forth in the assistance agreement and must be consistent with one or more of the statutory authorities listed in Section I.B.3. Assistance agreement funds may not be used for matching funds for other Federal grants, lobbying, or intervention in Federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, Federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal government or any other government entity. All costs identified in the budget must conform to applicable Federal cost principles contained in OMB Circular A-87; A-122; and A-21, as appropriate. EPA will subtract proposed ineligible costs from the final approved budget if a grant or cooperative agreement is awarded.
C. Type of Assistance Instrument to be Awarded: EPA will fund selected proposals in the form grants and/or cooperative agreements. EPA will award cooperative agreements for those projects in which it expects to have substantial technical interaction with the recipient throughout the performance of the project. For such projects, EPA may review and approve project phases, review and approve proposed subgrants and contracts, collaborate with the recipient on the scope of work and mode of operation of the project, closely monitor the recipient's performance, approve any proposed changes to the Work Plan and/or budget, approve qualifications of key personnel, and review and comment on reports prepared under the assistance agreement. EPA will not be substantially involved in the performance of grants.
D. Proper use of SRA Grant Funds: To ensure the proper use of grant funds, the following requirements must be followed:
- Subgrants and Subawards: EPA will award funds to one eligible applicant as the recipient even if other eligible applicants are named as partners or co-applicants or members of a coalition or consortium. The recipient is accountable to EPA for the proper expenditure of funds.
Funding may be used to provide subgrants or subawards of financial assistance, which includes using subawards or subgrants to fund partnerships, provided the recipient complies with applicable requirements for subawards or subgrants including those contained in 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31, as appropriate. Applicants must compete contracts for services and products, including consultant contracts, and conduct cost and price analyses, to the extent required by the procurement provisions of the regulations at 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31, as appropriate. The regulations also contain limitations on consultant compensation. Applicants are not required to identify subawardees/subgrantees and/or contractors (including consultants) in their proposal/application. However, if they do, the fact that an applicant selected for award has named a specific subawardee/subgrantee, contractor, or consultant in the proposal/application EPA selects for funding does not relieve the applicant of its obligations to comply with subaward/subgrant and/or competitive procurement requirements as appropriate.
Please note: Applicants may not award sole source contracts to consulting, engineering or other firms assisting applicants with the proposal solely based on the firm's role in preparing the proposal/application.
Successful applicants cannot use subgrants or subawards to avoid requirements in EPA grant regulations for competitive procurement by using these instruments to acquire commercial services or products from for-profit organizations to carry out its assistance agreement. The nature of the transaction between the recipient and the subawardee or subgrantee must be consistent with the standards for distinguishing between vendor transactions and subrecipient assistance under Subpart B Section .210 of OMB Circular A-133, and the definitions of subaward at 40 CFR 30.2(ff) or subgrant at 40 CFR 31.3, as applicable. EPA will not be a party to these transactions. Applicants acquiring commercial goods or services must comply with the competitive procurement standards in 40 CFR Part 30 or 40 CFR Part 31.36 and cannot use a subaward/subgrant as the funding mechanism.
III. Eligibility Information: Eligible applicants include the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, local governments, city or township governments, independent school districts, incorporated non-profit organizations (other than institutions of higher education), public and private institutions of higher education, community-based grassroots organizations, and Indian Tribes and Intertribal Consortia.
Individuals, for-profit businesses and non-profit 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 ineligible to apply for funding.
A. Threshold Program Requirements: Proposals from eligible applicants must demonstrate how they meet the Threshold Program Requirements identified below (as well as the cost match requirements described below) in order to receive funding consideration. Proposals that fail to meet all of these requirements will be rejected. Applicants deemed ineligible based on this section will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility decision:
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Proposed projects must be for activities that apply the definition of P2/Source Reduction (Section I.B.2).
Proposed projects must be for no more than 2 years (Section I.B.6).
Proposed projects must align with EPA's Strategic Plan (Section I.B.9).
Proposed projects must address at least one of the Regional Priorities that apply to the region where the applicant is proposing to perform the project (Section I.C). Please Note:Projects proposed in EPA Region 8 will not be considered for funding.
Projects proposed in EPA Region 7 cannot exceed $25,000 in requested EPA funding.
- Threshold Submission Requirements:
a. Proposals must substantially comply with the proposal submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected. However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the Narrative Proposal (9 pages), pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.
b. In addition, proposals must be received by the EPA regional contact or received through www.grants.gov, as specified in Section IV of this announcement, on or before the proposal submission deadline provided in Section IV.A of this announcement. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their proposal reaches the designated person/office specified in Section VII of the announcement by the submission deadline.
c. Proposals received after the submission deadline will be considered late and returned to the sender without further consideration, unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling.
Please note: For hard copy submissions, where Section IV requires proposal receipt by a specific person/office by the submission deadline, receipt by an Agency mailroom is not sufficient. Applicants should confirm receipt of their proposal with the EPA regional contact identified in Section VII as soon as possible after the submission deadline – failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed.
B. Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements: EPA requires the applicant to provide a minimum 5% match, as part of the total allowable project cost, in order to receive an award. For example, the Federal government will provide 95% of the total allowable cost of the project and the recipient will provide the remaining 5%. The match may be issued in the form of cash and/or in-kind contributions, e.g., donated services, charges for real property and equipment or the value of goods and services directly benefiting the EPA funded project. Proposals which do not describe how the 5% match requirement will be met will not be reviewed or considered for funding.
Please note: Insular area applicants in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are advised to contact the applicable regional P2 contact in EPA Region 2 or 9 to determine if cost share requirements will be waived in all or in part, as authorized by the Omnibus Territories Act of 1977, as amended, 48 U.S.C. Section 1469a. Refer to Section VII to locate the applicable regional P2 contact.
IV. Proposal Submission Information: The grant application process is a two-step process involving a grant proposal package, followed by a full application package. First, applicants submit proposal packages that include a Cover Page, Narrative Proposal, SF 424 form, Letters of Support, and Key Contact information as described in more detail in Section D below – those proposals from eligible applicants that meet the threshold requirements described in Section III will then be evaluated based on the criteria in Section V. Second, eligible proposals that merit further consideration for funding, based on the evaluation criteria provided in Section V, will advance to the second step of the application process, and those applicants will be contacted by the applicable Region and asked to prepare and submit a full application. Only those applicants who are asked to complete a full application will be considered for an award. Full applications include additional Federal forms and documentation. A full application should not be submitted at this time. The following section describes how to submit a grant proposal, including submission dates, proposal submission methods, and proposal content. Applicants are advised to carefully read through these instructions.
A. Submission Date: In order to be considered for funding, hard copy proposals must be received by the appropriate regional contact listed in Section VII by Monday, June 9, 2008. Electronic proposals submitted through Grants.gov must be date stamped by Monday, June 9, 2008 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered for funding (refer to Section IV for additional submission information).
B. Proposal Submission Methods: Applicants may choose to submit proposals in one of two ways. If applying with a hard copy submission, please follow the instructions under "Hard Copy Submission" (refer to Section IV.E below). If applying electronically via Grants.gov, please follow the appropriate instructions under "Electronic Submission" (refer to Section IV.F below). EPA encourages applicants to submit their proposal materials electronically through www.grants.gov. EPA will not consider proposals sent by e-mail.
