Pollution Prevention Information Network Grants Request for Proposals 2005

OVERVIEW
Sponsoring Agency and Office: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Pollution Prevention Division
Funding Opportunity Title: Pollution Prevention Information Network Grants
Announcement Type: Request for Applications for Fiscal Year 2005.
Funding Opportunity Number: 05/20/05 PPD
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.708
Application Submission Dates: Applications must be submitted by July 6, 2005. (See section IV for further information on submission dates.)

FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description.

A. Summary.
EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics expects to have approximately $400,000.00 available in fiscal year 2005, to fund grant proposals supporting a nation-wide network of pollution prevention information providers. Assistance agreements will be awarded through the EPA regions, under the authority of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA) subject to the availability of funds at the time of the award. The PPA provides for grants to States, territories or possessions of the United States, and any agency or instrumentality of a State including State universities, to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of State technical assistance programs in providing source reduction information to technical assistance providers and businesses. The Pollution Prevention Information Network (PPIN) grants target regional applicants that are willing to work as part of a collective nationwide P2 information service. Grantees coordinate development, distribution and promotion of pollution prevention information and practices to technical assistance programs and businesses. Current grantees provide a “one stop” shop for P2 information thru web sites, phone calls, or meetings that address the reduction or elimination of pollution by businesses across all environmental media: air, water and land. Since the inception of this grant program in 1997, EPA has awarded over $7 million in grant funding, totaling $14 million when matching funds from recipients are included.

B. Authorization.
This solicitation is made under the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, (the Act) (Pub. L. 101-508) which established as national policy that pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible. Section 6603 of the Act defines source reduction as any practice that: (1) Reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal; and (2) Reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants. (Also see 40 CFR 35.343 and 35.662.) EPA further defines P2 as the use of other practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants through: increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water or other resources, protection of natural resources, or protection of natural resources by conservation.

Section 6605 of the Act authorizes EPA to make matching grants to States to promote the use of source reduction techniques by businesses. In evaluating grant applications, the Act directs EPA to consider whether the proposed State program will: (1) Make technical assistance available to businesses seeking information about source reduction opportunities, including funding for experts to provide on-site technical advice and to assist in the development of source reduction plans; (2) Target assistance to businesses for whom lack of information is an impediment to source reduction; (3) Provide training in source reduction techniques.

C. Program History.
EPA has awarded Pollution Prevention Information Network grants since the first Federal Register notice was published on February 5, 1997 (62 FR 5393). EPA started this grant program with the intention of improving: 1) coordination of pollution prevention (P2) information collection, 2) synthesis and selection of the best P2 information to support State and Local P2 technical assistance providers, and 3) communication among P2 information developers. This grant program currently supports eight regional P2 information centers which have specialized areas of P2 information they collect, review and disseminate. The grantees have formed a group called the "Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange" (P2Rx). More information about the P2Rx centers can be found on the Internet at: http://www.p2rx.org. These grantees promote P2 and source reduction information, reducing redundant efforts among state and local technical assistance providers. The centers strive to save both time and money for clients searching for P2 solutions. In 2004, an independent evaluation of the PPIN grant program concluded that “P2Rx centers have developed an effective national network to share and build their collective information and resources. This is the first important step in increasing nationwide awareness and implementation of pollution prevention techniques.

D. Project Objectives and Activities for Funding.
EPA is seeking proposals that will improve access to and timely retrieval of P2 information for State and Local technical assistance providers as well as medium and small businesses. By addressing the objectives listed below, proposals will support the EPA Strategic Plan objectives under Goal 5 by promoting pollution prevention and environmental stewardship in local and state government, in small businesses and in the public (see pages 114 and 115 of the EPA Strategic Plan 2003 -2008 http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/2003sp.pdf). EPA will only consider proposals that implement one or more of the following pollution prevention information network objectives: 1) make specific technical assistance information available about source reduction opportunities, including experts to provide on-site technical advice or assist in the development of source reduction plans; 2) target P2 information assistance to organizations for whom lack of information is an impediment to source reduction; and 3) provide training in source reduction techniques.

