15-06.pdf

OVERVIEW

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE: FY16 Guidelines for Brownfields Cleanup Grants

ACTION: Request for Proposals

RFP NO: EPA-OSWER-OBLR-15-06

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO.: 66.818

DATES: Proposals must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 18, 2015. Please refer to Section IV.B, Due Date and Submission Instructions, for further instructions.

SUMMARY: The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act

(“Brownfields Law”, P.L. 107-118) requires the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) to publish guidance to assist applicants in preparing proposals for grants to assess and clean up brownfield sites. EPA’s Brownfields Program provides funds to empower states, communities, tribes, and nonprofits to prevent, inventory, assess, clean up, and reuse brownfield sites. EPA provides brownfields funding for three types of grants:

1. Brownfields Assessment Grants – provides funds to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning (including cleanup planning) and community involvement related to brownfield sites.

2. Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants – provides funding for a grant recipient to capitalize a revolving fund and to make loans and provide subgrants to conduct cleanup activities at brownfield sites.

3. Brownfields Cleanup Grants – provides funds to conduct cleanup activities at a specific brownfield site owned by the applicant.

Under these guidelines, EPA is seeking proposals for Cleanup Grants only. If you are interested in requesting funding for Assessment and/or Revolving Loan

Fund Grants, please refer to announcement EPA-OSWER-OBLR-15-04

(Assessment Grant guidelines) or EPA-OSWER-OBLR-15-05 (Revolving Loan

Fund Grant guidelines) posted separately on www.grants.gov and www2.epa.gov/brownfields/apply-brownfields-grant-funding.

For the purposes of these guidelines, the term "grant" refers to the cooperative agreement that EPA will award to a successful applicant. Please refer to Section

II.C for a description of EPA's anticipated substantial involvement in the financial assistance agreements awarded under these guidelines.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www2.epa.gov/brownfields/apply-brownfields-grant-funding

EPA urges applicants to review the Frequently Asked Questions which can be found at http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-

10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf.

In addition, prior to naming a contractor or subawardee in your proposal please carefully review Section IV.F of these guidelines.

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total funding available under the national competitions for assessment, cleanup, and RLF grants is estimated at $54.5 million subject to the availability of funds and other applicable considerations. EPA may expend up to 25 percent of the amount appropriated for brownfields grants on sites contaminated with petroleum. EPA anticipates awarding an estimated 223 grants among all three grant types. Under this announcement, EPA anticipates awarding an estimated 60 cleanup grants for an estimated $11.9 million.

CONTENTS BY SECTION

SECTION I - FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

I.A Description of Grant I.B Uses of Grant Funds I.C EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

I.D Livability Principles and Sustainability I.E Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes

SECTION II - AWARD INFORMATION

II.A What is the Amount of Available Funding?

II.B What is the Project Period for Awards Resulting from this Solicitation?

II.C Substantial Involvement

SECTION III - APPLICANT AND SITE ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

III.A Who Can Apply?

III.B Site Eligibility

III.C Threshold Criteria for Cleanup Grants

1. Applicant Eligibility

2. Letter from the State or Tribal Environmental Authority

3. Site Eligibility and Property Ownership Eligibility

4. Cleanup Authority and Oversight Structure

5. Statutory Cost Share (See also IV.E on Leveraging)

6. Community Notification

SECTION IV - PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION

IV.A How to Obtain a Proposal Package

IV.B Due Date and Submission Instructions IV.C Content and Form of Proposal Submission IV.D Intergovernmental Review IV.E Voluntary Cost Share/Leveraging

IV.F Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated Into the Solicitation

SECTION V - PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

V.A Review and Selection Process

V.B Ranking Criteria for Cleanup Grants http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf

1. Community Need [20 Points]

2. Project Description and Feasibility of Success [30 points]

3. Community Engagement and Partnerships [15 points]

4. Project Benefits [20 points]

5. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance [20 Points] V.C Other Factors V.D Proposal Checklist for Cleanup Grants

SECTION VI - AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

VI.A Award Notices

VI.B Administrative and National Policy Requirements VI.C Reporting Requirements VI.D Brownfields Programmatic Requirements VI.E Use of Funds

VI.F Disputes VI.G Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated Into the Solicitation

SECTION VII – AGENCY CONTACTS – Regional Brownfields Contacts Appendix 1 Information on Sites Eligible for Brownfields Funding Under CERCLA §104(k) ...48

Appendix 2 Grants.gov Proposal Submission Instructions Appendix 3 Cleanup Other Factors Checklist

SECTION I - FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or the

Superfund law) was amended by the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields

Revitalization Act (Brownfields Law) to include section 104(k), which provides federal financial assistance for brownfields revitalization, including grants for assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan funds.