C. Proposal Length and Format: Narrative Proposals as described in D.3 below must be
no more than 9 single spaced pages (i.e., a page equals one side). Proposals longer than 9 pages will only be reviewed up to the page limit. Applicants must use no less than 11 point font on 8.5 x 11 inch paper. The SF 424 form, the cover page, Letters of Support, and key contacts information do not count toward the page limit requirement. Proposals must be readable in PDF, MS Word or Word Perfect WP6/7/8 for Windows in English.
D. Proposal Package Content: The grant proposal package consists of the following elements: Cover Page, Federal Assistance Form (SF-424), Narrative Proposal, Letters of Support, and Key Contact information. The page limit applies to the Narrative Proposal only.
Cover Page: The Cover Page contains the following items:
- Grant Program title;
- Funding opportunity number of this announcement;
- Title of proposal;
- Short description of the proposal;
- The total funding amount of the project and the requested funding amount;and,
- The applicant's contact information (i.e., name of applicant, name of organization, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address).
Attachment B provides a sample cover page. The Cover Page does not count toward the page limit requirement.
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Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424): To download the form go to www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/form/SF424.pdf (6 pp, 163K, About PDF). When filling out form SF-424, applicants are required to provide a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. Applicants may obtain a DUNS number by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711. Alternatively, applicants may also request a DUNS number online by going to fedgov.dnb.com/webform and following the instructions for a grant.
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Narrative Proposal: The Narrative Proposal includes parts a and b below.
The Narrative Proposal is subject to the proposal page limit described above.- Project Narrative: The Project Narrative must address how the proposal meets the Threshold Program Requirements described in Section III.A, and must also include information addressing the Programmatic Capability (Section I.B.4)and Past Performance requirements (Section I.B.10) in order to receive an evaluation score as described in Section V.
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Work Plan: The Work Plan addresses the strategy, environmental measures, financial aspects, and timeframe of the proposed project(s) as described below and in Section I.B.8:
Project Strategy: Describe the following issues for the proposed project(s):
a.The environmental and health issues(s) that the project addresses;
b.The project's purpose and goals;
c.The project's key tasks and deliverables;
d.The project's use of partnerships; and,
e.How the project addresses one or more of the statutory authorities described in Section I.B.3.
f. How the project addresses one or more of the regional priorities that applies to the region where the applicant is proposing to perform the project (Section I.C).-
Environmental Measures: The following measurement information must be provided to describe the environmental results of the proposed project(s):
a. Applicants will need to provide qualitative and quantitative estimates of expected outcomes and outputs of project activities in their Work Plan. (Refer to I.B.7 for examples of outcomes and outputs);
b. A description of the relevant data collection methods (e.g., surveys, pre/post tests, participant reporting arrangements);
c. Numeric estimates of expected pollution prevention results per project;
d. A description of the equations, factors and assumptions used to calculate the estimated pollution prevention results; and,
e. A plan for tracking the applicants progress towards achieving the expected project outcomes and outputs (I.B.7).For proposals that include more than one project, the above measurement information must be provided for one or more of the proposed projects. Refer to Pre-proposal Assistance on Environmental Measurement (Section IV.I) for general guidance on measurement and to Attachment C for guidance on P2 outcome measurement and an acceptable format for providing estimates of environmental outcomes.
- Budget Detail: The budget must comply with the 5% Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements (Sections I.B.5 and III.B). The budget must also reflect the resources needed to pay for measurement and reporting activities. In some cases this may require 10- 20% of the proposed budget. For an example of a detailed budget, refer to Attachment E.
a. Management Fees: When formulating a budget applicants may not include management fees or similar charges in excess of the direct costs and indirect costs at the rate approved by their audit agency, or at the rate provided for in the terms of the assistance agreement negotiated with EPA. The term "management fees or similar charges" refers to expenses added to the direct costs in order to accumulate and reserve funds for ongoing business expenses, unforeseen liabilities, or for other similar costs that are not allowable under EPA grants or cooperative agreements. Management fees or similar charges may not be used to improve or expand the project funded under the grant or cooperative agreement, except to the extent authorized as a direct cost of carrying out the Work Plan.
b. Compensation for Consultants: The use of EPA financial assistance compensation for consultants is limited to the daily equivalent of the rate paid to Federal employees at the ES-IV level (refer to 40 CFR Sections 30.27 B (b) and 31.36 (j)).
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Project Timeline: A project timeline of no longer than three years (Section I.B.6) should reflect key project tasks and deliverables as well as the data collection activities that capture environmental results (Section I.B.7). For an example of a Project Timeline, refer to Attachment D.
Please note: The applicant must also make sure the narrative proposal addresses all of the evaluation criteria identified in Section V to the extent they are not otherwise addressed above.
Letters of Support: Please include Letters of Support as part of the grant proposal. Letters of Support do not count toward the page limit requirement.
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EPA Form 5700-54, Key Contacts Form: To download the form go to www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/word/5700-54.doc. You are asked to identify the key personnel who will lead and fund the Work Plan. The form does not count toward the page limit requirement.
E. Hard Copy Submission: Applicants choosing to submit their proposal package by hard copy must send two complete copies of it to the appropriate Regional contact listed in Section VII. EPA strongly recommends that applicants use overnight delivery service or courier service as regular mail may be subject to unforeseeable delays. Proposals received after the submission date as noted in Section IV.A will not be evaluated or considered for funding. Proposals must be prepared in accordance with Sections IV.C and D.
For hard copy proposals only: Applicants are encouraged to e-mail their EPA Regional P2 Coordinator (listed in Section VII) to notify them that a hard copy proposal has been submitted.
F. Electronic Submission: Applicants choosing to submit their proposal electronically must do so through www.grants.gov. Proposals must be prepared as described in Sections IV.C and D.
The electronic submission of your proposal package must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal assistance. For more information, go to www.grants.gov and click on "Get Registered" on the left-hand side of the web page and then "Authorized Organization Representative (AOR)." Note that the registration process may take a week or longer to complete. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to designate an AOR and ask that individual to begin the registration process as soon as possible.
After the registration process is complete, your institution may begin the application process to submit a SRA Grant proposal. Proposal materials submitted through grants.gov will be time/date stamped electronically.
To submit a proposal through Grants.gov, please refer to the instructions provided in Attachment A. If you experience technical difficulties while applying electronically, please call 1-800-518-4726 or email at support@grants.gov or contact the regional employee listed in Section VII of this announcement.
G. Other Submission Requirements:
Confidential Business Information: In accordance with 40 CFR 2.203, applicants may claim all or a portion of their proposal/application as confidential business information. EPA will evaluate confidentiality claims in accordance with 40 CFR Part 2. Applicants must clearly mark proposals/applications or portions thereof that they claim as confidential. If no claim of confidentiality is made, EPA is not required to make the inquiry to the applicant otherwise required by 40 CFR 2.204(c)(2) prior to disclosure.
Federal Requirements: If an applicant's proposal is preliminarily selected for Federal funding during the initial review process, the applicant will be contacted by the Region and instructed to submit required application forms. All application forms must be filled out in their entirety, prior to being considered for an award (refer to 40 CFR 30.12 and 31.10). In addition, successful applicants will be required to certify that they have not been debarred or suspended from participation in Federal assistance awards in accordance with 40 CFR Part 32.
Intergovernmental Review: This grant 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. If the applicant does not know who their single point of contact is, they are advised to call the EPA Headquarters Grant Policy Information and Training Branch at 202-564-5325 or refer to the State Single Point of Contact web site at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html. Federally-recognized Tribal governments are not required to comply with this procedure.
