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FY2001 - 2002 Request for Preproposals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) invites you to submit Preproposals for projects to be awarded from Fiscal Year 2001 funding. The "FY2001-2002 USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office Request for Preproposals" (RFP) requests that Preproposals be developed in the areas of:

• Contaminated Sediments
• Pollution Prevention and Reduction (Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy)
• Ecological (Habitat) Protection and Restoration
• Invasive Species
• Indicator Development
• Strategic or Emerging Issues

A total of $3.15 million is targeted for awards in the Summer and Fall of 2001. The deadline for Preproposals is February 16, 2001. Indicator Development is a new category, building upon work done through the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences. Assistance (through grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements) is available pursuant to Clean Water Act §104(b)(3) for activities in the Great Lakes Basin and in support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. State pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations are eligible to apply.

We are again requesting that preproposals be developed using our electronic Preproposal Submission System (PSS2001). The RFP and the PSS2001 program are available on the Internet from http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2001guid/.  For general questions, please contact Michael Russ (312) 886-4013.

The following RFP excerpts provide an idea of the projects requested and criteria GLNPO is using this year. Please refer to the RFP for full descriptions, including Lake-specific criteria.

A. 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 emphasis and ultimate objective is to assist in bringing about remediation of contaminated sediments at these sites. GLNPO WILL NOT BE FUNDING BASIC RESEARCH FOCUSING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR TREATING CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS.

We are particularly interested in the following projects:

• sediment assessments (chemical, physical, biological) to better map contamination at a site.
• sediment assessment in areas where subsistence fishing is high.
• data collection to better understand the relationship between contaminated sediments and fish residues.
• data collection to support the development of risk/hazard assessments.
• beneficial re-use of sediments, including associated human and ecological risk.
• assessment of Binational Toxics Strategy Priority Pollutants in Great Lakes sediments.
• assessment projects to determine benefits/impacts of remediation.
• on the ground sediment remediation.

B. Pollution Prevention (Binational Toxics Strategy). GLNPO will provide assistance for pollution prevention, reduction or elimination projects, with an emphasis on substances which are persistent and toxic, especially those which bioaccumulate, in the Great Lakes basin.

Priority will be given to those projects that support the goals of the US-Canada Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (see http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/strategy.html). The Strategy establishes reduction challenges for twelve "Level I" persistent toxic substances: alkyl-lead, benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P], hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dioxins and furans, mercury, octachlorostyrene (OCS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and five canceled pesticides (aldrin/dieldrin, chlordane, DDT, mirex, and toxaphene). The US has also identified "Level II" substances for pollution prevention activities: 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene; 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene; pentachlorobenzene; hexachlorobutadiene; and hexachlorocyclohexanes.

We are particularly interested in the following projects:

• Foster adoption of green technologies. In this context, green technology involves reducing or eliminating the use or generation of persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances including feedstocks, reagents, solvents, products and byproducts-during design, manufacture and use of chemical products and processes. (The aim of this project is not technology development. We seek projects which advance a developed technology within society, including identification of public policies which would speed the spread of environmentally kind technologies.)
• Source characterization: Assessment of potential sources of persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances.
• Indicators of progress toward virtual elimination of persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances.
• Proper disposal of persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances.
• Foster adoption of innovative products that would reduce the use and release of persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances and that are consistent with the principles of EPA’s Environmentally-Preferable Purchasing Program (see http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp).

C. Ecological (Habitat) Protection and Restoration. GLNPO will fund projects that demonstrate new and innovative practices and tools for protecting and restoring aquatic, terrestrial, and wetland ecosystems. When developing Preproposals, Applicants should consider concepts from the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences (SOLEC) and from previously funded GLNPO projects. SOLEC and final grant report documents are at http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/solec/indicators2000-e.html and http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/ecopage, respectively. Applicants should note that:

• Acquisition projects will not be considered.
• Basinwide projects, projects having large-scale implications for the Great Lakes ecosystem, are encouraged. Preproposals must indicate specific project outcomes as well as identify workplan contents.
• Regional projects must be consistent with described Lakewide Management Plan priorities, with Tribal priorities, or with Biodiversity Investment Area development as described in the SOLEC 2000, Shoreline Biodiversity Investment Area Integration paper <http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/solec/indicators2000-e.html> .
• Local or site-specific projects must demonstrate innovative measures to protect or restore, and define expected outcomes.