A brownfield site is defined as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, controlled substances, petroleum or petroleum products, or is mine-scarred land.

As described in Section V, proposals will be evaluated, among other factors, on the extent to which the applicant demonstrates: economic and environmental needs of the targeted communities; a vision for the reuse and redevelopment of brownfield sites and the capability to achieve that vision; reasonable and eligible tasks; partnerships and leveraged resources to complete the project; incorporation of livability and sustainability principles and economic, environmental, health, and social benefits associated with the reuse and redevelopment of brownfield sites.

A critical part of EPA’s assessment and cleanup efforts is to ensure that residents living in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and environmental contamination have an opportunity to reap the benefits from brownfields redevelopment. EPA’s Brownfields Program has a rich history rooted in environmental justice and is committed to helping communities revitalize brownfield properties, mitigate potential health risks, and restore economic vitality.

I.A Description of Grant

Cleanup grants provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at specific brownfield sites owned by the applicant. An applicant can apply for up to $200,000 per brownfield site and can submit up to three site-specific cleanup proposals. Applicants that exceed the maximum number of proposals allowable for cleanup grants will be contacted, prior to review of any of the proposals by EPA, to determine which proposals the applicant will withdraw from the competition. A separate proposal must be submitted for each site.

An applicant may request up to $200,000 to address hazardous substances and/or petroleum contamination at a specified site. An applicant requesting both hazardous substance and petroleum cleanup funding at the same site must submit one proposal, which cannot exceed

$200,000 total. If the hazardous substance and petroleum contaminated areas of the site are distinguishable, the proposal must indicate the dollar amount of funding requested for each type of contamination and respond to both the hazardous substance and petroleum eligibility questions in Section III.C.3., including the requirement to provide a petroleum determination letter. If the petroleum and hazardous substances are not easily distinguishable, the applicant must indicate which contaminant is predominant and respond to the appropriate site eligibility criteria. (Contact your Regional Brownfields Contact listed in Section VII for more information.)

Properties eligible for hazardous substance funding are those properties with the presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants and properties that are contaminated with controlled substances or that are mine-scarred lands. Proposals must indicate the dollar amount of funding requested for each type of contamination. The performance period is three years for cleanup grants. For a list of certain grant and programmatic requirements refer to Section VI.

An applicant must be the sole owner of the site that is the subject of its cleanup grant proposal and must own the site by December 18, 2015 in order to be eligible to receive a cleanup grant.

For the purposes of eligibility determinations in these guidelines only, the term “own” means fee simple title through a legal document (for example a recorded deed); unless EPA approves a different ownership arrangement. EPA will find applicants that do not meet this requirement by

December 18, 2015 ineligible. The grantee must retain ownership of the site throughout the period of performance of the grant. Refer to threshold criterion Section III.C.1.b. and FAQs for additional information.

The Brownfields Law requires applicants to provide a 20 percent cost share for cleanup grants.

For example, a $200,000 cleanup grant will require a $40,000 cost share. The cost share, which may be in the form of a contribution of money, labor, material, or services, must be for eligible and allowable costs under the grant and cannot include administrative costs, as described in the

Brownfields Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf. Applicants may request a waiver of the 20 percent cost share requirement based on hardship. EPA will consider hardship waiver requests on a case-by-case basis and will approve such requests on a limited basis. Refer to threshold criterion Section III.C.5. for additional information.

Cleanup grant applicants must have an ASTM E1903-11 Phase II site assessment report or equivalent site investigation report complete that indicates a basic understanding of what contaminants need to be cleaned up on the site, even if further Phase II assessment work is required prior to proposal submission. Refer to threshold criterion Section III.C.3.e. for additional information.

For more information on a range of brownfields topics, please refer to the Brownfields FAQs at http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can contact your Regional Brownfields Contact listed in Section

VII.

I.B Uses of Grant Funds

In addition to direct costs associated with the cleanup of a brownfield site, grant funds also may be used for the following activities:

1. Grant funds may be used for direct costs associated with programmatic management of the grant, such as required performance reporting, cleanup oversight, and environmental monitoring of cleanup work.

All costs charged to cleanup grants must be consistent with the applicable OMB Cost

Circular 2 CFR 200 Subpart E.

