FY95 Great Lakes Program Priorities and Funding Process

1. PURPOSE
2. FY95 PRIORITIES
3. GLNPO ACTIVITIES AND FUNDING
4. ROADMAP OF OTHER EPA GREAT LAKES PROGRAMS
   1. Regional Water Programs
   2. Air Program
   3. Regional RCRA Program
   4. Regional Pesticides/Toxic Substances Programs
   5. Environmental Education Grants
   6. Great Lakes Research Program
5. Attachment 1: Application Instructions for GLNPO Preproposals
6. Attachment 2: GLNPO Request for Preproposals
7. Attachment 3: Preproposal Information Cover Sheet
8. Attachment 4: Multiple Preproposal Summary Sheet
   
   

FY95 GREAT LAKES PROGRAM PRIORITIES AND FUNDING PROCESS

I. PURPOSE

In 1992, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the eight Great Lakes States, five Federal agencies, and the Chippewa/Ottawa Treaty Fishery Management Authority, completed the Great Lakes 5-Year Strategy - Protecting the Great Lakes: Our Environmental Goals and How We Plan to Achieve Them.  The Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) issues this  annual Great Lakes Program Priorities and Funding Process (Great Lakes PFP) as a means of coordinating management of the Great Lakes resource. This Great Lakes PFP is a part of the ecosystem  management approach which assists implementation of the 5-Year  Strategy.

5 YEAR STRATEGY GOALS

• Reduce toxic substances, with an emphasis on persistent, bioaccumulative substances.
• Protect and restore vital habitats.
• Protect biological integrity; restore and maintain diverse living populations.
   

In March 1994, as part of what Agency officials have termed the "Edgewater Consensus," senior EPA leaders recommended that the Agency:

align our policy, regulatory, institutional, and administrative infrastructure to support ecosystem protection... develop information and tools to facilitate the approach; and... reorient the Agency's culture to facilitate a place-driven approach.

We in the Great Lakes are already taking this approach. Place-based ecosystem efforts in the Great Lakes, such as LAMPs and RAPs, are early candidates for a list of ecosystem demonstration projects being identified as part of the Edgewater focus. We desire to continue this progress. By providing this Great Lakes PFP, GLNPO seeks to:

• provide program and funding guidance in advance of the operating cycles so that State and Tribal agencies have sufficient time to prepare grant proposals in concert with other program planning activities;
• achieve agreement on joint priorities so that participating agencies in the Five Year Strategy can use them in internal planning and so that grant proposals can be targeted at opportunities for the most significant environmental improvement;
• minimize competition among applicants for resources and maximize the opportunity for developing joint partnerships between agencies and non-governmental organizations to achieve common environmental objectives; and
• reduce the administrative burden associated with competing for individual project grants at various, unpredictable times throughout the funding cycle.

The FY95 Great Lakes Program Priorities and Funding Process does not replace general USEPA National guidance or guidance developed by the Regional Program Offices. Rather, the Great Lakes PFP is a supplement to the annual planning process and should be used to facilitate planning Great Lakes activities in concert with broader State program planning efforts. The Great Lakes PFP is also intended to provide the linkage between the Great Lakes program and base Air, Water, Waste, and Pesticide/Toxic Substances programs.

II.  FY95 PRIORITIES

Through holistic total resource management, the Great Lakes program seeks to reduce the greatest risks to human and ecological health; a mission directly reflected in the environmental goals established in the 5-Year Strategy. Participants in the December 7, 1993 Great Lakes planning meeting concurred that these goals of the partner organizations were still correct. Consequently, during Fiscal Year 1995 (FY95) USEPA will emphasize the following Great Lakes priorities:

