Great Lakes Funding
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FY 2005 - 2006 Great Lakes National Program Office Funding Guidance
II. Award Information
A total estimated amount of up to $4,692,000, for 40 to 100
projects, may be awarded under this announcement for furthering
protection and clean up of the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Amounts, Targets, and Number of Projects. Estimates of dollar
amounts per topic and/or project area and numbers of projects are
included as planning targets only. The actual amounts and numbers
may differ substantially for many reasons, including: EPA's
operating plan has not been developed and portions of the resources
being allocated for the Funding Guidance have not been specified by
Congress; the number and quality of meritorious, technically
qualified project submissions is unknown; and EPA seeks a geographic
balance among selected projects. EPA reserves the right to make no
awards under this announcement. Information about the estimated
number and amounts of awards for each topic is included in Section
I.
Anticipated Start and End Dates. Most projects selected for funding
will begin in September or October 2005; however, if an applicant is
selected in June and immediately submits all required grants forms,
it is possible that a project could begin as early as August. Except
for New York RAP projects in Sections I.D.4 and 5, applicants should
plan for projects to be completed within 2 years of their start
dates. Applicants should also consider the Federal requirement that
projects involving data use or collection require an approved
Quality Assurance Project Plan prior to commencing environmental
data collection - extra funds and extra time may be needed for its
development.
Clarification/Revisions. Consistent with EPA’s Policy for
Competition of Assistance Agreements, EPA Order 5700.5A1 <http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/5700_5A1.pdf>, applicants may be
contacted for clarification on certain portions of their project
submissions and/or for the purpose of negotiating changes in project
terms and amounts if appropriate.
Competition Policy Amendments for Additional Funding. Supplemental
funding amendments to existing grants for the purpose of obtaining
additional funding for additional work are subject to USEPA's Policy
for Competition in Assistance Agreements <http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/5700_5A1.pdf>.
Applicants
interested in such an amendment should contact their project
officers to discuss the need for including such a project request
through the GLNPO Funding Guidance process described in this
announcement.
Partial Funding. USEPA reserves the right to partially fund
submissions by funding discrete activities, portions, or phases of
the proposed project. If USEPA decides to partially fund the
proposed project, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice
any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposed project,
or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected, and that maintains
the integrity of the competition and the selection/evaluation
process.
Previous success rate - for informational purposes only. In FY 2004, GLNPO notified potential applicants that it was seeking proposals
for a total of $3.78 million in the priority areas of: Contaminated
Sediments; Pollution Prevention and Toxics Reduction; Habitat
Protection and Restoration; Invasive Species; Emerging or Strategic
Issues; and LaMP/RAP priorities. In response, applicants submitted
265 proposals, seeking $25 million. 77 projects totaling $3.8
million were selected <http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2004fund/yeslist.html>. The "success
rate" for proposals submitted in FY2004 was 29%, higher than success
rates of recent years, which ranged from 14% in FY2000 to 27% in
FY2003.
Type of Award. Successful applicants could be issued a grant,
cooperative agreement, inter-agency agreement or such other funding
instrument as may be most appropriate. If a cooperative agreement is
to be awarded, EPA's involvement in carrying out the work with the
applicant will be described in a selection letter, and identified in
the terms and conditions of the award document.
III. Eligibility and Matching
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Applicant Eligibility. State pollution control agencies, interstate
agencies, and other public or nonprofit private agencies,
institutions, and organizations are eligible; "for-profit"
organizations are not. Since other federal agencies are public
agencies or institutions, they are eligible to compete. An
applicant's failure to meet eligibility criterion by the time of any
award will preclude USEPA from making an award.
Eligible Activities. Assistance is available pursuant to Clean Water
Act §104(b)(3) for activities impacting the Great Lakes Basin and in
support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. To be eligible
for funding consideration, projects must address one or more of the
following topics: Pollution Prevention and Toxics Reduction; Habitat
(Ecological) Protection and Restoration, including Habitat
Conferences and Printing; Emerging or Strategic Issues, including
Invasive Species; Remedial Action Plan (RAP) Priorities; or Lakewide
Management Plan (LaMP) Priorities.
Note that each Habitat Conference project may be for up to $5,000
and have a budget period of one year or less. Project submissions in
excess of $5,000 or having a longer budget period will be rejected
for consideration under the Habitat Conference topic (Section
I.B.2), but may, at the discretion of GLNPO, be transferred to the
general Habitat topic(Section I.B.1).