H. Pre-proposal/Application Assistance and Proper Communication with Applicants: In accordance with EPA's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1)6, EPA staff will not meet with individual applicants to discuss draft proposals, provide informal comments on draft proposals, or provide advice to applicants on how to respond to ranking criteria. Applicants are responsible for the contents of their proposals and applications. However, consistent with the provisions in the announcement, EPA will respond to questions from applicants regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the proposal, and requests for clarification about the announcement.
I. Pre-proposal Assistance on Environmental Measurement: EPA has prepared a set of
written questions and answers on environmental measurement to help applicants understand why preparing, documenting and reporting environmental measurement data (outcomes and outputs) is important to their work; what things to measure; how to measure; and how EPA will evaluate measurement work. The questions and answers may also be used to augment Attachment C - Guidance for Submitting Expected P2 Outcome Information.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the questions and answers as a resource when preparing their proposals. To view, please go to www.epa.gov/p2/pubs/grants/.
J. Consideration of an Applicant's Proposed Subawardees/Subgrantees and/or Contractors During the Evaluation Process: Section V of the announcement describes the evaluation criteria and evaluation process that will be used by EPA to make selections under this announcement. During this evaluation, except for those criteria that relate to the applicant's own qualifications (i.e., past performance and reporting history), the review panel will consider, as appropriate and relevant, the qualifications, expertise, and experience of:
An applicant's named subawardees/subgrantees identified in the proposal/application if the applicant demonstrates in the proposal/application that if it receives an award that the subaward/subgrant will be properly awarded consistent with the applicable regulations in 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31. For example, applicants must not use subawards/subgrants to obtain commercial services or products from for profit firms or individual consultant; and
An applicant's named contractor(s), including consultants, identified in the proposal/application if the applicant demonstrates in its proposal/application that the contractor(s) was selected in compliance with the competitive Procurement Standards in 40 CFR Part 30 or 40 CFR 31.36 as appropriate. For example, an applicant must demonstrate that it selected the contractor(s) competitively or that a proper non-competitive sole-source award consistent with the regulations will be made to the contractor(s), that efforts were made to provide small and disadvantaged businesses with opportunities to compete, and that some form of cost or price analysis was conducted. EPA may not accept sole source justifications for contracts for services or products that are otherwise readily available in the commercial marketplace.
Please note: EPA will not consider the qualifications, experience, and expertise of named subawardees/subgrantees and/or named contractor(s) during the proposal/application evaluation process unless the applicant complies with these requirements.
V. Application Review Information
This section describes the process and criteria for evaluating proposals that pass the threshold eligibility review described in Section III. EPA will only evaluate proposals from eligible applicants that meet the Threshold Eligibility requirements in Section III.
A. Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria below. Proposals can receive a maximum score of 100 as stated below. Each criterion includes a cross-reference to the section of this announcement that is relevant to that criterion:
Programmatic Capability and Past Performance [30 points]
- Programmatic Capability (Section I.B.4): Proposals will be evaluated based on the extent and quality to which the applicant clearly describes their organizational experience and resources to perform and support the successful completion of the proposed project(s). This includes their experience achieving project objectives, degree of participation in the National Pollution Prevention Results Data System (Section I.B.4.a) and staff qualifications (Section I.B.4.b.) [16 points]
Past Performance (Section I.B.10): Proposals will be evaluated based on the factors described in Section I.B.10 including the extent and quality to which the applicant demonstrates it has successfully performed and managed Federally-funded assistance agreements (Federal grants and cooperative agreements and not contracts) of similar size, scope and relevance to the proposed project within the last three years and complied with reporting requirements under these agreement including submission of acceptable final technical reports. Also, EPA will evaluate the extent to which the applicant adequately documented or reported on whether it was achieving the expected results under prior grants as identified in Section I.B.10. [14 points]
Please note: In evaluating applicants under this factor, EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources including agency files and prior/current grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information supplied by the applicant). Applicants with no relevant or available past performance reporting history must indicate this in the proposal and they will receive a neutral score for this factor [7 points]
Please note: Applicants who have no relevant or available past performance reporting history must indicate this in the proposal or they may get 0 points for these factors.
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Work Plan [70 points]
- Project Strategy (Section I.B.3): When evaluating proposals, EPA will evaluate the extent to which the proposal will support pollution prevention/source reduction and/or resource conservation projects that reduce or eliminate pollution at the source. [30 points]
Environmental Measures (Section I.B.7 and 8): EPA will evaluate the extent and quality to which the Work Plan presents numeric estimates of expected pollution prevention results (outcomes and outputs) and describes a pragmatic effort to collect, calculate, and report pollution prevention measures. Also, to be evaluated will be the Applicants plan for tracking and measuring its progress towards achieving the expected project outcomes and outputs [20 points]
Budget Detail (Section I.B.8.d): The extent to which the detailed budget presents estimated costs for each budget object class, broken down by project and funding source. Reviewers will also evaluate the detailed budget based on the extent to which the costs are reasonable and necessary. Note that the detailed budget must comply with cost share requirements (Section I.B.5) and must indicate the cost of environmental measurement activities (Section I.B.7). [10 points]
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Project Timeline: The extent to which the project timeline reflects key project tasks and deliverables as well as the data collection and evaluation activities supporting environmental outcome measures (Section I.B.7). Project schedules can be no longer than two years (Section I.B.6). [10 points]
B. Review and Selection Process:
- Review Process: Proposals will first be reviewed to determine if they meet the threshold eligibility requirements in Section III. Proposals that meet the threshold requirements will then be reviewed by a regional review panel based on the criteria above. The proposal review process will be based on the evaluation criteria and scoring provided above. The review panel will use evaluation forms prepared by the Region to score, rank and record the evaluation results. The highest ranked proposals in the Region that merit further consideration will proceed to the next phase in the review process. After the Regional review panels have evaluated all proposals submitted for their region the Region will select the applicants with the highest rankings that merit further consideration.
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Selection Process: The highest ranked proposals from each Region will be recommended for funding and a listing of those proposals will be sent to the appropriate Regional Division Director or Senior Executive Service (SES) equivalent for review and for determining which applicants to request completed full applications from. In making this decision, the Regional Division Director (or SES equivalent) will consider the evaluation rankings and may consider geographic diversity. EPA anticipates that requests for application packages will be made by August 2008, but some decisions on final grant applications may not be made until FY 2009.
Selection Official: Complete application packages will be selected for funding by the Regional Division Director (or SES equivalent) in the Region. Selections will receive final concurrence by the Pollution Prevention Division Director in EPA Headquarters. EPA anticipates that final funding decisions will made by November 2008, but some final funding decisions may not be made until FY 2009.
VI. Award Administration Information:
A. Award Announcements: After completed applications have been reviewed and evaluated, applicants will be notified by the Region regarding the outcome of their submittal, usually 60 - 90 days from the date of submission.
B. Dispute Resolution Process: 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) which can be found at www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/resolution.htm. Copies of these procedures may be requested by contacting the appropriate Region listed in Section VII.
C. Administrative Requirements:
Award Management: Awards issued in FY 2008 will be managed by the appropriate Region.