2. A local government (as defined in 2 CFR 200.64, Local Government) may use up to 10 percent of its grant funds for any of the following activities:

a. health monitoring of populations exposed to hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants from the brownfield site;

b. monitoring and enforcement of any institutional control used to prevent human exposure to any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant from the brownfield site; and

c. other related program development and implementation activities to effectively oversee cleanups described in an EPA-approved work plan.

The term local government does not include state or tribal governments but may include, among others, public housing authorities, school districts, and councils of governments.

3. A portion of the brownfields grant may be used to purchase environmental insurance.

See the Brownfields FAQs at http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-

10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf for additional information on purchasing environmental insurance.

Grant funds cannot be used for the following activities:

1. administrative costs, such as indirect costs of grant administration, with the exception of financial and performance reporting costs; and

2. proposal preparation costs.

See the Brownfields FAQs at http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-

10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf for additional information on ineligible grant activities and ineligible costs.

I.C EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

EPA’s 2014-2018 Strategic Plan defines goals, objectives and sub-objectives for protecting human health and the environment. Brownfields cleanup grants will support progress toward

Goal 3 (Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development), Objective 3.1

(Promote Sustainable and Livable Communities). Specifically, these grants will help sustain, clean up and restore communities and the ecological systems that support them by providing funds to assess and clean up brownfield sites. EPA will negotiate work plans with recipients to collect information about the hazardous substances, pollutants and petroleum contaminants addressed and the amount of land made safe for communities’ economic and ecological use.

(View EPA’s Strategic Plan on the Internet at http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan and view EPA’s Order 5700.7A1 at www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-

03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf.)

http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf

I.D Livability Principles and Sustainability

Under the Project Benefits ranking criterion in Section V, applicants will be evaluated on how their proposed Brownfields cleanup project will advance the livability principles discussed below. In addition, the proposal will be evaluated on the extent to which it will lead to sustainable and equitable development outcomes as discussed below.

Link to the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities

EPA’s Brownfields Cleanup Program is being carried out consistent with the principles for the

Partnership for Sustainable Communities (PSC) established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and EPA. The PSC was conceived to advance development patterns and infrastructure investment programs that achieve improved economic prosperity, healthy, environmentally sustainable, and opportunity-rich communities for all Americans, regardless of race or income. Recognizing the fundamental role that public investment plays in achieving these outcomes, the Administration charged three federal agencies whose programs impact the physical form of communities - HUD, DOT, and

EPA - to coordinate and incorporate the Livability Principles into their policies and funding programs to the maximum degree possible. The Livability Principles can be found at www.sustainablecommunities.gov and include: (1) provide more transportation choices; (2) promote equitable, affordable housing; (3) increase economic competitiveness; (4) support existing communities; (5) leverage federal investment; and (6) value communities and neighborhoods.

Linking BF Cleanup Approaches to Sustainable and Equitable Development Outcomes

Applicants should incorporate sustainable and equitable cleanup and reuse approaches into their proposed Brownfields Cleanup project. The Agency may also consider how well an applicant’s proposed project is coordinated with HUD, DOT, EPA programs and programs available from other potential federal and non-federal partners. Sustainable and equitable approaches can ensure brownfields are cleaned up and reused in ways that:

contribute to greener and healthier homes, buildings, and neighborhoods;

mitigate environmental conditions through effective deconstruction and remediation strategies which address solid and hazardous waste, and improve air and water quality;

improve access by residents to greenspace, recreational property, transit, schools, other nonprofit uses (e.g., libraries, health clinics, youth centers, etc.), and healthy and affordable food;

improve employment and affordable housing opportunities for local residents;

reduce toxicity, illegal dumping, and blighted vacant parcels; and retain residents who have historically lived within the area affected by brownfields.

Sustainable development practices facilitate environmentally-sensitive brownfields cleanup and redevelopment while also helping to make communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse. While ensuring consistency with community-identified priorities, sustainable development approaches encourage brownfield site cleanup and reuse in ways that provide new jobs, commercial opportunities, open space amenities, and/or social services to an existing neighborhood. Brownfields site preparation strategies that prevent contaminant exposure through green building design, materials recycling, enable urban agricultural reuse, http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/ promote walkability to/around the site and contribute to community walkability, and on-site stormwater management through green infrastructure, among other approaches, can contribute to sustainable development outcomes.