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance identifies this
assistance as: 66.469, Great Lakes Program.
Ineligible Activities. Under this announcement, USEPA will not fund:
"construction grant" projects; basic research; land acquisition; or
projects the principal purpose for which is general operating
support. Education/outreach or conferences are only eligible
activities when integrated within a larger project or as
specifically requested in the respective funding categories
described in Section I.
Match. A match is not required, but cost-leveraging is one of the
equally weighted criteria in Section V which will be considered by
reviewers during evaluations.
IV. Application and Submission
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Getting Started. Register now at <http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2005guid/register.html> so that we can update you on our funding process, including any changes to deadlines and the schedule for a proposed public conference call to discuss Funding Guidance questions . The 4 steps for project submission are:
- Get the free PSS2005 software
<http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2005guid/pss2005/index.html> - Read and follow instructions.
- Enter and edit your project submission.
- Complete and submit your project submission.
Developing Project Submissions. Submissions must be developed using
the GLNPO Submission System (PSS2005) available from:
<http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2005guid/pss2005/index.html> .
Please read the instructions for getting started and for using
PSS2005. Be sure to address all applicable general and specific
criteria.
Examples from Previous Years. When developing project submissions,
you may look at submissions of successful projects from previous
years, available at
<http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/modelsubmis.html>. Note,
however, that there are several new requirements this year which are
not addressed in these prior submissions.
Format. PSS2005 generates the correct format. For your convenience,
a one-page summary of the information needed for submissions is
included at the end of this section, allowing you to see our
requirements, compose your work off line, then copy and paste it
into the program. Be sure to address all applicable general and
specific criteria - do not just fill in the blanks. For planning
purposes, assume that your submission will be about five pages. If
yours is longer and PSS2005 accepts it, we will too.
Submission. Electronic submissions are required. Did you address all
applicable general and specific criteria? Attach a copy of the data
file, "APL2005.TPS," from the C:\PSS2005 subdirectory and e-mail it
to: glnpo.funding@epa.gov . If sending a disk, include the
"APL2005.TPS" file, and mail it to:
USEPA - GLNPO (G-17J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60604-3590
Attention: Lawrence Brail
If you do not have the capability to submit electronically, please
contact Michael Russ [(312) 886-4013,
russ.michael@epa.gov] for
information on how you may still apply under this announcement.
Technical Difficulties. We encourage you to call Tony Kizlauskas
[(312) 353-8773] or Pranas Pranckevicius [(312) 353-3437] for technical
assistance or if you do not have access to a PC. PSS2005 does not
work on Macintosh computers.
Deadline. Submissions are due by 8:00 AM Central time, Tuesday, May
31, 2005. GLNPO will determine timeliness by reviewing the date and
time of receipt by glnpo.funding@epa.gov or GLNPO's front office, as
applicable. However, APPLICANTS MUST CHECK THE POSTING at
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/glf.html to verify our receipt.
PROJECTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN POSTED TO THIS LIST WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF
THE DEADLINE SHALL BE DEEMED TO HAVE MISSED THE DEADLINE. Absent
compelling circumstances which justify the acceptance of a late
submission and that do not affect the integrity of the competition,
late submissions will not be reviewed or considered.
Funding Restrictions: See Eligibility - Ineligible Activities.
Confidentiality. In accordance with 40 CFR 2.203, applicants may
claim all or a portion of their project submission as confidential
business information. EPA will evaluate confidentiality claims in
accordance with 40 CFR Part 2. Applicants must clearly mark
submissions or portions thereof 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. Note that under Public Law No. 105-277, data
produced under an award is subject to the Freedom of Information
Act.
Multiple Project Submissions. If your organization submits more than
one project in a topic area and chooses to prioritize them, please
use PSS2005 to identify an overall contact (including phone, e-mail,
and address) and send a single, coordinated submittal.
Prioritization information could, instead, be sent by e-mail
directly to brail.lawrence@epa.gov. Individuals from the following
organizations are their organizations' contacts for submitting
multiple projects.
