17-10_0.pdf

OVERVIEW

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE: FY18 ENVIRONMENTAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND JOB

TRAINING (EWDJT) GRANTS

ACTION: Request for Proposals (RFP)

RFP NO: EPA-OLEM-OBLR-17-10

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO.: 66.815

DATES: The closing date and time for receipt of proposals is December 15, 2017, 11:59 p.m.

ET. Proposals must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 15, 2017 to receive consideration. Proposals received after 11:59 p.m. ET on December 15, 2017, will not be considered.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals from eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to deliver Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed and under-employed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field. Please note that eligible entities who received an EWDJT grant in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) are not eligible to apply for funding in FY18.

While Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants require training in brownfield assessment and/or cleanup, these grants also require that Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training be provided to all individuals being trained. EPA encourages applicants to develop their curricula based on local labor market assessments and employers’ hiring needs, while also delivering comprehensive training that results in graduates securing multiple certifications.

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.

NOTE: EPA also urges applicants to review the Frequently Asked Questions, which can be found at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-09/documents/fy18_ewdjt_faqs.pdf.

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total funding available under this competitive opportunity is approximately $3,000,000, subject to availability of funds, quality of proposals received, and other applicable considerations for FY 2018. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 15-16 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training cooperative agreements at amounts up to $200,000.

i https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-09/documents/fy18_ewdjt_faqs.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-09/documents/fy18_ewdjt_faqs.pdf http:www.grants.gov

CONTENTS BY SECTION

SECTION I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION page 1 I.A. Description of Grant I.B. Use of Grant Funds I.C. Eligible Uses of Grant Funds I.D. Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds I.E. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage I.F. Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes I.G. Supplementary Information

SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION page 8 II.A. What is the Amount of Available Funding?

II.B. What is the Project Period for Award(s) Resulting from this Solicitation?

II.C. Substantial Involvement

SECTION III – APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY page 10 III.A. Who Can Apply?

III.B. Voluntary Cost Share/Leveraging III.C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

1. Applicant Eligibility

2. Demonstration that Proposed Project Does Not Duplicate Other

Federally Funded Environmental Job Training Programs

3. Required HAZWOPER Training

4. Federal Funds Requested/Funding Amount

5. Substantial Conformity with Instructions and Format Requirements

6. Training Curriculum Chart Indicating the Cost of Each Course

7. Target Area and Proposal Submission Requirement

8. Submission of Proposals

SECTION IV – PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION page 14 IV.A. How to Obtain an Application Package IV.B. Due Date and Submission Instructions IV.C. Content and Form of Proposal Submission

1. Proposal Content

2. Cover Letter

3. Narrative Proposal/Ranking Criteria

1.Community Need 2.Training Program Description

3. Budget

4. Program Structure, Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes

5. Programmatic Capability

6. Community and Employer Partnerships

7. Leveraging

4. Attachments IV.D. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation ii

SECTION V – PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION page 27 V.A. Evaluation Criteria V.B. Other Factors V.C. Review and Selection Process V.D. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

SECTION VI – AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION page 35 VI.A. Award Notices VI.B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements VI.C. Reporting Requirements VI.D. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation VI.E. Programmatic Requirements VI.F. Disputes

SECTION VII – AGENCY CONTACTS page 37

APPENDIX 1 – Prohibitions on Use of Funds page 39

APPENDIX 2 – Grants.gov Proposal Submission Instructions page 41

APPENDIX 3 – Other Factors Checklist page 46 iii http:Grants.gov

SECTION I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

This funding opportunity is made available through EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR), and supported by other program offices including the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR), Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI), Center for Program Analysis (CPA), Innovation, Partnerships, and Communication Office (IPCO), Office of Water (OW), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM). As a result, the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) Program allows applicants to deliver a broader array of training in the environmental field, in addition to the traditional brownfields hazardous waste and petroleum cleanup training historically provided.