Equitable development outcomes come about when intentional strategies are put in place to ensure that low-income and minority communities not only participate in, but benefit from, decisions that shape their neighborhoods and regions. There are many different approaches that promote equitable development, such as ensuring a mix of housing types across a range of incomes; access to fresh food,; access to jobs; and access to local capital. Programs or policies can be put in place to help ensure creation or integration of affordable housing; local or first-source hiring; minority contracting; inclusionary zoning (where a percentage of new housing is designated as affordable housing); healthy food retailers in places where they do not exist (e.g.

food deserts); co-operative ownership models where local residents come together to run a community-owned, jointly owned business enterprise; rent control or community land trusts (to help keep property affordable for residents); supportive local entrepreneurial activities; and adherence to equal lending opportunities.

EPA encourages applicants to provide specific examples of how the cleanup project will work to remove economic, environmental and social barriers to make sustainable and equitable brownfields cleanup and reuse of the highest priority.

I.E Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes

Pursuant to EPA Order 5700.7, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,”

EPA requires that all grant applicants and recipients adequately address environmental outputs and outcomes.

EPA must report on the success of its Brownfields Program through measurable outputs and outcomes, such as the number of sites cleaned up, number of jobs created and amount of funding leveraged. Applicants are required to describe how funding will help EPA achieve environmental outputs and outcomes in their responses to the ranking criteria (section V.B.2., Project

Description and Feasibility of Success). Outputs specific to each project will be identified as deliverables in the negotiated work plan if the proposal is selected for an award. Grantees will be expected to report progress toward the attainment of expected project outputs and outcomes during the project performance period.

Outputs and Outcomes are defined as follows.

1. Outputs: The term “output” refers to an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work products related to an environmental goal or objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during the project period. The expected outputs for the grants awarded under these guidelines are the cleanup of brownfield sites. Other outputs may include the number of community meetings held and/or the number of tanks pulled.

2. Outcomes: The term “outcomes” refers to the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out the activities under the grant. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic; may be qualitative or quantitative; and may not necessarily be achievable during the project period. Expected outcomes of brownfields grants include the number of jobs leveraged and other funding leveraged through the economic reuse of sites;

the number of acres made ready for reuse or acres of greenspace created for communities;

and whether the project will minimize exposure to hazardous substances and other contamination.

SECTION II - AWARD INFORMATION

II.A What is the Amount of Available Funding?

The total estimated funding available under the national competition for assessment, cleanup, RLF grants is estimated at $54.5 million subject to the availability of funds and other applicable considerations. A separate announcement is posted for the assessment and RLF grant competitions. EPA may expend up to 25 percent of the amount appropriated for brownfields grants on sites contaminated with petroleum. EPA anticipates awarding an estimated 223 grants among the three grant types. Under this announcement, EPA anticipates awarding an estimated

60 cleanup grants for a total amount of approximately $11.9 million in funding. In addition, EPA reserves the right to award additional grants under this competition should additional funding become available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months from the date of the original selection decision. EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals and make no awards under this announcement or make fewer awards than anticipated.

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund proposals by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. To maintain the integrity of the competition and selection process, EPA, if it decides to partially fund a proposal, will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposal, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award.

II.B What is the Project Period for Awards Resulting from this Solicitation?

The project period for cleanup grants is up to three years.

II.C Substantial Involvement

The brownfield cleanup grant will be awarded in the form of a cooperative agreement.

Cooperative agreements permit the EPA Project Officer to be substantially involved in overseeing the work performed by the selected recipients. Although EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for this project may include:

close monitoring of the recipient’s performance to verify the results;

collaborating during performance of the scope of work;

reviewing substantive terms of proposed contracts;

reviewing qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient); and reviewing and commenting on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

SECTION III - APPLICANT AND SITE ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

III.A Who Can Apply?

The following information indicates what entities are eligible to apply for a cleanup grant.

General Purpose Unit of Local Government. (For purposes of the brownfields grant program, EPA defines general purpose unit of local government as a “local government” as defined under 2 CFR 200.64.)

Land Clearance Authority or other quasi-governmental entity that operates under the supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a general purpose unit of local government.

Government Entity Created by State Legislature.

Regional Council or group of General Purpose Units of Local Government.

Redevelopment Agency that is chartered or otherwise sanctioned by a state.

State.

Indian Tribe other than in Alaska. (The exclusion of Alaskan tribes from brownfields grant eligibility is statutory at CERCLA §104(k)(1). Intertribal Consortia, comprised of eligible

Indian Tribes, are eligible for funding in accordance with EPA’s policy for funding intertribal consortia published in the Federal Register on November 4, 2002, at 67 Fed. Reg.

67181. This policy also may be obtained from your Regional Brownfields Contact listed in

Section VII.)