- Illinois EPA: Tammy Mitchell (217) 524-2292
- Indiana DEM: Alex da Silva (219) 757-0265
- Indiana DNR: Michael Molnar (317) 233-0132
- Michigan DEQ: Rick Hobrla (517) 335-4173
- Minnesota PCA: Pat Carey (218) 723-4744
- Minnesota DNR: Pat Collins (218) 834-6612
- New York State DEC: Donald Zelazny (716) 851-7220
- Ohio EPA: Julie Letterhos (614) 644-2871
- Pennsylvania DEP: Lori Boughton (814) 332-6155
- Wisconsin DNR: Kim Walz (608) 264-9220
- Army Corps of Engineers: Jan Miller (312) 353-6354
- Great Lakes Commission: Tom Crane (734) 971-9135
- TNC: Lois Morrison (312) 759-8017
Summary of PSS2005 Fields and Project Information Requirements
(Tabs refer to data entry in the Electronic Submission System)
APPLICANT INFORMATION (TAB1)
Applicant Information. Business Mailing and Contact information.
DUNS number if Applicant Organization has one.
Type of Organization. Choose from: State; Interstate Agency or
Commission; Sub-state or special purpose district; County;
Municipality; Federal Agency; College or University; Tribal
Organization; Federally funded research and development center; or
Other.
Programmatic Capability. Address the Programmatic Capability
criteria of Section V.(D). (4,500 character limit)
PROJECT SUMMARY INFORMATION (TAB 2)
Project Title. 60 character limit.
Brief Project Description. Summarize the project in a manner
understandable to the public. Include environmental KEY TERMS that
could be used as search terms (e.g., water quality, toxins, mercury,
etc.). Do not use acronyms. Should project be selected and a grant
awarded, this description may be posted to the EPA web. (595
character limit)
Duration. Specify project duration, from 0.5 years up to 2 years;
however, New York RAP projects described in Sections I.D.4 and I.D.5
may specify up to 5 years.
Topic. Choose one: Pollution Prevention and Toxics Reduction;
Habitat Protection and Restoration; Habitat Conferences and
Printing; Emerging or Strategic Issues, including Invasive Species;
Remedial Action Plan Priorities; or Lakewide Management Plan
Priorities. Do not submit the same project to multiple topics.
Priority Within Topic. Option to prioritize projects if multiple
projects are being submitted within the same topic by the same
organization.
GEOGRAPHIC APPLICABILITY (TAB 3)
Applicable State. Great Lakes State(s) which would be most impacted
by this project.
Applicable Lake Basin. Great Lakes Basin(s) which would be most
impacted by this project.
Applicable Geographic Initiative. If applicable, geographic
initiative which would be most impacted by this project: Greater
Chicago, Northeast Ohio, NW Indiana, Southeast Michigan, or Lake St.
Clair.
Applicable Areas of Concern. Identify primary affected Area of
Concern and Other Affected AOCs.
Project Location. Applicable zip code for PROJECT. As applicable,
enter City, County, or State(s).
PROBLEM, WORK, RESULTS (TAB 4)
Problem Statement. Describe the issue that will be addressed and its
relevance to the Great Lakes, particularly to needs and priorities
in Subobjective 4.3.3 (Improve the Health of Great Lakes Ecosystems)
of USEPA's Strategic Plan; Great Lakes Strategy 2002,
LaMPs and
RAPs. (4,500 character limit)
Proposed Work. Describe what will be done and how. Many of the
criteria will be addressed here. (11,000 character limit)
Environmental Results. Describe anticipated environmental outputs
and outcomes and their linkages to the problem statement. (See
Outcomes/Outputs described in Section 1 and Environmental Results
Order 5700.7 at:
http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700.7.pdf).
Specify affected pollutants, industry sectors, economic impacts,
habitats, and/or species. As applicable for the topic, estimate
chemicals to be "collected or prevented;" the number of acres of
aquatic, wetland, riverine, and terrestrial Great Lakes habitat to
be positively impacted; and proposed progress toward delisting and
toward restoration of beneficial use impairments. (5,000 character
limit)
Measuring Progress. Describe your plan for measuring progress toward
achieving outputs and outcomes. See Environmental Results Order
5700.7 at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700.7.pdf (5,000
character limit)
Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs). If project impacts AOCs, identify
BUIs project will address.
PROJECT MILESTONES (TAB 5)
Milestones. Specify up to 8 milestones and/or final products and
projected due dates, including Project Start and End. Projects
selected in June could begin in August; however, most begin in
September or October.
EDUCATION / COLLABORATION (TAB 6)
Education/Outreach Component. Identify whether project includes an
education/outreach component. If applicable, describe the target
audience and how that group would be impacted by the project. (2,000
character limit)
Collaboration/Community-based Support. Describe plans and status of
collaboration amongst the public, private, and independent sectors.