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Non-profit administrative capability: Non-profit applicants that are recommended for funding under this announcement are subject to pre-award administrative capability reviews consistent with Section 8b, 8c and 9d of EPA Order 5700.8 - Policy on Assessing Capabilities of Non-Profit Applicants for Managing Assistance Awards (www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700_8.pdf (9 pp, 31K, About PDF)). In addition, non-profit applicants that qualify for funding may, depending on the size of the award, be required to fill out and submit to the Grants Management Office the Administrative Capabilities Form, with supporting documents, contained in Appendix A of EPA Order 5700.8.
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Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC): Certain quality assurance and/or quality control (QA/QC) and peer review requirements are applicable to the collection of environmental data. Environmental data are any measurements or information that describe environmental processes, location, or condition; ecological or health effects and consequences; or the performance of environmental technology. Environmental data also include information collected directly from measurements, produced from models, and obtained from other sources such as databases or published literature. Regulations pertaining to QA/QC requirements can be found in 40 CFR Parts 30.54 and 31.45. Additional guidance can be found at www.epa.gov/quality/qa_docs.html#noeparqt.
Applicants should allow sufficient time and resources for this process in their proposed projects. If your organization does not have a Quality Management System in place, one must be developed. A project-specific Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) or functional equivalent must be submitted and approved by EPA. All projects will require a QAPP or functional equivalent.
Applicants for the FY 2008 Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program are not required to submit a QAPP as part of the application package, but may be required at time of award. Each grant award will contain a condition establishing a deadline for the grantee to submit acceptable quality assurance documentation to EPA.
Audits:Periodic audits should be made as part of the recipient's system of financial management and internal control to meet the terms and conditions of grants and other assistance agreements. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A‑133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," non-federal entities that receive financial assistance of $500,000 or more within the State's fiscal year shall have an audit made for that year. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A‑133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," was published in the Federal Register on June 30, 1997. The Circular implements the Single Audit Act amendments of 1996. State agencies that receive less than $500,000 within the State's fiscal year shall have an audit made in accordance with Federal laws and regulations governing the programs in which they participate.
Records: Financial records, including all documents to support entries on accounting records to substantiate charges to each assistance agreement, must be kept available to personnel authorized to examine EPA assistance agreement accounts. All records must be maintained for three years from the date of submission of the annual financial status report. If questions still remain, such as those posed as a result of an audit, related records should be retained until the matter is completely resolved.
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Computers: Recipients who use grant funds to purchase desktop computers, or notebook computers must specify that such equipment be an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered product with a rating of "bronze" or better. Information about EPEAT-rated products can be found at www.epeat.net/ . This specification requirement is consistent with EPA's role in the Federal Electronics Challenge, for more information go to www.federalelectronicschallenge.net .
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Exchange Network: Applicants should be aware that EPA, States, Tribes and territories are working together to develop the National Environmental Information Exchange Network, a secure, Internet and standards-based way to support electronic data reporting, sharing, and integration of both regulatory and non-regulatory environmental data. States, Tribes and territories that exchange data with each other or with EPA, should make the Exchange Network and the Agency's connection to it, the Central Data Exchange (CDX), the standard way they exchange data and should phase out any legacy methods they used previously. More information on the Exchange Network is available at www.exchangenetwork.net .
D. Reporting:
Uniform reporting requirements for institutions of higher education and other non-profit organizations: The recipient, along with the Regional Project Officer, will develop a process for jointly evaluating and reporting progress and accomplishments under the work plan. The work plans and reporting must be consistent with the requirements of 40 CFR Part 30, subpart C. A description of the evaluation process and a reporting schedule must be included in the work plan (refer to sections 30.51 through 30.53). Under this grant program, EPA will require the grant recipient to submit semi-annual progress reports during the life of the project to the Regional Project Officer. Recipients should provide discussion of accomplishments as measured against work plan commitments; a discussion of cumulative effectiveness of the work performed under all work plan components; a discussion of existing and potential problem areas; and suggestions for improvement, including where feasible, schedules for making improvements. If evaluation reveals the recipient has not made sufficient progress under the work plan, the Regional Project Officer and the recipient will negotiate a resolution. The recipient may request a review of the Regional Project Officer's decision under the dispute resolution process under 40 CFR 30.63. Upon completing the grant project, the recipient will be required to submit a final technical report to the Regional Project Officer.
Uniform reporting requirement for State, local and tribal governments: The recipient, along with the Regional Project Officer, will develop a process for jointly evaluating and reporting progress and accomplishments under the work plan. The work plans and reporting must be consistent with the requirements of 40 CFR 31, subpart C. A description of the evaluation process and a reporting schedule must be included in the work plan (refer to 40 CFR sections 31.40 through 30.42). Under this grant program, EPA will require the grant recipient to submit semi-annual progress reports during the life of the project to the Regional Project Officer. Recipients should provide discussion of accomplishments as measured against work plan commitments; a discussion of cumulative effectiveness of the work performed under all work plan components; a discussion of existing and potential problem areas; and suggestions for improvement, including where feasible, schedules for making improvements. If evaluation reveals the recipient has not made sufficient progress under the work plan, the Regional Project Officer and the recipient will negotiate a resolution that addresses the issues. If issues cannot be resolved through negotiation, the Regional Project Officer may take appropriate action (refer to 40 CFR sections 31.43 through 31.44.) The recipient may request a review of the Regional Project Officer's decision under the dispute resolution process under 40 CFR, Part 31, subpart F. Upon completing the grant project, the recipient will be required to submit a final technical report to the Regional Project Officer.
Where to Send Semi-Annual and Final Technical Reports: Grant recipients should send all semi-annual and final technical reports, including any final products generated from the SRA Grant to the Regional Project Officer. Examples of final products include, but are not limited to: fact sheets, pamphlets, handbooks, model curricula, assessment and audit tools, videos, event brochures, etc.
The Grant Project Officer may share final technical reports, and/or final products with the appropriate regional P2Rx center and may send the materials to the Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC). For more information on PPIC, please visit www.epa.gov/opptintr/ppic.
VII. Agency Contacts: For further information, please contact the appropriate EPA Regional P2 Program Coordinator.
STATE | EPA REGIONAL P2 PROGRAM COORDINATOR |
Region 1 CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT |
Robert Guillemin - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 1 Congress Street Suite 1100 (SPP) Boston, MA 02114-2023 Phone: 617-918-1814 E-mail: guillemin.robert@epa.gov Website: www.epa.gov/region1/assistance/p2/index.html |
Region 2 NJ, NY, PR, VI |
Alex Peck - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 290 Broadway, 25th Floor (PSPMMB) New York, NY 10007-1866 Phone: 212-637-3758 E-mail address: peck.alex@epa.gov Website: www.epa.gov/region02/p2/grants.htm |
Region 3 DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV |
Evelyn Velazquez - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 1650 Arch Street (3EA40) Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 Phone: 215-814-5412 E-mail: velazquez.evelyn@epa.gov Website: www.epa.gov/region03/p2/grants.htm |
Region 4 AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN |
Pamela Swingle - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 61 Forsyth Street SW Atlanta, GA 30303 Phone: 404-562-8482 E-mail: swingle.pamela@epa.gov Website: wrrc.p2pays.org/P2GrantInfo.asp |
Region 5 IL, IN, OH, MI, MN, WI |
Phil Kaplan - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 77 West Jackson Boulevard (LM-7J) Chicago, IL 60604-3590 Phone: 312-353-4669 E-mail: kaplan.phil@epa.gov Website: www.epa.gov/region5/p2/grants.htm |
Region 6 AR, LA, NM, OK, TX |
David Bond - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200 (6EN-XP) Dallas, TX 75202 Phone: 214-665-6431 E-mail: bond.david@epa.gov Website: www.epa.gov/region06/6en/xp/enxp2d.htm |
Region 7 IA, KS, MO, NE |
Gary Schlicht - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 901 N. 15th Street (ARTD/SWPP) Kansas City, KS 66101 Phone: 913- 551-7097 E-mail: schlicht.gary@epa.gov Website: www.epa.gov/region07/economics/r7_grant_opportunities.htm |
Region 9 AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, GU |
Jessica Counts - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 75 Hawthorne Street (WST-7) San Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: 415-972-3288 E-mail: counts.jessica@epa.gov Website: yosemite.epa.gov/r9/fsfc.nsf/58cc78776e5e186b8825641b0 06a9bd8/bf4b9209205dcd008825641c001004d4!OpenDocument |
Region 10 AK, ID, OR, WA |
Carolyn Gangmark - Pollution Prevention Coordinator 1200 Sixth Avenue Suite 900 (OEA-095) Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: 206-553-4072 E-mail: gangmark.carolyn@epa.gov Website: yosemite.epa.gov/R10/homepage.nsf/79794ef74873b5d48825650 f006b2193/d7b3b0464224c1e88825661a0074635e?OpenDocument |
1. Region 7 anticipates having up to approximately $50,000 available in FY 2008. The Region will place $25,000 cap on funds requested by each applicant. Return to link.