Proposals must address both national network and regional tasks. National network tasks refer to those tasks which leverage expertise and resources, promote collaboration, and incorporate P2 information standards among the regional centers. Current grantees have developed some specific web based P2 information products, such as "topic hubs" (http://www.p2rx.org/P2InfoNexpert/TopicHubs_2.cfm), sector resources, P2 digital libraries and publication lists, as well as various databases. For further information on these products visit: www.p2rx.org. Regional tasks must address EPA regional, State or Local government areas of regulatory or environmental concern (see ii below). Regional tasks must improve the knowledge and use of P2 practices among businesses or other clients. Proposals must address the following P2 grant program national criteria:

Promote multimedia pollution prevention. Proposals must describe how tasks will encourage source reduction to prevent pollution across all environmental media (air, water, and land) and promote natural resource conservation. Applicants must identify areas of pollution prevention expertise on which they will collect, synthesize and disseminate information. Current grantees have developed some specific web based P2 information products. For further information on these products visit: www.p2rx.org.
Describe how activities will advance state or regional environmental goals. Proposals must identify how tasks will provide P2 resources and services to address regional environmental concerns and describe the process used to identify area(s) of specialization, identifying the programs consulted in selecting these activities.
Promote partnerships. Proposals must describe how information products will be developed and promoted. EPA continues to seek more cooperation among pollution prevention programs and the other environmental and business assistance providers at the State level. These can include university-based technical assistance and cooperative extension programs, and other business assistance programs.
Demonstrate measurable environmental results. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 notes that the Agency "shall establish appropriate means for measuring the effectiveness of the [Grant program by] promoting the use of source reduction techniques by businesses." In order to more fully implement this section of the Act, and to comply with a new EPA policy order (Classification No.: 5700.7), proposals must include work plans that measure either output or outcome metrics or both types of measures. Examples of P2 outcomes are: pounds of pollution reduced, BTUs of energy conserved, gallons of water saved, and dollars saved through P2 efforts. "Outputs" refer to an environmental activity or effort related to an environmental goal that will be produced or provided over a period of time, by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during the assistance agreement funding period. Examples of P2 outputs are: Number of P2 trainings conducted, number of replies to P2 queries, number of user sessions on a P2 web site, or time saved by a client using the P2 center to research P2 options.

II. Award Information.

The Agency anticipates about $400,000.00 will be available to support the pollution prevention information network (PPIN) activities. In previous years, eight or nine PPIN assistance agreements have been awarded in the range of $50,000.00 to $129,000.00. This year between three to five new awards will be made through a competitive process for amounts not to exceed $120,000.00 per year, with a one year period of performance. EPA will not fund proposals that exceed a one year project period. Proposals that exceed $120,000.00 in Federal funding will be rejected. EPA reserves the right to reject any or all applications and issue no awards.

Proposals from existing P2Rx centers will compete with any new regional center proposals. Assistance agreements are anticipated to be awarded by December 31, 2005. Assistance agreements may be awarded as grants or cooperative agreements. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, substantial involvement by EPA in a cooperative agreement may include the EPA project officer: participating in monthly conference calls, consulting on agendas for meetings, reviewing information products, etc.

Partial Funding: EPA reserves the right to partially fund proposals by funding discrete activities, portions, or phases of the proposed project. If EPA decides to partially fund the proposal, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposal/application, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and that maintains the integrity of the competition and the evaluation/selection process. Partial funding will be based on the separate budget estimates for discrete activities, tasks or phases provided in the proposal. No multi-year applications will be accepted for review.

III. Eligibility Information.

A. Eligible Applicants.
For purposes of funding under this grant program, eligible applicants include the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, any agency or instrumentality of a State including State universities and all Federally recognized Tribes. This is a "threshold eligibility criteria" If an applicant does not meet the threshold eligibility, then applications will not be evaluated any further. For convenience, the term "State" in this notice refers to all eligible applicants. Foreign governments, Local governments, private universities, private nonprofit, private businesses, and individuals are not eligible for funding and proposals from these applicants will not be reviewed.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching requirements.
Recipients of assistance agreements under section 6605 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 must provide at least 50 percent of the total allowable project cost. For example, a project costing $250,000 could be funded by a grant for up to $125,000. from the Federal government. The recipient is responsible for funding the other half ($125,000.) of the project cost. Recipient contributions may include dollars, in-kind goods and services, and/or third party contributions consistent with 40 CFR 31.24. This is a “threshold eligibility criteria”. If an applicant does not meet the threshold eligibility, then applications will not be evaluated any further.