Evidence of support will be requested later. (2,000 character limit)
PROJECT BUDGET (TAB 7)
Budget. Specify how the total of USEPA funds and Applicant matching
funds will be used for: personnel/salaries, fringe benefits, travel,
equipment, supplies, contract costs, and other costs. Include
narrative descriptions for costs you identify as "contract" or
"other". You may include a separate line for indirect costs if your
organization has in place (or will negotiate) an "indirect cost
rate" from a cognizant Federal agency. Budget should represent the
total which would be requested from USEPA for the project's
duration. Except for incremental awards, funding will generally be
awarded as a "lump sum." Funding is not assured for subsequent years
for any project.
OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING (TAB 8)
Other Funding. If others are expected to contribute funds to your
Project, list Name(s) of Providers, Amounts Provided, and
Commitments made by each. (2,000 character limit)
V. Application Review
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Criteria. Projects will be evaluated based on (i) the General
Criteria specified below and (ii) the Specific Criteria identified
below that apply to the topic area to which the project relates. All
criteria are weighted equally.
General Criteria. The General Criteria are:
- Rationale/Relevance/Bias for Action: Potential, whether direct or
indirect, to protect and/or restore the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem,
to address issues most relevant to Great Lakes policymakers in a
value-adding way or to result in practical activities which promise
measurable progress to protect and/or restore the Great Lakes Basin
ecosystem.
- Scientific/Professional Merit: Soundness of technical approach,
including design, objectives, and scientific viability of the
project.
- Innovation: Demonstration of new techniques or approaches or
which build upon prior efforts in value-adding ways, rather than
duplicating prior efforts.
- Programmatic Capability: The technical capability of the
applicant to successfully carry out a project taking into account
such factors as the applicant’s (1) past performance in successfully
completing projects similar in size, scope, and relevance to the
proposed project, (2) history of meeting reporting requirements on
prior or current assistance agreements and submitting acceptable
final technical reports and applicable closeout documentation, (3)
organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully
achieving the objectives of the project, and (4) staff expertise/
qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources of the ability to
obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the project.
(Refer also to EPA Order 5700.8 <http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700_8.pdf>.) For projects
involving use or collection of environmental data, the applicant’s
timely compliance with current American National Standard
Specifications and Guidelines for Quality Systems for Environmental
Data Collection and Environmental Technology Programs, ANSI/ASQC
E4-1994 will be considered. In addition to information provided by
the applicant, in its submission, EPA may consider information from
other sources including Agency files. If an applicant does not have
any past performance and/or reporting history (items “1” and “2”
above) it will receive a neutral evaluation for those elements of
programmatic capability.
- Stakeholders: Involvement and appropriateness of partners and
customers, for instance government agencies, community groups,
businesses, or stakeholders for Lakewide Management and Remedial
Action Plans.
- Geographic Scope: Appropriateness of the project scope and its
location. Support from LaMP and/or RAP committees and the applicable
State environmental agency will be considered.
- Education/Outreach: Effectiveness of education/outreach and plans
to disseminate project results.
- Measuring Progress. Effectiveness and sufficiency of the
applicant’s plan for tracking and measuring its progress toward
achieving environmental outputs and outcomes.
- Appropriate Budget. Reasonableness and appropriateness of the
proposed budget for the level of work proposed and with the expected
benefits to be achieved.
- Leveraging: Extent the applicant demonstrates (1) how they will
coordinate the use of EPA funding with other Federal and/or non
Federal sources of funds to leverage additional resources to carry
out the proposed project(s) and/or (2) that EPA funding will
complement activities relevant to the proposed project(s) carried
out by the applicant with other sources of funds or resources.
Applicants may use their own funds or other resources for a
voluntary match or cost share if the standards at 40 CFR 30.23 or 40
CFR 31.24, as applicable, are met. Only eligible and allowable costs
may be used for matches or cost shares. Other Federal grants may not
be used as matches or cost shares without specific statutory
authority (e.g. HUD's Community Development Block Grants). The
submittal must describe how the applicant will obtain the leveraged
resources and what role EPA funding will play in the overall
project.
- GLNPO Mission. Extent to which project is aligned with GLNPO's mission, as opposed to alignment with the mission of other funding sources from which the project’s funding could reasonably be expected.