2. Region 7 anticipates having up to approximately $50,000 available in FY 2008. The Region will place a $25,000 cap on funds requested by each applicant. Return to link.
3. EPA Order 5700.7, Environmental Results Under Assistance Agreements - http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700.7.pdf (29 pp, 180K, About PDF). Return to link.
4 . Attachment E provides a sample of an itemized budget. EPA will consider partial funding in appropriate circumstances, for more information on partial funding, please refer to Section II A. Return to link.
5. Region 7 anticipates having up to approximately $50,000 available in FY 2008. The Region will place a $25,000 cap on funds requested by each applicant. Return to link.
6. EPA Order 5700.5A1 - http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/5700_5A1.pdf (37 pp, 161K, About PDF). Return to link.
ATTACHMENT A
Instructions for Submitting a Proposal through Grants.gov
The electronic submission of your proposal must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal assistance. For more information, go to www.grants.gov and click on "Get Registered" on the left side of the page.
Note that the registration process may take a week or longer to complete. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to designate an AOR and ask that individual to begin the registration process as soon as possible.
To begin the proposal process, go to www.grants.gov and click on the "Apply for Grants" tab on the left side of the page. Then click on "Apply Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package" to download the compatible Adobe viewer and obtain the application package.
To apply through grants.gov you must use Adobe Reader applications and download the compatible Adobe Reader version (Adobe Reader applications are available to download for free on the Grants.gov website. For more information on Adobe Reader, please visit the Help section on grants.gov at www.grants.gov/help/help.jsp or www.grants.gov/aboutgrants/program_status.jsp).
Once you have downloaded the viewer, you may retrieve the application package by entering the Funding Opportunity Number, EPA HQ-OPPT-08-009, or the CFDA number that applies to this announcement (CFDA 66.717), in the appropriate field.
You may also access the proposal package by clicking on the "Application" button at the top right of the synopsis page of this announcement. To find the synopsis page, go to www.grants.gov and click on the "Find Grant Opportunities" button on the left side of the page and then go to "Search Opportunities" and use the "Browse by Agency" feature to find EPA opportunities.
Proposal Submission Deadline: Your organization's AOR must submit your complete proposal electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (ww.grants.gov). The proposal must be date stamped by Monday, June 9, 2008 11:59 pm. Please submit all proposal materials as described below and in Sections IV.C and D of the announcement.
Proposal Materials: The proposal package is described in Section IV.D of the announcement. Proposals must be prepared as stated in Section IV of the announcement and include the following documents:
1) Cover Page
2) Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)
3) Narrative Proposal
4) Letters of Support
5) EPA Form 5700-54, Key Contacts Form
If additional pages are needed for Key Contacts, attach these additional pages to the electronic application package by using the "Other Attachments Form" in the "Optional Documents" box.
Proposals must contain items 1-5 listed above. The Narrative Proposal cannot exceed 9 single spaced pages – excess pages will not be reviewed. Instructions on what to include for items 1-5 are provided in Section IV.D of the announcement.
Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions: Documents 1 - 5 listed above must be submitted as part of the proposal package. Documents 2 and 5 will appear in the Mandatory Document Box as will the Project Narrative Attachment Form. This form will need to be created for each document. To create the form, follow the instructions below.
- The fields that must be completed will be highlighted in yellow.
- Optional fields and completed fields will be displayed in white.
- If you enter an invalid response or incomplete information in a field, you will receive an error message.
- When you have finished filling out each form, click "Save."
- When you return to the electronic Grant Application Package page, click on the form you just completed, and then click on the box that says, "Move Form to Submission List."
- This action will move the document over to the box that says, "Mandatory Completed Documents for Submission."
For documents 1, 3, and 4 you will also need to attach electronic files. To attach the electronic files follow the instructions below.
- First, prepare your Narrative Proposal as described in Section IV. D.3 of the announcement and save the documents to your computer as an MS Word or WordPerfect file. (EPA prefers to receive documents in MS Word, but documents prepared in WordPerfect will also be accepted).
- When you are ready to attach the Narrative Proposal to the application package, click on "Project Narrative Attachment Form," and open the form.
- Click "Add Mandatory Project Narrative File," and then attach your Narrative Proposal (previously saved to your computer) using the browse window that appears.
- You may then click "View Mandatory Project Narrative File" to view it.
- Enter a brief descriptive title of your project in the space beside "Mandatory Project Narrative File Filename;" the filename should be no more than 40 characters long.
- To attach the Cover Page and Letters of Support click "Add Optional Project Narrative File" and proceed as before. Prepare your Cover Page as described in Section IV.D.1 of the announcement.
- When you have finished attaching the necessary documents, click "Close Form."
- When you return to the "Grant Application Package" page, select the "Project Narrative Attachment Form" and click "Move Form to Submission List."
- The form should now appear in the box that says, "Mandatory Completed Documents for Submission."
Saving Your Work: When you have finished filling out all of the forms and have attached the necessary files, they should appear in one of the "Completed Documents for Submission" boxes. For each document click the "Save" button that appears at the top of the web page. It is recommended that you save the document a second time, using a different name, since this will make it easier to submit an amended package later if necessary. Please use the following format when saving your file: "Applicant Name – FY08 – Assoc Prog Supp – 1st Submission" or "Applicant Name – FY 08 Assoc Prog Supp – Back-up Submission."
If it becomes necessary to submit an amended proposal, then the name of the 2nd submission should be changed to "Applicant Name – FY08 Assoc Prog Supp – 2nd Submission."
Once your proposal package has been completed and saved, send it to your AOR for submission to U.S. EPA through Grants.gov. Please advise your AOR to close all other software programs before attempting to submit the proposal package through Grants.gov.
In the "Application Filing Name" box, your AOR should enter your organization's name (abbreviate where possible), the fiscal year (e.g., FY 08), and the grant category (e.g., Assoc Prog Supp). The filing name should not exceed 40 characters. From the "Grant Application Package" page, your AOR may submit the proposal package by clicking the "Submit" button that appears at the top of the page. The AOR will then be asked to verify the agency and funding opportunity number for which the application package is being submitted.