D. Invasive Species. GLNPO will provide assistance to address invasive (non-indigenous) aquatic and terrestrial species in the Great Lakes Basin with an emphasis on prevention. This priority is proposed to be funded using Congressionally directed funding.

We are particularly interested in the following projects, with the highest priority given to the first three topic areas:

1. Development and demonstration of strong and innovative programs (education and outreach, new technology, or biological) to prevent the introduction of new nuisance invasive species (aquatic or terrestrial) into the Great Lakes Basin.
2. Development and demonstration of strong and innovative programs to control the spread of invasive species within and from the Great Lakes Basin.
3. Projects that allow for the prediction of new invaders into the Great Lakes Basin and the development of contingency plans to address these potential invaders.
4. Documenting ecological impacts of invasive species on the Great Lakes Basin food web.
5. Documenting the economic impacts or potential economic impacts of invasive species already in the Great Lakes Basin.
6. Projects which identify chemical, physical, and biological conditions that promote the establishment of invasive species.

E. Indicator Development. In order to better fulfill its mission under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement for the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, GLNPO is seeking directed projects which further develop, define, test or otherwise implement the indicators selected for reporting at the biennial State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences (SOLEC). These indicators are intended to be easily understood and objectively represent the condition of the Great Lakes ecosystem components. The information generated is targeted toward making better management decisions concerning the restoration and maintenance of Great Lakes ecosystem health. The complete descriptions for the indicators can be found on the web at: <http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/solec/indicators2000-e.html>.

Eighty indicators are currently on the list. At SOLEC 2000, information was presented on 31 of the 43 indicators. Funded projects are in place for the development and testing of 5 indicators. The remaining 32 indicators require further refinement of the indicator itself, identification and testing of methodology, data collection, establishment of monitoring programs, or other efforts to bring the information forward for reporting at SOLEC. The underdeveloped indicators are associated with all of the SOLEC indicator categories except coastal wetlands, which is being addressed through a Coastal Wetlands Consortium cooperative agreement. Preproposals are now being requested for development of the following SOLEC underdeveloped indicators (as each is fully described at the above URL):

• Nearshore and offshore waters (#6, #120, #8142)
• Nearshore terrestrial (#8132, #8134, #8136, #8137, #8139, #8141, #8149)
• Land use (#7053)
• Societal (#3509, #3510, #3511, #3512, #3513, #7042, #8140)
• Human health (#113, #4088, #4177, #4178, #4179)
• Unbounded (#4519, #4857, #4858, #8150)

While priority will be given to the selection of Preproposals for the underdeveloped indicators, GLNPO will also consider Preproposals for enhancements to the existing 43 SOLEC indicators. Any such Preproposal should assist with full scale implementation of the indicator, perhaps adding to the time period covered by the indicator or expanding its geographic scope.

The purpose of projects funded in this category is to demonstrate the utility of selected indicators across the Great Lakes basin. Applicants seeking funding for indicator development research should pursue funding from USEPA’s Office of Research and Development. Additional information is available at <http://es.epa.gov/ncerqa/rfa>.

F. Strategic or Emerging Issues. In order to better fulfill its mission under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement for the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, GLNPO is seeking innovative Great Lakes environmental projects which deal with strategic or emerging issues of basin-wide importance. This priority is proposed to be funded as a result of Congressionally directed funding.

We expect that projects in this area would:

• not fit neatly under other existing GLNPO funding categories (i.e. Contaminated Sediments, Pollution Prevention, Ecological Protections and Restoration, Invasive Species, and Indicator Development) but might contain elements of one or more of those categories;
• address assessment, causes and/or effects of chemical or biological pollutants not in the regulatory "mainstream;"
• cut across or overlap two or more of the foregoing areas; or
• address some other unanticipated area.

We especially encourage projects which identify and propose solutions/mitigation for strategic or emerging issues of Great Lakes Basin-wide applicability, particularly if they are being identified through the Lakewide Management Plans and geographic initiatives (such as the Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern). Areas of particular interest include:

• investigating chemicals of potential environmental concern such as polybrominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine disruptors.
• human health.
• economic issues.
• environmental impacts of lower lake levels.

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