Specific Criteria. Following are the Specific Criteria applicable to
the respective topics. While projects will generally be evaluated
against the Specific Criteria for the topic originally selected by
the applicant, in some cases a project may be evaluated against the
Specific Criteria of a different topic if the project is more
appropriately aligned with that topic and the applicant concurs with
this assessment. Where “Projects of Particular Interest” have been
identified within a topic, the Specific Criteria give weight to such
projects. No special weight is given to projects identified in
Section I as “Examples.”
A. Pollution Prevention and Reduction.
- Potential to remove AOC beneficial use impairments over the next 1-5 years.
- Potential reductions of pollutants in the environment.
- Jointly targets common goals under the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy and the LaMPs.
- Whether project is a Project of Particular Interest.
B1. Habitat (Ecological) Protection and Restoration.
- Potential to remove AOC beneficial use impairments over the next 1-5 years.
- Biological importance on a regional, basinwide or global scale.
- Protects or restores a significant number of aquatic or terrestrial habitat acres.
- Adds to the knowledge base of a particular ecosystem, habitat, or species.
- Results in the formation or enhancement of a multi-organizational or binational partnership.
B2. Habitat (Ecosystem) Conferences and Printing.
- Includes participants from as wide a variety of agencies and organizations as appropriate.
- Availability of results to the appropriate audience in a timely manner.
- Potential to advance partnerships and community involvement.
C. Emerging or Strategic Issues.
- Strategic importance and timeliness.
- Potential to further the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
- Potential to achieve progress under the Great Lakes Strategy.
- Potential to achieve progress under Executive Order 13340 and the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration.
- Transferability across the Great Lakes Basin and beyond.
D. RAP Priorities.
- Potential to remove AOC beneficial use impairments over the next 1-5 years.
- How well the project addresses priority environmental needs and priorities identified in a Remedial Action Plan. RAP Projects should be within the identified boundaries of the AOC and will be favored if they have been identified in the RAPs as needed to remove Beneficial Use Impairments. During the evaluation process, applicable State environmental agencies may be asked whether they support the project.
- Project consistency with RAP and/or Great Lakes Strategy timelines.
- Evidence of previous successful coordination and collaboration with other organizations involved with the applicable RAP.
- Evidence of community based support, including monetary contributions, steering committee resolutions, adoption of goals and objectives, etc.
- For Habitat BUI projects: follows guidelines outlined in the "Pathway” <http://www.glc.org/spac/pdf/FishWildlifeBUI.pdf> document.
- Whether project is a Project of Particular Interest.
E. LaMP Priorities.
- Potential to remove LaMP beneficial use impairments over the next 1-5 years.
- How well the project addresses priority environmental needs and priorities identified in the respective LaMP or Lake Huron Initiative. During the evaluation process, applicable State environmental agencies may be asked whether they support the project.
- Project consistency with LaMP, Lake Huron Initiative, and/or Great Lakes Strategy time lines.
- Evidence of previous successful coordination and collaboration with other organizations involved with the applicable LaMP or Lake Huron Initiative.
- Evidence of community based support, including monetary contributions, steering committee resolutions, adoption of goals and objectives, etc.
- Whether project is a Project of Particular Interest.
Review and Selection Process. Selection recommendations will be
based on an evaluation of projects against the General Criteria and
the applicable Specific Criteria. For applicants that submit more
than one project within a topic, recommendations will take into
account an applicant's prioritization of its projects (see Section
IV, Multiple Project Submissions) and will not penalize the
applicant for submitting more than one project within a topic area.
Specific and General Criteria will be evaluated in an extensive
review process:
- USEPA will screen submissions upon receipt for eligibility, for conformance to the announcement provisions, and to make sure that proposed projects are aligned with the appropriate topic area. As mentioned above (see “Specific Criteria”), if the project is not aligned with the appropriate topic area, and with the applicant’s approval, the project will be evaluated under the specific criteria of another topic.
- At least three USEPA reviewers will independently evaluate each project against both the general and the applicable specific criteria.
- The reviewers’ evaluation sheets will be forwarded to the applicable review team leaders. For each topic, the respective review team leader will prepare a spreadsheet compiling the results of the individual evaluations.
- USEPA technical review teams for each topic area will then be convened to discuss the projects and the evaluations, using the spreadsheet as a tool to develop selection recommendations. The technical review teams will be composed of all available reviewers who have reviewed any of the proposals for each topic.