Alaska Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation, and Metlakatla

Indian Community. (Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village

Corporations are defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 and following). For more information, please refer to Brownfields FAQs at http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf.)

Nonprofit organizations. (For the purposes of the brownfields grant program, the term

“nonprofit organization” means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization.)

III.B Site Eligibility

The following items provide important information related to determining if a brownfield site is eligible for funding. Refer to this section when responding to the Threshold Criteria in Section

III.C.3. The information you submit will be used by EPA solely to make site eligibility determinations for Brownfields grants and is not legally binding for other purposes including federal, state, or tribal enforcement actions.

1. Basic Site Definition

To be eligible for a grant, sites must meet the definition of a brownfield as described in

Appendix 1.

The following types of properties are not eligible for brownfields funding:

facilities listed (or proposed for listing) on the National Priorities List (NPL);

facilities subject to unilateral administrative orders, court orders, administrative orders on consent, or judicial consent decrees issued to or entered into by parties under CERCLA;

and facilities that are subject to the jurisdiction, custody, or control of the United States government. (Note: Land held in trust by the United States government for an Indian tribe is eligible for brownfields funding.)

2. Property-Specific Determination for Eligibility

The following special classes of property require a “Property-Specific Determination” from

EPA to be eligible for brownfields funding:

properties subject to planned or ongoing removal actions under CERCLA;

properties with facilities that have been issued or entered into a unilateral administrative order, a court order, an administrative order on consent, or judicial consent decree or to which a permit has been issued by the United States or an authorized state under the

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Federal Water Pollution Control

Act (FWPCA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), or the Safe Drinking Water

Act (SDWA);

properties with facilities subject to RCRA corrective action (§3004(u) or §3008(h)) to which a corrective action permit or order has been issued or modified to require the implementation of corrective measures;

properties that are land disposal units that have submitted a RCRA closure notification or that are subject to closure requirements specified in a closure plan or permit;

properties where there has been a release of PCBs and all or part of the property is subject to TSCA remediation; and properties that include facilities receiving monies for cleanup from the Leaking

Underground Storage Tank (LUST) trust fund (see Appendix 1, Section 1.5.6 for a definition of LUST Trust Fund sites).

EPA’s approval of Property-Specific Determinations will be based on whether or not awarding a grant will protect human health and the environment and either promote economic development or enable the property to be used for parks, greenways, and similar recreational or nonprofit purposes. Property-Specific Determination requests must be attached to your proposal and do not count in the 15-page limit for Narrative Proposals. (See

Appendix 1, for more information or contact your Regional Brownfields Contact listed in

Section VII if you think your site requires a Property-Specific Determination.)

Additionally, applicants eligible for brownfields grant funds cannot be liable for contamination on the site. Site eligibility related to liability is determined differently at sites contaminated with hazardous substances than for sites contaminated by petroleum or petroleum product.

3. Hazardous Substances, CERCLA Liability, and Demonstration of Bona Fide Prospective

Purchaser

For sites contaminated by hazardous substances, persons, including government entities, who may be found liable for the contamination under CERCLA §107 (the Superfund law) are not eligible for grants. Liable parties may include all current owners and operators, former owners and operators of the site at the time of disposal of hazardous substances, and parties that arranged for, or contributed to, the disposal or treatment of hazardous substances on the site. Therefore, even owners who did not cause or contribute to the contamination may be held liable. To be eligible for a site-specific brownfields grant to address contamination at a brownfields property, eligible entities who fall within one of the categories of potentially liable parties must demonstrate that they meet one of the liability protections or defenses set forth in CERCLA by establishing that they are: (1) an innocent landowner; (2) a bona fide prospective purchaser (BFPP); (3) a contiguous property owner; or (4) local or state government entity that acquired the property involuntarily through bankruptcy, tax delinquency, or abandonment, or by exercising its power of eminent domain. To claim protection from liability as an innocent landowner, contiguous property owner, or bona fide prospective purchaser, property owners, including state and local governments, must conduct all appropriate inquiries prior to acquiring the property. (Please note that these requirements apply to all property acquisitions, including properties acquired by donation or title transfer at zero cost.)