Through the EWDJT Program, graduates develop additional skill sets that improve their ability to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous and solid waste management and within the larger environmental field, including sustainable cleanup and reuse, water quality improvement, chemical safety, and pesticide management. Please note, applicants can not submit multiple proposals under this solicitation.

I.A. Description of Grant

A critical part of the EPA’s EWDJT program is to further environmental justice by ensuring that residents living in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and environmental contamination, including low-income, minority, and tribal communities, have an opportunity to reap the benefits of revitalization and environmental cleanup. Through the link to on-the-ground assessment and cleanup activities, Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants train unemployed and under-employed residents of communities impacted by a variety of waste facilities, blighted properties, contaminated sites, and other environmental issues, for environmental jobs that contractors may otherwise fill from outside the affected community. EWDJT Grants help residents take advantage of the jobs created by the management, assessment, cleanup, and revitalization of solid and hazardous waste sites, as well as other environmental projects in their communities, such as water quality improvement, chemical risk management, and pesticide management efforts. Applicants must target dislocated workers, or those laid off as a result of recent manufacturing plant closures, severely under-employed individuals, or unemployed individuals, including low-income and minority residents of waste-impacted communities, veterans, and those with little to no advanced education. Applicants must identify the target area that they intend to serve. A target area can be any continuous area (e.g., county, city, neighborhood, etc.)

that has been impacted by the presence of brownfields.

Applicants will be evaluated on the extent to which they have partnered with, and secured hiring commitments from local contractors and other stakeholders where EPA-funded projects for brownfields, Superfund sites, landfills, oil spill sites, recent disaster areas, wastewater treatment facilities, or EPA-funded state or tribal corrective actions, closures at solid or hazardous waste facilities, or landfills are located. Applicants should make efforts to link graduates of EWDJT programs with environmental employment that involves preventing, assessing, managing, and cleaning up contaminated sites or working in environmental areas in the graduates’ respective communities. Proposed training should be directly linked to ongoing environmental employment opportunities taking place in the respective community.

To date, EPA has funded 288 job training grants totaling approximately $60 million through the Job Training program. As of September 2017, approximately 16,500 individuals have completed training, and over 12,000 of those graduates obtained employment in the environmental field, earning over an average of $14 an hour as their starting hourly wage. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of approximately 73% since the program was created in 1998.

I.B. Use of Grant Funds

In addition to brownfields hazardous waste training, which includes sustainability and equitable development, applicants may choose to deliver a variety of environmental training, allowing the applicant to tailor the curriculum of their program to the labor market needs of their targeted community. Applicants may include training related to one, multiple, or none of the training areas described below. The only required training is OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 40-hour HAZWOPER. Beyond this, the applicant has the ability to design a curriculum as they see fit so long as the courses offered are an eligible use of grant funds. Applicants have the option to deliver any of the training listed below at awareness, intermediate, or advanced levels. The funding levels for these subject areas vary. Applicants are encouraged to review the available funding amounts, in Section II.A, while developing their curriculum. While advanced courses can be funded, please keep in mind that if those advanced courses fall within a category with limited funds, the EPA may not be able to fund that course in its entirety, depending upon the available amount of funding.

• Solid waste management or cleanup training, such as integrated solid waste management, including, but not limited to household and industrial recycling management and operations; collection; operators of material recovery facility and/or recycling centers;

electronics and household hazardous waste collection and recycling program operators;

construction and demolition debris collection and recycling management; recycling center operators; training associated with solid and hazardous waste facility corrective action, landfill closures and capping activities; and waste minimization efforts.

• Superfund site cleanup and innovative and alternative treatment technologies training, “green remediation” technologies, such as phytoremediation, bioremediation, or soil amendments; advanced sampling instrument operator training; or training in the reuse of biosolids and other industry residuals.

• Wastewater treatment training, such as wastewater treatment facility operations (treatment, collection, storage, and disposal) training, decentralized wastewater treatment systems maintenance, or other related wastewater management topics. Please note that the EPA will use brownfields hazardous waste (CERCLA 104(k)(6)) funds on grant awards where applicants propose to deliver stormwater management; green infrastructure installation, management, and maintenance; or low impact development (LID) training.