- Each technical review team will then develop a recommended list of projects for funding to present to USEPA management (USEPA GLNPO or Region 2, as applicable). In developing recommendations, the Habitat evaluation process will seek to achieve a balance between basinwide and regional projects.
- Each technical review team will discuss its list of recommended projects with management. In making the final selection recommendations, in addition to considering the evaluation of the proposed project against the general and applicable specific criteria, management may also consider the geographic distribution of projects and funds, selecting technically sound projects across the basin at both a geographic and institutional level to achieve a reasonable balance of funding by Lake, applicant type, and the State of project location or impact.
- Management will select projects for funding consideration, and all applicants will be notified of the projects that have been selected.
- Applicants for the projects that have been selected will be asked to submit detailed final Proposals along with the SF-424 and attendant documentation for Federal assistance (Application Packages).
- Final decisions will be based upon the completed final proposals and application packages.
Schedule.
| Conference Call(s) for Public Questions* | 1:00 PM Central Time, Tuesday, May 3 |
| Deadline for Submissions | 8:00 AM Central Time, Tuesday, May 31 |
| Reviews | through June 24 |
| Applicants Notified | June27 |
| Application Packages due | through July 22 |
| Final Decisions/Awards | June-September 30 |
* GLNPO proposes to host a public conference call during which applicants can ask any questions about the Funding Guidance. The conference will be broadcasted live and will be archived for future playback. You will need the following information to participate in the call:
| Date: | May 03, 2005 |
| Time: | 1:00 PM CST |
| Topic: | Public call: Great Lakes Guidance. |
| Call Leader: | USEPA GLNPO |
| US/Canada Dial-In Number: | (866) 299-3188 |
| International Dial-In Number: | (706) 758-1822 |
| Conference Code: | 17023 |
Further details about this call will be available on the Great Lakes
Funding Guidance web site:
http://epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2005guid/index.html
If you register at
http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/maillist/index.html
we will send you any updates to GLNPO funding information.
VI. Award Administration
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Notification: We will confirm submission receipt within: (i) one
week for E-Mail submissions or (ii) two weeks for regular mail.
Shortly after the deadline, we will post project information
(including Applicant, Title, and GLNPO identification number) at:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/glf.html.
ALL APPLICANTS SHOULD CHECK
THIS POSTING TO VERIFY THAT THEIR SUBMISSIONS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN
GLNPO’S DATABASE. Contact
brail.lawrence@epa.gov if you do not
receive a confirmation or if your project is not posted. GLNPO will
contact all Applicants to tell them whether or not they will be
asked to submit Application Packages.
Pre-award Review for Administrative Capability. Non-profit
applicants that are recommended for funding will be subject to
pre-award administrative capability reviews consistent with
paragraphs 8.b, 8.c, and 9.d of EPA Order 5700.8 <http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700_8.pdf> and may be required
to fill out and document an “Administrative Capability” form.
Issuance of Awards. USEPA reserves the right to negotiate
appropriate changes in projects (that do not affect the integrity of
the competition) before making final decisions and awards and
reserves the right to reject all Projects or applications and make
no awards. USEPA has 60 days to issue an award following receipt of
the complete, fundable Application Package. Final funding decisions
are based upon the Application Packages.
Administrative and Reporting Requirements. The successful applicant
will be required to adhere to the Federal grants requirements,
particularly those found in applicable OMB circulars on Cost
Principles (A-21, A-87, or A-122), Administrative Requirements
(A-102 or 110), and Audit Requirements (A-133) available from <http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/>. This includes
government-wide requirements pertaining to accounting standards,
lobbying, minority or woman business enterprise, publication,
meetings, construction, and disposition of property. EPA regulations
governing assistance programs and recipients are codified in Title
40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Those requirements, GLNPO-specific requirements currently in effect, and the application
materials that will be needed by applicants ultimately selected in
this process can be found at <http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/projreqs.html> and <http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/appforms.html>. The successful
Federal applicant will be required to comply with the OMB Circular
and appropriate sections of Title 40 of the Code of Federal
Regulations determined applicable by GLNPO. This determination will
be embodied in the terms and conditions of an interagency agreement.
Please note that as of the date of this announcement, the
information on the GLNPO website has not yet been revised to address
all EPA requirements announced in fiscal year 2005.