C. Other Eligibility Criteria.

Applicable Regulations. State applicants and recipients of this grant program are subject to the requirements of 40 CFR Parts 31 and 35 Subpart A.
Federal Requirements. An applicant whose application is selected for federal funding must complete additional forms prior to award (see 40 CFR 30.12 and 31.10). In addition, successful applicants will be required to certify that they have not been debarred or suspended from participation in Federal assistance awards in accordance with 40 CFR Part 32.
Threshold Factors. The EPA review panel will only score and rank applications that meet all of these threshold requirements described below. EPA will notify applicants, who do not meet threshold eligibility requirements, within 15 working days of the decision to reject the application.
1. Applicant eligibility.
  The applicant must demonstrate eligibility to receive assistance under this announcement as provided for in Section III A. Documentation of eligibility may be provided as an attachment that does not count against the 10 page limit.
2. Match.
  Applications must provide the required 50% match as described in Section III B.
3. Amount of Financial Assistance Requested.
  Applications may not request more than the amount of assistance described in Section II or a project period longer than one year, as described in Section II.
4. Administrative requirements.
  Applications must meet the administrative requirements (e.g., due dates and 10 page limit for proposal) described in Section IV of this announcement.

IV. Application and Submission Information.

A. Address to request application package and information.
Forms for grant applications may be obtained electronically at the following web site: http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/application.htm. Requests for forms, examples of currently funded cooperative agreements, or other questions should be made to:

Beth Anderson
Pollution Prevention Division (7409M)
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20460-0001

Telephone number: (202) 564-8833
Fax number: (202) 564-8899
E-mail address: anderson. beth@epa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Applications.
Applicants must submit a "letter of intent" at least 14 days before the due date for applications. The letter of intent must identify the applicant's name, title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address. Letters of intent must be submitted electronically to anderson. beth@epa.gov. An e-mail confirming the receipt of a letter of intent will be sent within 2 business days. This will ensure that hardcopy proposals will be reviewed. The letter of intent will serve to notify EPA that an application should be expected for review. Hard copies postmarked by the due date or hand delivered proposals accepted for delivery on the due date, will be accepted only if the EPA contact has been notified with a letter of intent, that a proposal is being submitted in hard copy.

There is an ten page limit for each completed proposal. The detailed budget, milestones, resumes and key personnel sheet do not count against the 10 page limit. Proposals in excess of 10 pages will not be evaluated or considered for funding. A complete application must include the following forms:

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance, with original signature, including: SF-424 A, Budget by categories and indirect cost rate and SF-424 B, Assurances for non-construction programs.
EPA Form 5700-49, Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters.
Certification Regarding Lobbying and SF LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, if applicable.
EPA Form 4700-4, Preaward Compliance Review.
Narrative Proposal Statement not to exceed 10 pages.
Detailed Budget and time line with milestones- does not count against the page limit.
Letters of support from partners involved with the proposal. These letters are not counted against the page limit.
Resumes may be attached and will not count against the page limit.
One page listing the key contact personnel who will be assigned to the project (and this page does not count against the page limit). The key contact list must contain the name, title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the following personnel: Authorized representative: the individual who reviews and accepts awards and amendments, Payee: Individual authorized to accept payments, Administrative Contact: Individual to contact concerning administrative matters (e.g., indirect cost, rate computation and re-budgeting requests, etc.), and the Project Manager: Individual responsible for completing the proposed work.
A DUNS number must be included in every application. The Office of Management and Budget now requires grant applicants to provide a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The DUNS number will supplement other identifiers required by statute or regulation, such as tax identification numbers. Applicants can receive a DUNS number in one day, at no cost, by calling the toll-free DUNS Number request line at 1-866-705-5711. The website where an organization can obtain a DUNS number is: http://www.dnb.com . This takes 30 business days and there is no cost unless the organization requests expedited (1-day) processing, which includes a fee of $40. A revised version of form SF-424 will include the DUNS number or applicants can use the current SF-424 forms and enter the DUNS number in the Applicant Information address block.