Reducing Toxic Pollution

• State adoption of water quality standards, antidegradation policies, and implementation procedures consistent with the
  Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance.
• Reducing sources of toxic substances through the Great Lakes Toxics Reduction Effort, with an emphasis on bioaccumulative chemicals of concern.
• Virtual Elimination. Evaluate persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substance uses and further reduction opportunities for targeted pollutants (mercury and PCBs) utilizing pollution prevention; identify and address existing program gaps/barriers to reducing nonpoint sources of toxicants.
• Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study. Complete principal field monitoring as a first phase in determining relative loading rates of toxic substances based on mass balance modeling. The study will ultimately guide further load reduction efforts and contribute to regulation and policy development.
• Pathways Approach. Continue the multi-media effort to identify and address the primary nonpoint source pathways
  (including air deposition, sediments, spills, urban runoff/cso's, and waste sites) of toxicants into the Great
  Lakes.
• Assisting States in developing the Great Lakes Regional Air Toxics Emissions Inventory to quantify toxic emissions and establish relative loads.
• Implement specific load reduction actions with an emphasis on reducing air emissions and non-point sources (including contaminated sediment sources) of persistent bioaccumulative pollutants. Target remedial actions at sources of these pollutants based on risk within Lake watersheds. Associated priorities include:
  • Lake Michigan. Consistent with the workplan and schedule approved by the Lake Michigan LaMP management team, implement activities to prevent, reduce and/or remediate impaired uses by identifying sources and quantifying loads of Critical Pollutants through intensive integrated air, open water, tributary, sediment, and biological monitoring; modeling; and emissions inventories.
  • Lake Ontario. Consistent with the Lake Ontario workplan and schedule, continue to identify sources, and reduce or eliminate loads of pollutants of concern.
  • Lake Superior. Consistent with the workplan and schedule approved by the Lake Superior LaMP management team, implement activities to prevent, reduce, and/or remediate impaired uses by continuing implementation of the zero discharge demonstration, special protection designations, the development of an integrated monitoring plan, and protection and restoration of important habitat.
  • Lake Erie. Consistent with the workplan and schedule approved by the Lake Erie LaMP management team, implement activities to prevent, reduce and/or remediate impaired uses by completing problem assessment and identifying beneficial use impairments, refining the list of critical pollutants, and continuing source identification and load quantification as part of LaMP development. Identify and begin implementing load reduction actions.
• Continue activities to reduce toxic substances and protect/restore beneficial uses in the Areas of Concern (AOCs)
  through focused and coordinated implementation of all relevant Federal, State, and local media programs. Identify gaps in media programs.
• Target multi-media regulatory and non-regulatory actions to achieve risk-based environmental improvements through the Niagara Frontier, Northwest Indiana, Southeast Michigan, and Saginaw River/Bay Geographic Initiatives.
• Target high priority AOCs and associated watersheds for identification and reduction of pollutant loadings from contaminated sediments through application of regulatory authorities and cooperative approaches. Provide technical
  assistance including:
  • Contaminated sediment assessments utilizing procedures adopted under the Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments Program.
  • Coordinating regional efforts and assistance at the Federal, State, Tribal, and local levels in implementing
    contaminated sediment remediation projects.
• Correct discharge or emission violations which pose direct threats to human health or the health of the ecosystem through continued implementation of the Great Lakes Enforcement Strategy.
• Enhance pollution prevention actions in targeted industrial sectors and geographic areas.

Protecting and Restoring Habitats

• Restore/protect important habitat within the Great Lakes. Targeted efforts should be consistent with, but are not limited to, those identified in The Nature Conservancy's report (funded in part by USEPA and developed with Federal, State, and private partners): The Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Great Lakes Ecosystem: Issues and Opportunities. Associated priorities include:
  • Demonstrate practices for protecting and restoring aquatic, terrestrial, and transitional habitats through
    re-vegetation with native plant species.
  • Restore wetland hydrology on previously converted wetlands.
  • Establish spawning habitat for native fish species.
  • Establish/implement LaMP priorities to restore important habitat and fisheries resources.

Supporting Federal-State-Tribal Partnership

• Improve State and Tribal capability to address Great Lakes environmental problems through a cross-program approach based on environmental information.
• Provide broad access (including Federal and State agencies) to a common environmental database and analytical tools, facilitating Federal/State/Tribal information exchange.

In identifying and carrying out activities consistent with the above priorities, maximum flexibility and support will be given
to the States and Tribes to address the pollutants causing the highest risk, areas being subjected to the greatest environmental stress, and the causes of that stress. USEPA will continue to work closely with the States and Tribes to target
and support the base programs. Further, the Agency commits to making necessary adjustments in program commitments in order to ensure the successful implementation of actions to protect the Great Lakes.