Because cleanup grantees must own the property for which they are seeking a grant – and because current owners of contaminated property are potentially liable under CERCLA – all applicants must demonstrate in their proposals that they are not a liable party by establishing that they meet the requirements of one of the liability protections or defenses set forth in

CERCLA. For more information on these liability protections, please refer to the

Brownfields Law, the April 2009 Fact Sheet entitled: “EPA Brownfields Grants, CERCLA

Liability and All Appropriate Inquiries,” and the March 6, 2003, EPA guidance entitled

Interim Guidance Regarding Criteria Landowners Must Meet in Order to Qualify for Bona

Fide Prospective Purchaser, Contiguous Property Owner, or Innocent Landowner

Limitations on CERCLA (“Common Elements”)

(http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/common-elem-guide.pdf). Applicants may also call the Regional Brownfields Contact listed in Section VII with questions about eligibility.

The most common liability protection asserted by applicants is the bona fide prospective purchaser protection (BFPP). Although the statute limits eligibility for BFPP liability protection to entities that purchase property after January 11, 2002, a brownfields grant applicant can take advantage of this protection, for grant purposes only, even if it acquired a site prior to January 11, 2002. Applicants must demonstrate that they complied with all the other BFPP requirements listed below.

All disposal of hazardous substances at the site occurred before the person acquired the site.

The owner must not be liable in any way for contamination at the site or affiliated with a responsible party. Affiliations include familial, contractual, financial, or corporate http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/common-elem-guide.pdf relationships that are the result of a reorganization of a business entity with potential liability.

For purposes of obtaining a CERCLA liability protection, the owner must have conducted all appropriate inquiries (AAI) prior to acquiring the property. AAI, typically met by conducting a Phase I environmental site assessment using the ASTM E1527-13 standard practice, must be conducted or updated within one year prior to the date the property is acquired (i.e., the date on which the entity takes title to the property). In addition, certain aspects of the AAI or Phase I site assessment must be updated, prior to property acquisition, if the activities were conducted more than six months prior to the date of acquisition. Please see the fact sheet “EPA Brownfields Grants, CERCLA

Liability and All Appropriate Inquiries,” or EPA’s AAI Final Rule (70 FR 66070)

(www2.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-all-appropriate-inquiries).

The owner must take appropriate care regarding any hazardous substances found at the site, including preventing future releases and exposures to hazardous substances on the site.

The owner must provide all legally required notices and cooperate with authorized response persons in the event of discovery or release of any hazardous substances at the site.

The owner must comply with any land-use restrictions associated with response actions at the site.

Please see All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) Factsheet “EPA Brownfields Grants, CERCLA

Liability and All Appropriate Inquiries,” for more information:

www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-08/documents/aaifs.pdf.

4. Petroleum Site Eligibility

The Brownfields Law outlines specific criteria by which petroleum sites may be eligible for brownfields grant funding. In addition to the basic brownfields eligibility criteria, eligibility for petroleum sites is determined by applying the criteria established by Congress: the site must be of “relatively low risk,” there can be no viable responsible party, the applicant cannot be potentially liable for cleaning up the site, and the site must not be subject to a

RCRA corrective action order. If a party is identified as being responsible for the site and that party is financially viable, then the site is not eligible for brownfields grant funds (refer to Appendix 1, Section 1.3.2 for more information). Generally, petroleum site eligibility will be determined by EPA or the state, as appropriate. Where the state is unable to make the eligibility determination, EPA will make the determination. EPA will make the determination for tribes.

III.C Threshold Criteria for Cleanup Grants

This section contains the threshold eligibility criteria that ensure applicants are eligible to receive cleanup grants. Threshold criteria are pass/fail and include certain requests for information identified below. The information you submit will be used by EPA solely to make site eligibility determinations for Brownfields grants and is not legally binding for other purposes including http://www2.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-all-appropriate-inquiries http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-08/documents/aaifs.pdf federal, state, or tribal enforcement actions. Only those proposals that pass all the threshold criteria will be evaluated against the ranking criteria in Section V.B of this announcement.

Applicants that exceed the maximum number of proposals allowable for cleanup grants will be contacted, prior to review of any of the proposals by EPA, to determine which proposals the applicant will withdraw from the competition. A separate proposal must be submitted for each site.

Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination. Applicants must respond to the items listed below to ensure that they are eligible for funding.

Your responses to these items are required and must be included as an attachment to the

Narrative Proposal you submit to EPA. See Section IV.C for a complete list of required proposal content.

For purposes of the threshold eligibility review, EPA, if necessary, may seek clarification of applicant information and/or consider information from other sources, including EPA files.

Proposals must substantially comply with the proposal submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or they will be rejected. Pages in excess of the page limits described in Section IV for the Transmittal Letter and Narrative Proposal, and attachments not specifically required, will not be reviewed.