C. Submitting Grant Packages to EPA Headquarters.
Applications, including the proposal and required forms, may be sent to EPA Headquarters electronically, by mail or by overnight delivery. The EPA contact must be notified at least 14 days prior to proposals being submitted. EPA will use the computer generated time and date for documenting receipt time and date of electronic submissions, the postmarked date of mail submissions, and the date overnight delivery products were picked up for delivery as documented on the delivery form.

Electronically through E-mail Send the entire grant package (proposal, detailed budget and forms) to: anderson. beth@epa.gov. You must include your name, mailing address, an e-mail address and phone number. This ensures that you can be identified as the submitter of the application and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA cannot read your proposal due to technical difficulties. Forms that cannot be sent through e-mail must be noted and faxed to (202-564-8899) or sent in hardcopy through one of the choices below.
By mail. Send your entire grant package to:

Beth Anderson
USEPA
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (MC 7409M)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20460-0001

Applications must be postmarked by July 6, 2005
By delivery service. Deliver your entire grant package (proposal and application forms) to:

Beth Anderson
USEPA - East Room 5213
1201 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20004
Phone number 202-564-8833.

EPA will use the date the delivery service picked up the package for delivery as the date of submission. Applications must be picked up for delivery by July 6, 2005.

D. Submission Date.
EPA will consider all applications (proposals, detailed budget and forms) that are postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service by July 6, 2005 or that are hand delivered with documentation indicating acceptance by the delivery service on July 6, 2005. If applications are not postmarked or picked-up for delivery, or e-mailed on or before July 6, 2005, they will be rejected and will not be considered for funding.

E. Intergovernmental Review.
This program may be eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.

F. Funding Restrictions.
EPA grant funds may only be used for the purposes set forth in the grant agreement, and must be consistent with the statutory authority of the award. Grant funds may not be used for matching funds for other Federal grants, lobbying, or intervention in Federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, Federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal government or any other government entity. All costs identified in the budget must conform to applicable Federal Cost Principles contained in OMB Circular A-87; A-122; and A-21, as appropriate. Ineligible costs will be reduced from the final grant award. EPA reserves the right to reject any or all applications and issue no awards.

G. Confidential Business Information.
In accordance with 40 CFR 2.203, applicants may claim all or a portion of their application/proposal as confidential business information. EPA will evaluate confidentiality claims in accordance with 40 CFR Part 2. Applicants must clearly mark applications/proposals or portions of application/proposals 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.

V. Application Review Information

A. Criteria
Applications will be evaluated and ranked according to the following evaluation criteria:

Project description and environmental goals. The proposal identifies: environmental goals, objectives and a reasonable schedule for the execution of the tasks. The proposal presents a clear description of the tasks, including: areas of P2 expertise, P2 information products, P2 services, the audience targeted , and a timeline illustrating project milestones. 20 points.
Project strategy and objectives. The project strategy encourages source reduction and prevention of pollution across all environmental media (air, water, and land) and includes the promotion of natural resource conservation. Project objectives such as outreach, developing case studies, P2 measurements, or promoting source reduction practices to businesses are related to specific outputs and outcomes. 20 points
Project management and past performance. The application identifies key personnel who will work on the project and demonstrates their qualifications and accountability. The application describes the successful execution of similar projects and how lessons learned from past projects will benefit the proposed project. Applicants may attach resumes that do not count against page limits. (If an applicant does not have past performance to cite, they will receive a neutral rating of '5'.) 10 points.
Identified measures for objectives. Proposals must include work plans that measure outputs, outcomes, or both types of measures. Examples of outputs include: monthly conference calls, meetings, list serves, information products, training events, replies to P2 queries, user sessions on a web site, etc. Outputs can be measured during the assistance agreement funding period. Examples of outcomes are: changes in knowledge or behavior, number of businesses adopting P2 plans, number of facilities adopting resource conservation practices, pounds of waste reduced, amount of energy or water conserved, etc. Each objective includes methodology for reporting outputs and outcomes. 20 points.
Budget. The proposal includes a detailed budget indicating the cost of each task, including matching funds. Federal dollars must be matched by at least an equal value of funds and/or in-kind goods and services. The budget and associated narrative of the application demonstrates effective and judicious use of Federal funds. 15 points.
Partnerships. The project strategy utilizes partnerships to leverage services, funding, or expertise. EPA continues to seek more cooperation among pollution prevention programs and other environmental and business assistance providers to improve the promotion and acceptance of P2 practices. Partners must provide letter(s) of support from an official within the organization confirming their specific contributions to the project. These letters should be included as attachments and do not count against the page limit. 15 points.