III.  GLNPO ACTIVITIES AND FUNDING

GLNPO Grant Process

1. Recommended joint FY95 priorities.  December (State/Tribes/USEPA:  "Partners")
2. Confirm priorities.  (Partners) March
3. Issue Great Lakes PFP.  (GLNPO) June
4. Deliver Preproposals for review.  September (Applicants)
5. Complete review.  Request full January application packages (GLNPO)
6. Deliver completed application March packages.  (Applicants)
7. Projected award date.  (USEPA) June

At the end of 1993, GLNPO had $5.3 million in grants in place pursuant to its previously issued guidance. Projects were funded for habitat ($3.45 million), contaminated sediments ($800 thousand), pollution prevention ($800 thousand), and state capacity ($280 thousand). Grants for monitoring and other purposes totalled $3.5 million. Under the terms of the FY95 Great Lakes PFP, GLNPO is again making "venture capital" available for important, innovative projects beneficial to the Great Lakes ecosystem. The Roadmap of Other EPA Great Lakes Programs (section IV of this document) references other possibilities for USEPA assistance to Great Lakes related activities.

Assistance Process. The annual GLNPO assistance process (figure at right) begins with a December meeting of State and Federal mid-level managers to develop recommendations for their senior managers. (An additional dimension to the FY96 planning meeting will be expanded participation and a closer focus on Lake-specific priorities.) Once priorities are determined,
preproposals1 are requested for projects supporting the priorities.

Targeted Assistance for Contaminated Sediments, Habitat, State Capacity, and Pollution Prevention. Great Lakes planning
meeting participants concluded in December, 1993 that programs should continue to be guided by the goals established in the Great Lakes Five Year Strategy and that contaminated sediments, habitat protection/restoration, and pollution prevention
continued to be appropriate priorities for GLNPO. For FY95, GLNPO is targeting $3.29 million2 in assistance to States,
Indian Nations, and our other partners for projects implementing these same priorities. $490 thousand is reserved for State
Capacity assistance. The remaining $2.8 million is targeted for projects in contaminated sediments ($1.5 million), habitat ($1
million), and pollution prevention ($300 thousand). Because the maximum flexibility GLNPO is afforded by the Agency will be used in selecting projects which are the highest priorities for the Great Lakes ecosystem, the relative distribution of funding
totals for projects in each of these categories may vary significantly from these targets. See attachments 1 and 2 for information regarding GLNPO's FY95 request for preproposals and instructions.

Preproposals submitted to USEPA will be evaluated based upon the criteria contained in Attachment 2. GLNPO seeks to fund projects which (i) are not eligible for other Federal funding or (ii) are leveraged with other funding sources. Evaluations will
take into account any recommendations on specific Lake needs which may be provided by the States and Indian Nations, as well as any input received from Lakewide Management Plan and Remedial Action Plan workgroups. In evaluating preproposals, GLNPO will be working closely with State and Tribal participants involved in Lakewide management planning.

Other GLNPO Programs. Although GLNPO is not seeking preproposals via this document in the areas referenced below,
GLNPO will coordinate at the Federal, State, Tribal, and local levels to ensure that projects and resources are appropriately
targeted to achieve mutual objectives. GLNPO staff are also available for consultation in these areas.

• Monitoring. Through atmospheric deposition monitoring and open lake monitoring in each Great Lake for toxicant and
  nutrient loadings and concentrations (using EPA's research vessels), GLNPO will provide trend and baseline data to support and target remedial efforts and measure environmental progress. GLNPO and partners will continue enhanced monitoring of air, open water, tributaries, sediments, and biota for Lake Michigan and may begin planning for similar work to be carried out in subsequent years in an additional Lake basin. These efforts will allow assessment of remedial options and design of load reduction strategies. Additional information is available from Paul Horvatin (312-353-3612), Chief of GLNPO's Surveillance and Research Staff.
• Data Management. GLNPO and its partners are establishing an integrated, accessible data management system, one component of which is a system being designed for storing and managing Lake Michigan mass balance information. Environmental decision-makers are being provided greater access to Agency systems. The overall system will facilitate tracking of Great Lakes environmental health and trends, linking day-to-day pollution control activities with key environmental indicators. To improve Great Lakes State connectivity, a steering committee will allocate $0.3 million for State hardware and software purchases. Additional information is available from Pranas Pranckevicius (312-353-3437), Chief of GLNPO's Data Integration Unit.
• Education/Outreach. GLNPO will enhance communication with constituents regarding Great Lakes priorities through media opportunities, environmental education initiatives, increased public involvement, and the R/V Lake Guardian Cities Tours (including teacher training). Additional information is available from Philip Hoffman (312-886-7478).
  