If problems are encountered during the submission process, the AOR should reboot his/her computer before trying to resubmit the proposal package. It may be necessary to turn off the computer (not just restart it) before attempting to resubmit the package. If the AOR continues to experience submission problems, he/she may contact Grants.gov for assistance by phone at 1-800-518-4726 or email at support@grants.gov or contact the Regional P2 contact listed in Section VII of this announcement.
Proposal packages submitted through grants.gov will be time/date stamped electronically.
Confirmation of Your Submission: If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from grants.gov) within 30 days of the proposal deadline, please contact the Regional P2 contact listed in Section VII. Failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed. Please Note: Applicants are strongly advised to send an e-mail notification to their EPA Regional contact noting that a SRA Grant proposal was submitted through Grants.gov.
Instructions for Submitting a Complete Application Package through Grants.gov: Proposals which merit further consideration based on the evaluation criteria described in Section V of the announcement will be asked by the applicable Region to submit a grant application package to complete the submission process. Only those applicants who are asked to complete an application package will be considered for an award. Applicants who are contacted by the Region will receive an e-mail containing the application deadline and applicable instructions for submitting a complete application package which may include instructions for submitting it through Grants.gov. Only complete application packages will be considered for funding.
ATTACHMENT B
Sample Cover Page
[Grant Program Title] FY 08 Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program
[Funding Opportunity Number] EPA-HQ-OPPT-08-009
[Title] Groundwater Guardian Green Sites Expansion (GGGS)
[Short Description - no more than 300 characters]
Project will use pollution prevention at the source. It will document, calculate, and publicly recognize the environmental outcomes of reducing the use of fertilizer, pesticide, and water and of effectively managing sources of pollution.
[Project funding]
Total Project Funding: $46,804
Requested Funding: $39,804
[Applicant's Contact Information]
Name: Jane Doe
Address: 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
Tel: (222) 222-2222
Fax: (222) 222-2222
Email: doe.jane@aol.com
[Contact information should include a primary contact,
the person responsible for implementing the grant project
and if desired an administrative contact, the person
responsible for submitting the grant proposal]
ATTACHMENT C
Guidance for Submitting Expected P2 Outcome Information
Sections I.B.7 and 8 of this announcement describe why and how applicants must provide quantitative estimates of expected outcomes and outputs of project activities in their proposals. To assist applicants with P2 measurement requirements, Section I of this guidance provides a description of what to include in the grant proposal and provides a sample explanation of how to present the information. Section II provides background information describing P2 outcome categories, data collection methods and a procedure for calculating expected P2 outcomes.
I. Description of Expected P2 Measurement Information
To meet measurement requirements, the proposal should include at least one P2 project that results in numeric P2 outcomes within the project's timeframe. The proposal should include the following measurement elements (items A-D listed below) for each P2 project that is expected to be measured for numeric outcome results.
Measurement Elements:
A. Project Overview: A short list of project characteristics which include the project's 1) Title, 2) Outputs, 3) Behavioral Measures, 4) Partners, and 5) Target Sectors.
B. Data Collection: A description of the relevant data collection methods (e.g., surveys, pre/post tests, participant reporting arrangements, etc.)
C. Expected P2 Outcomes: Numeric estimates of expected pollution prevention outcomes per project.
D. Calculation of Expected Outcome Results: A description of the equations, factors and assumptions used to calculate the estimated pollution prevention results.
What follows is a sample explanation of how to present the information for the measurement elements.
A. Project Overview: The Project Overview section provides a "snap shot" of the proposed project by providing brief responses in the following five areas: 1) Project Title; 2) Outputs; 3) Behavioral Measures; 4) Partners;and, 5) Target Sectors. A sample explanation is provided below.
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Project Title: Green Hotels Program;
Outputs: The project will organize 5 three-hour workshops followed by on-site environmental audits and technical assistance for up to 10 participating facilities;
Behavioral Measures: Number of workshop attendees that join the Green Hotel Program;
Partners: State Hotel and Motel Association and the State Visitors and Tourist Bureau; and,
Target Sectors: Hotel and hospitality businesses
B. Data Collection: By writing a short description of the data collection method, applicants take a proactive approach towards measurement by selecting the most appropriate data collection tool(s) and thinking through the logistics of the measurement process. As described in Section II.A, Background Information for Expected P2 Outcomes below, data collection tools include surveys (mail, fax, email, Internet, and phone) and observed data (on-site revisits, pre/post tests, and reviews of self-reported data).
Please note: The steps to institute measurement (i.e., measurement planning, data collection, data analysis and reporting) should also be reflected in the Budget Detail and the Project Timeline. A sample explanation is provided below.
Data Collection Description: The data collection effort for the Green Hotel Project will begin with a pre/post survey conducted at each of the project's five workshops. The survey will assess the changes in the level of environmental awareness of workshop participants and collect baseline facility information. P2 outcome measures will be collected as part of a voluntary program in which participating hotels will receive technical assistance from P2 staff and, in return, provide self-reported data for pounds of pollution prevented, energy and water conserved, and dollars saved.
C. Expected P2 Outcomes: The following table is a sample showing how to present expected P2 outcome information in an acceptable format. As illustrated in the table, the "Green Hotels Project" expects to yield numeric P2 outcomes from the listed "P2 Efforts." The number of "Pounds of Pollutants Reduced" is totaled in column (g). The underlying calculation for each expected outcome is described below in Section D, "Calculation of Expected Outcome Results."Please note: Refer to Section II.B for definitions of the outcome categories, including pounds of pollution prevented, millions of BTU (mBTUs) conserved, gallons of water conserved, and dollars saved.
Table 1 Estimated P2 Outcomes for the Green Hotels Project |
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Pounds of Pollutants Reduced |
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Resources Conserved |
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(a) |
(b) Haz. |
(c) |
(d) |
(e) |
(f) |
(g) |
(h) mBTUs |
(i) |
(j) Gallons |
(k) Dollars |
1) Water conservation |
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50,000 |
$6,844 |
2) Green cleaning |
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500 |
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500 |
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3) Organic lawn care |
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200 |
200 |
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4) Efficient Lighting |
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170 |
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Total: |
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500 |
200 |
700 |
170 |
|
50,000 |
$6,844 |
D. Calculation of Expected Outcome Results: Calculations of expected outcome results include the underlying assumptions, factors and logic used to calculate the expected SRA grant outcomes. The sample explanations that follow cover the first two P2 efforts listed in Table 1 above (i.e., water conservation and green cleaning).
Water Conservation: Four workshops will reach an expected audience of 50 hotels. Of these, 5 hotels, representing approximately 500 bed spaces, are expected to adopt water efficiency practices within two years. A typical U.S. hotel uses 100 gallons of water per day per occupied room (water used for toilet, bathing, hygiene and laundry). Assuming a 50 percent occupancy rate, the 5 participating hotels use approximately 9,125,000 gallons of water per year. New water-efficient shower and faucet fixtures combined with an "Eco Linen" program are expected to result in a savings of 15 percent or 1,368,750 gallons conserved per year. With water and sewer rates at approximately $5.00 per 1,000 gallons, the estimated cost savings are $6,844.