In addition, initial proposals must be submitted through www.grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Appendix 2) on or before the proposal submission deadline published in Section IV of this announcement. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this announcement to ensure that their proposal is timely submitted.

Proposals submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to

EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with www.grants.gov or relevant www.SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their proposal through www.grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in www.SAM.gov or www.grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission.

Applicants should confirm receipt of their proposal with Jerry Minor-Gordon at 202-566-1817 or minor-gordon.jerry@epa.gov as soon as possible after the submission deadline—failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed.

1. Applicant Eligibility

a. Eligible Entity

Applicants must demonstrate how they are an eligible entity for a cleanup grant. Refer to the description of applicant eligibility in Section III.A, Who Can Apply. For entities other http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:minor-gordon.jerry@epa.gov than cities, counties, tribes, or states, please attach documentation of your eligibility (e.g., resolutions, statutes, etc.). If you are a nonprofit organization, you must provide documentation, as an attachment to the proposal, indicating nonprofit status. Failure to do so may render your proposal ineligible for review.

b. Site Ownership

To be eligible to receive a cleanup grant the applicant must be the sole owner of the site that is the subject of its cleanup grant proposal and must own the site by December 18, 2015. For the purposes of eligibility determinations in these guidelines only, the term

“own” means fee simple title through a legal document, for example a recorded deed;

unless EPA approves a different ownership agreement. EPA will find applicants that do not meet this requirement by December 18, 2015 ineligible. The grantee must retain ownership of the site until throughout the period of performance of the grant.

2. Letter from the State or Tribal Environmental Authority

For an applicant other than a state or tribal environmental authority, attach a current letter from the appropriate state or tribal environmental authority acknowledging that the applicant plans to conduct cleanup activities and is planning to apply for federal grant funds. Failure to submit this letter will result in the rejection of the proposal for further consideration. Letters regarding proposals from prior years are not acceptable. If you are applying for multiple types of grant program activities, you need to receive only one letter acknowledging the relevant grant activities. However, you must provide a copy of this letter as an attachment to each proposal. Please note that general correspondence and documents evidencing state involvement with the project (i.e., state enforcement orders or state notice letters) are not acceptable. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide advance notice to the appropriate state or tribal environmental authority to allow adequate time for you to obtain the acknowledgement letter and attach it to your proposal.

3. Site Eligibility and Property Ownership Eligibility

If the site is a hazardous substances site, please respond to items a–h.

If the site is a petroleum site, please respond to items a–e and i, including the requirement to provide a petroleum determination letter.

If the site is commingled hazardous substance and petroleum, the applicant must determine whether the predominant contaminant is petroleum or hazardous substances, and respond to the corresponding items (as noted above).

If applicants are applying for petroleum and hazardous substances funding at the same site, and the hazardous substance and petroleum contaminated areas of the site are distinguishable, the proposal must respond to items a – i, including the requirement to provide a petroleum determination letter.

Refer to III.B, Site Eligibility, when responding to this section.

Site Eligibility

a. Basic Site Information Identify: (a) the name of the site; (b) the address of the site, including zip code; (c) the current owner of the site; and (d) if you are not the current owner, the date you plan to acquire ownership of the site (required for cleanup grants).

b. Status and History of Contamination at the Site Identify: (a) whether this site is contaminated by petroleum or hazardous substances; (b) the operational history and current use(s) of the site; (c) environmental concerns, if known, at the site; and (d) how the site became contaminated, and to the extent possible, describe the nature and extent of the contamination.

c. Sites Ineligible for Funding Affirm that the site is: (a) not listed or proposed for listing on the National Priorities List; (b) not subject to unilateral administrative orders, court orders, administrative orders on consent, or judicial consent decrees issued to or entered into by parties under CERCLA; and (c) not subject to the jurisdiction, custody, or control of the United States government. (Note: Land held in trust by the United States government for an Indian tribe is eligible for brownfields funding.) Please refer to

CERCLA §§ 101(39)(B)(ii), (iii), and (vii) and Appendix 1.

d. Sites Requiring a Property-Specific Determination Certain types of sites require a property-specific determination in order to be eligible for funding. Please refer to

Appendix 1, Section 1.5, to determine whether your site requires a property-specific determination. If your site requires a property-specific determination, then you must attach the information requested in the Brownfields FAQs, http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf.

e. Environmental Assessment Required for Cleanup Proposals A written ASTM E1903-

11 or equivalent Phase II site assessment report (a draft report is sufficient) must be completed prior to proposal submission. Equivalent reports would include site investigations or remedial action plans developed for a state cleanup program or Office of

Surface Mining surveys for mine-scarred lands. Describe the type of environmental assessments conducted at your proposed site (do not attach assessment reports). Provide the date of the Phase II or equivalent report. Contact your Regional Brownfields Contact listed in Section VII if you have questions.