  

IV.  ROADMAP OF OTHER EPA GREAT LAKES PROGRAMS

The Great Lakes Basin is a priority ecosystem for all of USEPA, requiring the cooperative efforts of all media programs in order to achieve the goals of the 5 Year Strategy. The Strategy, built on the foundation of the Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement between the US and Canada, guides coordination and implementation of ecosystem protection and restoration in the Great Lakes by participating agencies. While the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) is the only USEPA program focused solely on the Great Lakes program, base programs constitute the primary vehicles for USEPA to implement the 5-Year Strategy. Successfully restoring and protecting the Great Lakes is dependent on the ability of Federal, State, and Tribal governments, working with the private sector, local governments, and non-profit organizations, to effectively target base program resources on actions that will eliminate the most significant problems facing the Lakes and their watersheds.

Because USEPA program elements related to the Great Lakes program are intertwined and complementary, potentially
inhibiting full involvement by participants in the program, GLNPO provides this roadmap of EPA Great Lakes programs. The identified contacts can provide additional information about these programs and will be helpful to State Water, Air, Waste,
and other programs as they target their Great Lakes activities during annual program planning processes.

Great Lakes program considerations. Participants in the Great Lakes Program are, or should be, aware that Great Lakes activities should not be viewed as "add-on" activities funded through special budget initiatives; large increases in either dollars or personnel to carry out Great Lakes priorities are not likely to occur. The President's FY95 budget proposal does not contain targeted Great Lakes increases. Existing resource levels will need to be targeted and effectively leveraged for environmental results in efforts including base program resources, funding from other agencies, and public/private partnerships.

The planning and funding processes for all of the Great Lakes partners will continue to be improved. Consistent with discussions at the December 7, 1993 Great Lakes Planning Meeting, we started this process earlier in the year and are exploring mechanisms for planning and decision-making which will better involve people and organizations most familiar with the needs and priorities associated with each of the Lakes.

Regional Water Programs

USEPA Water Program assistance for activities in the Great Lakes Basin will be targeted to LaMP and RAP development and implementation and to the Great Lakes Initiative (commitment to adopting regulations) as part of State program plan development.

Region 5 Water Division (in concert with the Region 5 States) has negotiated a set of program priorities for FY95, including  commitments for the Great Lakes. The Region has provided planning targets to the States for FY95 for known and anticipated Clean Water Act funding sources. At this time, the Region is not soliciting proposals from other entities, except on a case by case basis. The Region does expect, however, that the States will include work necessary to ensure meeting Great Lakes priorities into their FY95 integrated program plans. To the extent that these program plans are approvable, the funds will be awarded as targeted. Applicants interested in more information regarding USEPA Region 5's program should contact Janet Causey for information (312-353-8999).

Region 3 Water Division priorities pertain to: Presque Isle Bay (investigation of sediment remediation, obtaining additional RAP data to complete areal extent of use impairment, Stage II RAP preparation, and initiating remedial actions); Lake Erie LaMP development (estimating/reporting critical pollutant loadings and completing/implementing lake and tributary monitoring
plans); Phosphorous Reduction Plans implementation; and the Great Lakes Initiative (commitment to adopting regulations).
Further information regarding Region 3's program is available from Charles Sapp (215-597-9096).

EPA Region 2 and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation developed a Strategic Plan for FY93, which based on ecological and human health priorities through the water medium, identifies the contributing cross-media pollutant sources and the agency actions needed to deal with them. Updated in FY 94, the Plan provides a framework for allocating Clean Water Act funding sources in the State of New York. Discussion of proposed FY95 funding allocations began in June, 1994. Applicants interested in Region 2's program should contact Charles Zafonte for information (212-264-7678).

Air Program

USEPA's Office of Air and Radiation conducts the Great Waters Program, an integrated media program charged with examining deposition of air pollutants to the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Lake Champlain, and coastal waters. This program includes monitoring, modeling, emission inventories, effects assessment, policy development, and other subjects. While most work is conducted under routine mechanisms, the Great Waters program is open to leveraging complementary projects with States coordinating with or through the Regions or GLNPO.