Grants Servicing Intermediary. GLNPO will select the successful
Ecological Protection and Restoration and Invasive Species projects;
however, most of these projects are expected to be issued and
administered as sub-grants through an award to the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation. Ecological Protection and Restoration, Invasive
Species, and other grants may be issued as sub-awards through a
cooperative agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
(NFWF). NFWF is the intermediary organization selected by GLNPO in
2003 to make and administer grant sub-awards to eligible
organizations (same as above) engaged in ecological protection and
restoration activities. Sub-awards administered by NFWF may support
investigations, experiments, surveys, studies, training, research,
and demonstrations (as allowed by Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean
Water Act) to work towards the protection and restoration of the
Great Lakes basin ecosystem.
Dispute Resolution Process. Assistance agreement competition-related
disputes involving any applicant, including Federal applicants, 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
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-1371.htm.
Copies of these procedures may also be requested by contacting
russ.michael@epa.gov
VII. Agency Contact(s)
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Contacts are identified in Section I for each funding topic. Contacts may provide appropriate assistance to help potential applicants determine whether the applicant itself or the applicant's proposed project is eligible for funding, to assist with administrative issues relating to submission, and to respond to requests for clarification of the announcement. Potential Applicants are solely responsible for the content of their submissions.
General Contact:
Michael Russ (312) 886-4013),
russ.michael@epa.gov
Technical Difficulties:
Tony Kizlauskas (312) 353-8773,
kizlauskas.anthony@epa.gov
Pranas Pranckevicius (312) 353-3437, pranckevicius.pranas@epa.gov
VIII. Other Information
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About GLNPO. USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office brings
together Federal, state, tribal, local, and industry partners in an
integrated, ecosystem approach to protect, maintain, and restore the
chemical, biological, and physical integrity of the Great Lakes. The
program coordinates international commitments under the Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement; monitors Lake ecosystem indicators; manages
and provides public access to Great Lakes data; helps communities
address contaminated sediments in their harbors; supports local
protection and restoration of important habitats; promotes pollution
prevention through activities and projects such as the Canada-U.S.
Binational Toxics Strategy (GLBTS); explores emerging or strategic
Great Lakes issues; and provides assistance for development and
implementation of Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) and of
community-based Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) for Areas of Concern.
GLNPO, located in Chicago, Illinois, has a staff of about 52 and an
annual budget of about $20 million, buttressed in 2005 by $22.5
million in new funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act. The 780 GLNPO
projects totaling $70 million funded between 1993 and 2003 are
summarized at http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/.
Development of this Funding Guidance. The work, strategic thinking,
and relationships with partners in the Great Lakes Executive Order
and the related Regional Collaboration, the 2002 Great Lakes
Strategy and the Lakewide Management Plans were used to help
formulate priorities and criteria for this Funding Guidance. The
Strategy was developed cooperatively by the Federal, State, and
Tribal members of the U.S. Policy Committee, with the consultation
of the Great Lakes public. It describes objectives, measures, and
activities by State, Tribal, and Federal partners working together
to protect and restore the chemical, physical, and biological
integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem. See:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/gls/index.html. Management Plans for each of
the Great Lakes have been developed and are updated biennially in
cooperation with Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners. Each
Lake plan is a plan of action to assess, restore, protect and
monitor the ecosystem health of a Great Lake. It is used to
coordinate the work of all the government, tribal, and
non-government partners working to improve the Lake ecosystem.
Specific project priorities of the LaMPs are included in this
Funding Guidance. The LaMPs can be found at
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/gl2000/lamps/index.html General funding
priorities and targets were derived from the USEPA' budget submitted
to Congress for approval, but not yet finalized. Development of that
budget began in 2003. GLNPO seeks to maximize funding available for
Great Lakes projects; consequently, funding will be derived from
whatever source may become available during the year.
Fish Monitoring Request for Proposals. A Request for Proposals for
the Great Lakes National Program Office fish monitoring program is
expected to be issued in the Spring of 2005. The Request is expected
to provide for awards over a five year period. The Request for
Proposals will be available from
http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/glf.html. Contact Elizabeth Murphy
[(312) 353-4227, murphy.elizabeth@epa.gov] for additional
information.
Other Funding Opportunities. In some cases, projects submitted under
this announcement may also be considered for funding under other
funding opportunities from other organizations. If GLNPO is aware of
such situations, it may notify applicants of them so they can
contact those organizations to learn more about those funding
opportunities.
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