Green Cleaning: It is expected that a total of five hotels will provide self-reported data on the amount of green cleaning products that are converted to environmentally preferable cleaners. It is estimated that, on average, each hotel room requires the use of two pounds of cleaning products per year for a total annual usage of 1,000 pounds for 500 rooms. It is expected that the participating hotels will convert half of their cleaning products to green cleaners within two years. Furthermore, assuming 50% occupancy rate, it is expected that a shift to green cleaner will result in 250 pounds of in-product source reduction per year.
II. Background Information for Expected P2 Outcomes
The following three sections describe P2 outcome categories and data collection methods, and provide a process for calculating expected P2 outcomes.
A. Description of Data Collection Methods
Pre/Post-Test: Before conducting the pollution prevention assistance activity (e.g., workshops, training sessions), consider testing attendee knowledge of the subject you plan to cover. At the end of the assistance activity, retest the participants to determine changes in understanding of the materials presented. Similarly, you can assess behavioral practices at the facility before a workshop and practices reported in a follow-up survey to identify changes made. Pre/post-tests can also help you improve your pollution prevention assistance materials by revealing areas where key messages did not come across.
Telephone Survey: A telephone survey is a standard set of questions asked to potential respondents over the telephone. These surveys, used alone or in combination with mail or online surveys allow you to ask follow-up or clarifying questions, potentially resulting in better data than a mailed survey. Telephone surveys work best if the list of potential respondents is a manageable number (e.g., less than 50 respondents). To reduce costs, some regions have hired college students to make the call-backs.
Mail/Email/Fax Survey: A mail, email, or fax survey is a set of questions sent to potential respondents with a request that they voluntarily respond. These surveys enable you to reach a large number of potential respondents, and may be the best option where there are more than 50 recipients. However, mail/email/fax surveys can provide ambiguous results, since it is not easy to immediately follow up and clarify unclear, conflicting, or unexpected responses. Similarly, a limited level of detail is obtained, as respondents will generally not spend the time to write long answers to open-ended questions.
Online Survey: An online survey is a set of questions posted on a Web site or list server. These surveys have the potential to reach a large number of respondents. For surveys on Web sites, you can reach users that might otherwise be unknown to you. Many respondents like online surveys because they can respond at their convenience and they do not need to worry about losing a survey or mailing it back. As with mail surveys, however, the online survey may provide only limited detail as respondents might not want to spend time typing in a longer response. In addition, without follow-up, there is potential for ambiguity or conflicting results, as with the mail survey.
Please note: Pre/post-tests, telephone surveys, mail/email/fax surveys, and online surveys are exempt from the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) if administered under a grant agreement. However, the PRA is applicable if administered as part of a cooperative agreement with EPA.
On-site Revisit: Onsite revisits involve returning to facilities that previously received an assistance visit. Revisiting facilities can provide excellent data since you can use direct observation to make assessments and because facilities are likely to spend the necessary time to answer questions while you are on site. In addition, the revisit itself might spur additional compliance assistance or pollution prevention activities.
Self-Reported Data: Facilities may provide self-reported data that sheds light on their environmental performance. This could include in-house data such as energy and water bills, material and waste management receipts, permits, and Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) forms. Facilities may also supply source reduction information as part of a voluntary environmental program, such as an annual pollution prevention awards program, an ongoing environmental recognition program, or other voluntary partnerships.
B. Description of the P2 Outcome Categories
Applicants are encouraged to use the reporting format (refer to Table 1 above) for expected P2 outcome measures. As outlined below, the use of this format clearly identifies the key measurement categories that meet EPA's measurement and reporting needs.
P2 Efforts: Column (a) lists the source reduction activities that are expected to yield P2 outcome results. For grants with multiple projects, at least one project must be included. In the example listed above, a "Green Hotels Program" conducts four P2 activities that exhibit expected outcome measures.
Pounds of Pollutants Reduced: The five categories that comprise "Pounds of Pollutants Reduced" are described below. Column (g) sums the total pounds of pollutants prevented. Reductions are achieved through source reduction efforts, including in-process recycling. Measurements are expressed in pounds/year.
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Hazardous Waste [column (b)]: "Hazardous Waste" is defined to include state and/or federally listed hazardous or toxic wastes or wastes meeting the criteria for ignitability, toxicity, corrosiveness or reactivity.
Air Pollutants [column (c)]: "Air Pollutants" are defined to include the release of any of the following: Toxic air emissions (includes CAA 112b hazardous air pollutant (HAP), TRI, and others), nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, particulate matter (PM) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's).
Waste Water [column (d)]: "Waste Water" is defined to include biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), toxics, nutrients, non-filterable total suspended solids (TSS), contaminants in storm water and pathogens discharged to sewer systems, septic systems, injection wells, and ground water. Pounds of waste water are calculated by estimating the quantity of contaminant rather than the quantity of water.
In Product [column (e)]: "In Product Source Reduction" is defined as the pollutants prevented through modification in product design. This category helps capture reductions that are not typically represented as hazardous waste, air pollutants, or waste water. For example, latex paint is not disposed of as a hazardous waste, but "green" product design eliminates toxic ingredients, such as fungicides.
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In Process [column (f)]: "In Process Source Reduction" is defined as the pollutants prevented through the modification of a manufacturing or business process. This category helps capture reductions that are not typically represented as hazardous waste, air pollutants, or waste water. For example, the adoption of organic lawn care practices eliminates the use of pesticides – an outcome that can't be described as a reduction in hazardous waste, air pollutants, or waste water.
mBTUs: Column (h) lists the mBTUs (million BTUs, sometimes written as MM BTUs) reduced, conserved, or offset through source reduction efforts.
MTCE: Column (i) is a placeholder for listing the Metric Tons of Carbon Equivalent reduced, conserved, or offset through source reduction efforts. The P2 Program may issue further guidance on MTCE by Fall 2008.
Gallons: Column (j) lists the reduction in gallons of incoming raw water from outside sources through the implementation of P2 activity. Reductions can occur for operations, facility use and grounds maintenance.
Dollars: Column (k) lists the financial savings in dollars derived from the outcome of implementing a P2 activity (including materials, labor, energy, machinery, administrative, waste management, or other process costs).
C. Calculation of Pollution Prevention Outcomes
The following steps can be followed to estimate expected pollution prevention outcomes.
- Establish a Baseline: Baseline performance information represents the current status of the target audience or sector and provides a frame of reference for measuring the success of the intended pollution prevention project. Baseline information can be expressed in terms of the amount of pollution generated over a period of time (e.g., pounds of pollution per year); the amount of material, products, water, and/or energy used over a given time (e.g., kW hours consumed per year); and amount of dollars spent over a given time (e.g., dollars spent per year). Baseline information can be established by: 1) using relevant databases, records, reports, and studies; 2) surveying the facility or target audience; and, 3) using pre-existing baseline information.
Here are some examples:
A manufacturer generates about 4,000 gallons/month of oil wastewater from washing operations used to clean machined, metal parts for a cost of $0.40/gallon.
On average, hospitals use between 250 and 400 gallons of water per day per bed.
- Determine the Efficiency of the P2 Effort: Identify the expected source reduction benefit of the P2 practice, product or technology. This benefit should be expressed in terms of pollution reduced, energy saved, water conserved, and costs avoided. This efficiency factor should come from reliable sources or sound analysis.
Here are some examples:
High-solid auto body paints reduce VOC emissions by up to 75%.
Manufacturing one ton of office paper with 100% recycled contents can save nearly 3,000 kilowatt hours when compared to the manufacture of virgin paper.