USEPA has designated the Great Lakes a national program for funding under §105 of the Clean Air Act. Efforts will continue to focus on Lake Michigan. Approximately $1.3 million should be available for air toxics source identification and inventory work; process characterization studies; dispersion, deposition, and transport modeling; and air toxics monitoring. The core group for the Great Waters Study (which includes State and Federal representatives) will determine how this funding will be utilized to meet mutual objectives. Proposals are not being solicited at this time. USEPA contacts for additional information are: Carlton Nash (312-886-6030) and Melissa McCullough (919-541-5646).

Regional RCRA Program

The amount of §3011 funding available to each State has thus far been based on the number of Treatment and Storage Disposal Facilities in that State which were in the Great Lakes Basin. Great Lakes RCRA resources under §3011 ($2.52 million through Region 5, $90 thousand through Region 3, and $390 thousand through Region 2) are targeted for the States in FY95. Updated information can be obtained from the contacts identified below.

Under draft RCRA Criteria, funding for RCRA activities which will improve the environmental quality of the Great Lakes Basin would need to be matched by the State, subject to the same matching provisions as the rest of the §3011 State grants. Highest priority would be given to accelerating work at sites having an impact or potential impact on the Great Lakes ecosystem, especially where toxic substances may be impacting the waters of the Lakes or tributaries. Activities could
include:

• Increased inspections and enforcement actions.
• Closure work.
• Permitting and corrective action based on priority ranking.
• Waste minimization activities.
• Other activities which the State demonstrates are beneficial to environmental quality.
• Any grant would need to be related to hazardous waste activity.
• Pollution prevention and waste minimization a activities3 in support of Lakewide Management Plans for Lakes
  Ontario, Michigan, Superior, and Erie.

Great Lakes RCRA §3011 projects would be incorporated into State program plans. USEPA contacts for additional information are:

• Region 5: Christine Liszewski (312-353-1442)
• Region 3: Paul Gotthold (215-597-7937)
• Region 2: Andrew Bellina (212-264-0505)

Regional Pesticides/Toxic Substances Programs

USEPA's Pesticides/Toxic Substances Programs have primary responsibility for programs under TSCA, FIFRA, and EPCRA §313, which provide for regulation of chemicals (including bioaccumulative chemicals of concern such as PCBs and certain pesticides) and of annual reporting by industry of toxic releases. Principal activities targeted to the Great Lakes which will continue in FY95 include: PCB equipment phasedown, agricultural clean sweeps4, and 33/50 outreach. Other activities include performing TRI, promoting the reduced use of pesticides, including pollution prevention supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) in our enforcement actions, and supporting lead-based paint abatement activities. District offices' assistance includes the coordination of multimedia inspections. USEPA contacts for additional information are:

• Region 5: Mary Setnicar (312-886-3851);
• Margaret Jones (312-353-5790) (Agricultural Clean Sweeps)
• Region 3: Donald Lott (215-597-9870) (Pesticides)
• Region 2: Fred Kozak (908-321-6769)
  
  

Environmental Education Grants

The 1990 National Environmental Education Act (NEEA) gives USEPA authority to issue grants to stimulate environmental education by supporting projects to design, demonstrate, or disseminate practices, methods, or technologies related to environmental education or training. Tribal or local education agencies, colleges or universities, state education or environmental agencies, nonprofit organization or noncommercial educational broadcasting entities are eligible to compete for funding under this national program by submitting pre-applications. Applicants requesting less than $25,000 apply and compete in EPA's Regional offices; applicants requesting between $25,000 and $250,000 apply and compete at EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. EPA Headquarters awarded $1.2 million and each Region had $180,000 to award from FY94 funding. Following a rigorous evaluation process involving internal and external review applying criteria published in the Federal register, Region 5 funded 23 projects with its FY94 environmental education funds. The solicitation notice for FY95 projects under the NEEA program was published in the Federal Register in May. Pre-applications will be due October 14, 1994 and awards will be made in April, 1995.

Applicants for FY95 Great Lakes environmental education projects are encouraged to submit their pre-applications for review as part of the Regional and Headquarters' general processes.  Although GLNPO does not separately solicit environmental education projects, to maximize the number and amount of projects contributing to environmental education GLNPO may fund some of the Great Lakes related projects which are submitted to the Regions and Headquarters under the auspices of the NEEA program.