Property Ownership Eligibility – Hazardous Substance Sites

EPA grant funding may not be used to pay for response costs at a brownfield site for which the recipient of the grant is potentially liable under CERCLA §107. The following items are intended to help EPA ensure that you are not liable under CERCLA for response costs at the site designated in your proposal, or determine, if necessary, that your site is eligible for funding as a petroleum site. Please respond to the following items fully and in the order that they appear (note that based on your responses, EPA may need to obtain additional information to make this determination).

f. CERCLA §107 Liability Affirm that you are not potentially liable for contamination at the site under CERCLA §107 (e.g., as a current owner or operator of a facility, an owner or operator of a facility at the time of disposal of a hazardous substance, a party that arranged for the treatment or disposal of hazardous substances, or a party that accepted hazardous substances for transport to disposal or treatment facilities at the site) by establishing that you are eligible for one of the CERCLA liability protections or defenses

(see Section III.B.3) and explain why.1 Please note that brownfields grant applicants that otherwise meet the requirements for a bona fide prospective purchaser, except for having acquired the property prior to January 11, 2002, may still be eligible for brownfields grants. For further information, please see FAQs on All Appropriate

Inquiries for more information at, http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-

10/documents/fy16_faqs.pdf

g. Enforcement or Other Actions Identify known ongoing or anticipated environmental enforcement or other actions related to the brownfield site for which funding is sought.

Describe any inquiries, or orders from federal, state, or local government entities that the applicant is aware of regarding the responsibility of any party (including the applicant) for the contamination, or hazardous substances at the site, including any liens. The information provided in this section may be verified, and EPA may conduct an independent review of information related to the applicant’s responsibility for the contamination or hazardous substances at the site.

h. Information on Liability and Defenses/Protections

i) Information on the Property Acquisition To save space, you may combine responses to the following into one response, though please be sure to answer each item fully.

Describe:

1. how you acquired or will acquire ownership (e.g., by negotiated purchase from a private individual, by purchase or transfer from another governmental unit, by foreclosure of real property taxes, by eminent domain, or other (describe);

2. the date you acquired the property;

3. the nature of your ownership (fee simple) (note that you must have sole ownership of the site to be eligible for funding; unless EPA approves a different ownership arrangement);

4. the name and identity of the party from whom you acquired ownership (i.e., the transferor); and

5. all familial, contractual, corporate, or financial relationships or affiliations you have or had with all prior owners or operators (or other potentially responsible parties) of the property (including the person or entity from which you acquired the property).

1 Because current owners of sites are potentially liable under CERCLA, cleanup grant applicants who own the site must be able to meet the requirements of one of the CERCLA landowner liability protections, such as the bona fide prospective purchaser provision (CERCLA §107(r)), the innocent landowner defense (CERCLA §107(b)(3) and 101(35)(A)), or the exclusion for state or local governments that involuntarily acquire property (CERCLA §101(20)(D)).

ii) Timing and/or Contribution Toward Hazardous Substances Disposal Identify whether all disposal of hazardous substances at the site occurred before you acquired the property and whether you caused or contributed to any release of hazardous substances at the site. Affirm that you have not, at any time, arranged for the disposal of hazardous substances at the site or transported hazardous substances to the site.

iii) Pre-Purchase Inquiry Describe any inquiry by you or others into the previous ownership, uses of the property, and environmental conditions conducted prior to taking ownership. Please include the following in your description.

1. The types of site assessments performed (e.g., ASTM Phase I), the dates of each assessment, and the entity for which they were performed (state whether the assessment was performed specifically for you, or if not, the name of the party that had the assessment performed and that party’s relationship to you). Please note that to be eligible for a brownfields grant, parties who may be potentially liable under CERCLA (which includes current owners of the property) must demonstrate they are not liable for contamination at the property. In most cases, this demonstration must include evidence that an AAI investigation, or Phase I

Environmental Site Assessment in compliance with ASTM E1527-13 (or ASTM

E2247-08) was conducted prior to property acquisition.

2. Who performed the AAI investigation or Phase I environmental site assessments and identify his/her qualifications to perform such work.

3. If your original AAI investigation or Phase I environmental site assessment was conducted more than 180 days prior to the date you acquired the property, affirm that you conducted the…