ENERGY STAR qualified transformer can save $100-300 each year at an electricity rate of $0.075 cents per kWh.
Ergonomic high volume, low pressure (HVLP) guns result in paint savings of up to 50 percent over conventional air spray guns, and savings of 35 percent over conventional HVLP guns.
Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology can reduce the volume of oily wastewater by at least 80% by separating out clean water from the oily solution.
- Estimate the Degree of Impact: Estimate the degree to which the P2 objectives will be implemented by the target audience. First, gauge the percentage of expected participation. Second, determine the degree to which participants will adopt P2 suggestions.
Here are some examples:
- If representatives from 30 marinas attend a workshop, 10 marinas are expected to implement suggested P2 practices within a two year period. Of these, half are expected to install a high-efficiency spray gun for painting operations.
- Six of the ten facilities participating in an EMS user-group are expected to complete their EMS by the end of the year.
By identifying the target audience's performance baseline, the expected efficiency of the P2 Effort, and the degree of impact, you will have all the elements to estimate expected P2 outcomes.
ATTACHMENT D
Project Timeline Samples
The following sample of timelines offer different approaches for documenting a schedule of major project activities and milestones. Please note that timelines also need to account for measurement tasks, including 1) measurement planning, 2) data collection efforts, and 3) data analysis and reporting (refer to Section I.B.9).
Sample 1
Timeline for Multiple Projects |
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Project |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Greening the Government |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Partnership Activities |
X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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Mercury Collection |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
Pollution Reduction |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
Prepare Reports |
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X |
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X |
Measurement |
X |
X |
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X |
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X |
X |
X |
Sample 2
Milestone Table | |||||||||||||
Task by Objective | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | |
Objective 1 Task 1 Livestock Industry Assistance |
Design and implement management plans | → |
↔ |
↔ |
↔ |
↔ |
↔ |
↔ |
← |
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Objective 2 Task 1 |
Initiate P2 measurement strategy | → |
← |
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Objective 2 Task 2 |
Collect data from participants |
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→ |
↔ |
← |
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Objective 2 Task 2 |
Analyze data |
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→ |
↔ |
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Objective 3 Task 1 |
Present findings at national conference |
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↔ |
Objective 4 Task 1 |
Prepare interim and final reports |
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↔ |
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↔ |
Sample 3
Activity Timeline | |||||||||||
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Pre-workshop testing | Workshop | Post-workshop testing | Analyze data |
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On-site technical assistance | Collect and analyze data |
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Piloting to old companies |
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Piloting to new companies |
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Measurement Planning |
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Data collection and analysis |
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Prepare progress report |
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Prepare Final Report |
Sample 4
Interim Report |
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Task | Timeline | Status |
General | ||
a. Advisory Committee Conference Calls | Monthly | Ongoing |
b. Progress Reports | Quarterly | Ongoing |
Task 1: Education and Outreach | ||
a. Develop Outreach Strategy | October – November 2006 | Completed |
b. Develop & Disseminate Outreach Materials | November – June 2007 | Ongoing |
c. Develop & Pilot Industry Mentoring Program | November 2006 – December 2007 | Ongoing |
Task 2: On-Site Outreach | ||
a. Conduct 10 onsite visits | June 2007 – June 2008 | Ongoing |
b. Mail P2 suggestions | July 2007 – August 2007 | Ongoing |
c. Conduct follow-up calls | October 2007 – April 2008 | Pending |
d. Compile survey data and metrics | October 2007 – August 2007 | Pending |
Task 3: Measurement and Reporting | ||
a. Plan measurement strategy | October 2007 | Completed |
b. Mid-year report | March 15, 2008 | Pending |
c. Analyze Output and Outcome Measures | September – November 2008 | Pending |
b. Prepare Final Report | November – December 2008 | Pending |
ATTACHMENT E
Budget Detail Guidance and Example
Applicants must provide a detailed cost justification for the estimated budget amounts reflected in Section B of the SF-424A application form. The Budget Detail allows the EPA project officer to determine if the costs are reasonable and necessary. To comply with Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements, the itemized budget must indicate the project costs paid by the applicant, EPA, and/or other partners. A description of Object Class Categories and a sample budget has been provided below.
Description of Object Class Categories
Personnel: Indicate salaries and wages, by job title, of all individuals who will be supplemented with the grant funds.
Fringe Benefits: Indicate all mandated and voluntary benefits to be supplemented with the grant funds.
Travel: Indicate the number of individuals traveling, destination of travel, number of trips, and reason for travel.
Equipment: EPA regulation and policy define equipment as tangible, non-expendable personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (40 CFR 31.3). The figure of $5,000 would represent the total cost of the equipment purchase or of the lease). Note that not all funding programs allow for the purchase of equipment and some programs encourage leasing rather than purchasing equipment. If your project requires the purchase of equipment, you are encouraged to check with the Regional Pollution Prevention contact prior to submitting your proposal to ensure that the equipment purchases are allowable.
Supplies: Indicate any items, other than equipment, that will be purchased to support the project.
Contractual: Indicate any proposed contractual items that are reasonable and necessary to carry out the project's objectives.
Other: Indicate general (miscellaneous) expenses necessary to carry out the objectives stated in the workplan.
Total Direct Charges: Summary of all costs associated with each line item category.
Indirect Costs: Organization must provide documentation of a federally approved indirect cost rate (percentage) reflective of proposed project/grant period. Applicant should indicate if organization is in negotiations with appropriate federal agency to obtain a new rate.
Total amount of funds requested from EPA and total match: Add direct and indirect costs.
Total cost of project: Add the total amount requested from EPA and the total amount of funds provided as a match for an overall project cost.
Measurement: The category of "measurement" is not an Object Class Category; nonetheless, grant conditions require the inclusion of a short description of applicable measurement costs to complete the budget detail. A sample description has been included at the bottom of the following Example Budget.
Sample of Budget Detail
Line Item |
Detailed Description |
EPA Funds |
Match Funds |
Total |
Personnel | Project Manager @ $15/hr x 40hrs/wk x12 weeks Project Assistant @ $10/hr x 20hrs/wk x 12 weeks. |
$7,200
$2,400 |
$0
|
$9,600 |
Fringe Benefits | Health Insurance- 1 FTE @ $35/month x 12/months Dental - 1 FTE @ $40/mo x 12/months |
$420 |
$0 |
$900 |
Travel | Site Visit to XYZ Watershed Meeting with project partners Per diem for 2 days @$40/day for 1 person Hotel for 1 night for 1 person |
$0
$250 $80 $75 |
$360
$0 $0 $0 |
$765 |
Equipment |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Supplies | 100 pamphlets for community members @ $2 each Computer equipment |
$200 $0 |
$0 $1000 |
$1,200 |
Contractual | Training for 50 people @ $100 each Water sample testing - 20 samples @ $75 each |
$5,000 $0 |
$0 $1,500 |
$6,500 |
Other | Office needs (postage, phone, fax, etc.) |
$150 |
$150 |
$300 |
Total Direct Charges |
|
$16,255 |
$3,010 |
$19,265 |
Indirect Charges | 10% of Personnel salary |
$960 |
$0 |
$960 |
Grand Total |
|
$17,215 |
$3,010 |
$20,225 |
Measurement: Expenditures to measure P2 outcomes include personnel costs of $500 to write and administer a survey and compile survey results. This includes time for the Project Manager ($15/hr x 20 hrs = $300) and the Project Assistant ($10/hr x 20hrs = $200).