USEPA contacts for additional information are:

• Headquarters: George Walker (202-260-8619)
• Region 5: Suzanne Saric (312-353-3209)
• Region 3: Bonnie Smith (215-597-9076)
• Region 2: Terry Ippolito (212-264-2980)

Great Lakes Research Program

The US/Canadian Great Lakes research strategy guides USEPA Great Lakes research in order that it have an ecosystem focus consistent with the goals of the Five Year Strategy. Research supports a risk-based approach, geared to the identification and targeting of worst case problems for initial emphasis. USEPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program plays an essential role in both identifying regional-scale problems and monitoring to determine environmental benefits of alternative actions. A foundation is being developed in the following areas:

• Development of mass balance and food web models to establish and predict relationships of chemical loadings to residues in aquatic life and wildlife.
• Development of watershed models to understand and predict the relationship of watershed conditions and management activities to loadings to rivers and lakes as input to the mass balance models.
• Determining the ecological effects of exposure to chemicals and changes in habitat conditions on Great Lakes watersheds, wetlands, and the Lakes; and model development to determine targets for loadings reductions.
• Evaluating the impact of new invading species on existing ecological relationships as well as on the mass balance predictions of chemical fate and transport.
• Identification and development of indicators and a monitoring framework for quantitatively measuring the status and
  trends of the condition of the Great Lakes ecosystems.

In July, 1994, the Office of Research and Development's Environmental Research Laboratory in Duluth (ERL-Duluth) expects to issue a request for preproposals for approximately $2 million in FY95 funding for characterizing, diagnosing, and predicting relative risks of anthropogenic activities to Great Lakes ecosystems. Areas of interest will include watershed characterization, habitat, fish and wildlife population dynamics, exotic species, and extrapolation.

The ERL-Duluth request is geographically limited to institutions in Great Lakes states. Only non-profit institutions, such as institutions of higher learning and state and tribal governments, may apply as lead organizations; federal agencies and for-profit institutions are not eligible. A cost-share minimum of 5% of the total project cost applies.

USEPA's contact for additional information is Steven Hedtke (218-720-5610) (ERL-Duluth).

Attachment 1: July 1994
Application Instructions for GLNPO Preproposals

September 30, 1994 Deadline

GLNPO requests submission of three-page preproposals for FY95 funding of projects pertaining to contaminated sediments, habitat protection/restoration, pollution prevention, and state capacity. Preproposals are also required from applicants seeking additional funding under existing GLNPO grants. Following evaluations, full proposals will be requested from selected applicants as early as January, 1995. Please read carefully the project criteria and follow the instructions below.

Eligibility
State pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals are eligible for assistance. Assistance is available pursuant to Clean Water Act §104(b)(3) for activities in the Great Lakes Basin and in support of the US-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Assistance may be for research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of pollution.

Matching/Quality Assurance
The minimum non-Federal matching requirement for GLNPO assistance is 5% of the entire project cost and may be provided in cash or by in-kind contributions and other non-cash support. An approved quality assurance plan will be required prior to the commencement of any data collection and reporting activities.

Format for Preproposals
Preproposals are to be no more than three pages, excluding the cover sheet. Attach a completed Preproposal Information Cover Sheet to the front of the preproposal. If your agency submits more than one preproposal, provide all preproposals together along with a completed Multiple Preproposals - Summary Sheet, ranking the preproposals in priority order. No other attachments are permitted except letters of recommendation from applicable LAMP or RAP committees and/or State agencies. Provide two copies of all documentation and include the following components in the order shown and under the headings that follow:

1. Relevance to Great Lakes Priorities. Specifically state how the proposed work supports Great Lakes priorities (see Section II of the Great Lakes PFP), also keeping in mind the project criteria in Attachment 2. Explain how the activity is within GLNPO authority (see "eligibility" above.)
2. Problem statement. Describe the issue that the project will resolve or address and its relevance to the Great Lakes.
3. Proposed work/Outcome. Outline what will be done, how, and under what timetable. State what environmental result is expected, referencing any affected pollutants, industry sectors, habitat, and/or species as applicable. Identify deliverables and final products.
4. Education/Outreach Component. Describe the target audience and how that group would be impacted by the project.
5. Budget. Estimate the proposed GLNPO and applicant cost of the work over the life of the project by summary categories for: personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, and other.
6. Other Funding. Provide a list of funds which are being pursued or have been committed to your project by provider (include your organization) and amount.
7. Collaboration/Support. Describe plans and status of collaboration amongst the public, private, and independent
   sectors. Evidence of support will be required for full proposals.