B. Review and Selection Process.
A panel comprised of EPA staff will evaluate each application based upon the six criteria listed in V.A. and provide a recommended ranking to the Agency's selecting official. Applications may receive up to 100 points. Following the assignment of scores, EPA will sort the applications into groups of "high, medium, and low" with a scoring range of 80-100 corresponding to "high," 60-79 corresponding to "medium," and below 60 corresponding to "low." Some allowance may be made for logical breaks in the scoring distribution when determining the cutoff points, e.g., if the distribution of scores included values of 81, 80, 79, and a next highest score of 65, the cutoff for "high" would be made at 79 rather than 80.

The EPA selecting official will consider the panel's recommended technical rankings, as well as other considerations, in making final selections. Other considerations include:

Geographical diversity considerations. EPA may consider the location of the regional center, in order to ensure P2 information from all of the United States is included in the Pollution Prevention Information Network.
Programmatic priorities and potential duplication of effort by other organizations. EPA will consider ongoing work and new areas for promoting pollution prevention and P2 measurement.

C. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates.
All applicants will be notified by EPA Headquarters on whether or not the application has been selected for funding. The notification is not an authorization to begin performance. A notice signed by the Grants administration Division is the authorizing document to the applicant to begin performance. EPA anticipates that all awards will be announced by August 31, and awards will be issued by December 31, 2005.

VI. Award Administration Information.

A. Administrative and National Policy Requirements.
Periodic audits should be conducted as part of the recipient's system of financial management and internal control to meet the terms and conditions of assistance agreements. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," non-federal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more within the State's fiscal year shall conduct an audit for that year. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," was published in the Federal Register on June 30, 1997. The Circular implements the Single Audit Act amendments of 1996. State agencies that receive less than $300,000 within the State's fiscal year shall conduct an audit accordance with Federal laws and regulations governing the programs in which they participate.

Financial records, including all documents to support entries on accounting records to substantiate charges to each assistance agreement, must be kept available to personnel authorized to examine EPA assistance agreement accounts. All records must be maintained for three years from the date of submission of the annual financial status report. If questions still remain, such as those raised as a result of an audit, related records should be retained until the matter is completely resolved.

B. Dispute Resolution Process.
Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005) which can be found at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-1371.htm.

C. Reporting.
The recipient, along with the Project Officer, will develop a process for jointly evaluating and reporting progress and accomplishments under the work plan. The work plans and reporting must be consistent with the requirements of 40 CFR 35.107, 35.115, and 35.515. A description of the evaluation process and a reporting schedule must be included in the work plan (see §§ 35.107(b)(2)(iv) and 35.507(b)(2)(iv)). The reporting schedule requires the recipient to submit, at a minimum, annual progress reports, during the life of the project, to the Project Officer under 40 CFR 31.40 (b). In their reports, recipients should provide discussion of accomplishments as measured against work plan commitments; a discussion of cumulative effectiveness of the work performed under all work plan components; a discussion of existing and potential problem areas; and suggestions for improvement, including where feasible, schedules for making improvements. If evaluation reveals the recipient has not made sufficient progress under the work plan, the Project Officer and the recipient will negotiate a resolution that addresses the issues. If issues cannot be resolved through negotiation, the Project Officer may take appropriate action under 40 CFR 31.43. The recipient may request a review of the Project Officer's decision under the dispute resolution process in 40 CFR 31.70.

VII. Agency Contact

Beth Anderson,
Pollution Prevention Division (7409M)
USEPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20460-0001
Telephone number: (202) 564-8833
Fax number: (202) 564-8899
E-mail address: anderson. beth@epa.gov.

VIII. Other Information
Information about current P2 information network grant program may be viewed at: http://www.epa.gov/p2/pubs/grants/ppin/ppin.htm. Information about the current P2Rx centers may be viewed at www.p2rx.org.

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