Deadline

Send preproposals to:

USEPA
Great Lakes National Program Office (G-9J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60604

Preproposals must be received by September 30, 1994. Fax transmissions will not be accepted.

Attachment 2:
GLNPO Request for Preproposals

States, Tribes, local governments, and other Great Lakes partners are requested to submit three-page Preproposals for a total of $3.29 million* targeted for FY95 assistance. $490 thousand is reserved for State Capacity assistance. The remainder is targeted for projects in Contaminated Sediments ($1.5 million), Habitat Protection/Restoration ($1 million), and Pollution Prevention ($300 thousand). Because the maximum flexibility GLNPO is afforded will be used in selecting projects which are the highest priorities for the Great Lakes ecosystem, the relative distribution of funding totals for each of these categories may vary significantly from these targets. Preproposals are also required from applicants seeking additional funding under existing GLNPO grants. GLNPO seeks to fund projects which (i) are not eligible for other Federal funding or (ii) are leveraged with other funding sources. GLNPO staff are available to assist in the development of Preproposals prior to formal submission. Final decisions will be based upon complete applications.

Contaminated Sediments. GLNPO will provide funding, technical support, and vessel support to assist contaminated sediment work in priority geographic areas in the Great Lakes. GLNPO's ultimate objective is to assist in bringing about remediation of contaminated sediments at these sites.

Projects could include:

• sediment assessments (chemical, physical, biological) to better map contamination at a site.
• data collection to support mass balance modeling.
• data collection to support the development of risk/hazard assessments.
• bench/pilot studies to support remedial efforts.
• other activities supporting sediment remediation.

GLNPO's preproposal evaluation will consider:

• support from the local RAP committee.
• availability of other funds to support the work.
• likelihood that remedial measures, including enforcement, will result.

Contact: Marc Tuchman (312-353-1369)

Habitat Protection/Restoration. GLNPO will assist its partners in the development of a Great Lakes habitat restoration and protection program which will demonstrate practices and tools for protecting and restoring aquatic, terrestrial, and wetland habitats. Partners should consult the 1994 report prepared by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and funded in part by USEPA, The Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Great Lakes: Issues and Opportunities, when developing proposals for habitat projects.

Funded work could include:

• revegetating beach dunes with native plant communities.
• stimulating growth, marketing, and distribution of a wider variety of local plant genotypes.
• restoring wetland hydrology on previously converted wetlands.
• re-establishing spawning habitat for native fish species such as lake trout, walleye pike, and lake sturgeon.

GLNPO's preproposal evaluation will consider the general concepts expressed in TNC's report and:

• whether the project is located in an area supporting significant biodiversity.
• whether the project has biological importance on a regional or global scale.
• whether the project could lead to new ways of integrating economic growth with conservation.
• capability of replicating success and fostering similar actions elsewhere, creating new partnerships and testing new
  techniques or approaches.
• opportunity to test new biological management practices and new restoration techniques (e.g., species reintroduction,
  rebuilding habitat, and developing biological corridors).
• appeal to a variety of funding sources (i.e., creating, rather than depleting, funding sources).
• potential for identifying and reporting demonstrated measures of success.
• incorporation of an education/outreach component.
• Final appropriation by Congress, among other reasons, may change this FY95 planning target.

Contact: Karen Holland (312-353-2690.

Pollution Prevention. GLNPO will provide assistance to continue developing pollution prevention projects reducing the amount of toxics and persistent bioaccumulating substances that are discharged into the Great Lakes Basin. A successful project would include integration of pollution prevention into day-to-day decisions affecting the environment. Projects should support EPA's National Pollution Prevention Strategy and the Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Action Plan.

Projects might include:

• "model community" demonstration of pollution prevention (alternatively, a first year activity could be development of a model community pollution prevention plan).
• an initiative targeting a business sector discharging significant amount of persistent, bioaccumulative substances into the Great Lakes Basin.
• a demonstration of sustainable agricultural and/or "whole-farm" planning practices which reduce the reliance on and risk from pesticides, including the use of natural predators rather than pesticides.
• a demonstration of how economic incentives or other voluntary actions can induce companies to "virtually eliminate" usage of PCBs and mercury.

GLNPO's preproposal evaluation will consider:

• furtherance of environmental goals in Lakewide Management Plans and Areas of Concern, especially the reduction of toxics and persistent bioaccumulating chemicals in the Great Lakes Basin.
• transferability across the Great Lakes Basin.
• potential to advance government and private partnerships.
• if for Lake Superior, furtherance of the goals of the Bi-National Program.
• ability to define measures of success and quantify pollution prevented.
• potential to further virtual elimination of targeted chemical in the Great Lakes Basin.

Contact: Danielle Green (312-886-7594)

State Capacity (Target: $490,000) Following approval of full proposals, GLNPO expects to fund Ohio and the 6 States with
existing State Capacity grants through FY95 to develop and maintain a "core capability" to manage and coordinate Great
Lakes multi-media program activities internal and external to their Agencies. Pennsylvania may seek State Capacity funding,
if desired, by submitting a full grant application.

Up to $70,000 per State will continue to be targeted for "core capability" assistance. Activities may include:

• integrating across State programs, including natural resource management activities and agricultural programs, to better target Great Lakes protection activities;
• improving the coordination and management of LAMP and RAP processes, including tracking status, implementation, budgets, data, etc.;
• assisting in establishing Great Lakes priorities and in developing State consensus on Great Lakes policy issues;
• serving as a focal point for developing multi-media plans which reflect State commitments in support of the Five Year Strategy;
• serving as the overall point contact for a "cluster" of GLNPO funded projects; and
• supporting travel for State personnel attending Great Lakes meetings on sediment, monitoring, habitat protection/restoration, or any of the above activities.

Proposals should demonstrate how the State plans to carry out the above activities, and should also demonstrate how these
funds will complement and coordinate with Federally funded LAMP and RAP positions. One requirement for receiving a grant in this area is identification of a lead Great Lakes coordinator.

Factors which will be taken into consideration in determining award amounts include: number of Great Lakes on which a State borders; number of Areas of Concern; participation in Binational activities; and linear miles of shoreline.

Contact: Michael Russ (312-886-4013)

Attachment 3: July 1994
PREPROPOSAL INFORMATION COVER SHEET

For GLNPO use only
GLNPO ID #_____________________________
Project Officer________________________
 

PROJECT INFORMATION

Title of Proposed Project__________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Category (Check only one)

____ Contaminated Sediments
____ Habitat Protection/Restoration
____ Pollution Prevention
____ State Capacity


Total GLNPO funding request: $________________
Year 1: ($____________) Year 2: ($____________)

GEOGRAPHIC/POLITICAL AREA AFFECTED (Check all applicable boxes)

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Key Contact Person:_______________________________________
Applicant Name:___________________________________________
___________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________
City/State/Zip Code:______________________________________
Telephone/Fax:____________________________________________

Fiscal Responsibility (if different)
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Attachment 4: July 1994
MULTIPLE PREPROPOSAL SUMMARY SHEET

Each organization (particularly each Environmental Agency or Department of Natural Resources having divisions, sections, etc.) is requested to submit a single, coordinated package of preproposals with this sheet.

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Overall Contact Person:____________________________________
Applicant Name:____________________________________________
Address:___________________________________________________
City/State/Zip Code:_______________________________________
Telephone/Fax:_____________________________________________
 

PROJECT RANKING

Rank Title of Proposed Project Category* Amount
1._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

2._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

3._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

4._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

5._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

6._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

7._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

8._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

9._______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

10.______________________________________ ( ) $_________
_______________________________________

Total GLNPO funding request: $_________
Continue on additional page, if necessary.

Please use the following abbreviations in identifying project categories:

CS  Contaminated Sediments
HB  Habitat Protection/Restoration
P2   Pollution Prevention
SC   State Capacity

1. To save applicants from needlessly preparing full project proposals, GLNPO requests and reviews project summaries or "preproposals." If applicants instead choose to submit a full Proposal, GLNPO will attempt to expedite its evaluation and decision process.
2. Final appropriation by Congress, among other reasons, may change this FY95 planning target.
3. Resources may be available from a number of USEPA programs (GLNPO, Pesticides/Toxic Substances, RCRA, and Water) to support agricultural and urban clean sweeps in 1995. In Region 5, initial points of contact for agricultural and urban clean sweeps are Margaret Jones (Environmental Sciences Division; 312-353-5790) and Donna Twickler (RCRA; 312-886-6184), respectively.
4. See immediately preceding footnote.

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