• Emergency planning, preparedness, and response training, such as training for conducting hazards analysis on the chemical facility risks in the community; developing local emergency response plans; organizing and implementing exercises; outreach to the public;

spill response and cleanup, including industrial and environmental (e.g., oil spills, natural disasters, etc.); first responder, disaster site worker certification, and National Incident Management System (NIMS) training.

• Enhanced environmental health and safety training, such as promoting chemical (substance, mixture, or article) safety awareness and stewardship; safe work practices (including an overview of the content of material safety datasheets (MSDS), information on exposure guideline limits (Occupational Exposure Limits and Recommended Exposure Limits), information contained within the NIOSH pocket guide to chemical hazards, or the OSHA/EPA Occupational Chemical Database); chemical inventories; inspection and proper chemical storage; engineering controls, such as well-designed ventilation to promote air exchange; use of correct personal protective equipment, including respiratory protection, gloves, goggles, or coveralls; isolation of work areas; safe storage and handling of chemicals; promoting sanitation and hygiene; prevention of spills; universal hazard communication; green chemistry; medical waste handling and disposal; and training in an overview of any existing chemical-specific worker training and certification programs, including but not limited to: lead abatement; lead renovation, repair, and painting (RRP);

asbestos; diisocyanates (auto-refinishing and spray polyurethane foam); pesticide worker protection standards; PFCs; PBDEs/HBCD; and others.

• Integrated pest management (IPM) training for public housing and project-based rental assistance properties, including training in pesticide prevention and the safe application of pesticides.

• Alternative energy technologies, such as training in the installation of solar, wind, or geothermal power systems or alternative fuels (e.g., biofuels), including preparing sites for renewable energy installation.

I.C. Eligible Uses of Grant Funds

Grant funds must be for direct programmatic costs associated with implementing an EWDJT program. Examples of eligible uses of grant funds are listed below. Please note that this list is intended to be illustrative and applicants may apply for funding for other types of related environmental training consistent with the statutory authority for this RFP (see Section I.G.).

Applicants must indicate what training they propose to deliver in their training program description.

• Personnel costs for instructors to conduct training, fringe benefits, and/or personnel costs for tasks associated with programmatic reporting requirements.

• Costs for screening and placement of individuals in the training program.

• Costs for training materials and work gear associated with the training curriculum.

• Development and refinement of existing curricula for training.

• Implementing job development outreach activities directed toward engaging prospective employers to be involved in the job training program and to hire graduates.

• Training in the assessment, inventory, analysis, and remediation of sites or facilities at which hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, and petroleum products are located, transported, or disposed, including training for jobs in environmental sampling, demolition, underground storage tank removal, groundwater extraction, and site remediation associated with brownfields.

• Training participants in the use of techniques and methods for cleanup of hazardous substances, petroleum, and pollutants, such as asbestos abatement; lead abatement; lead renovation, repair, and painting (RRP); mold remediation; and cleaning up sites contaminated by the manufacturing of illegal drugs (e.g., methamphetamine labs), abandoned gas stations, or mine-scarred lands.

• Training in confined space entry.

• Training in first-aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and blood-borne pathogens.

• Training in chemistry, toxicology, and geology to the extent necessary to inventory, assess, remediate, and clean up contaminated sites.

• Training in the requirements and implementation of the All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) Final Rule, as required in CERCLA Section 101(35)(B), and due diligence.1

• Training in radiation safety and the cleanup of uranium mine tailings.

• Training in HAZMAT, commercial driver’s license (CDL), forklift, and machine operations associated with the transportation of hazardous waste.

• Training in Freon removal or the removal of hazardous substances from white goods.

• Training in weatherization; Building Performance Institute (BPI) training; energy efficiency retrofitting; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); and energy auditing.

• Training in the use of compost and soil amendments and associated sampling, testing, and design considerations, and management techniques to support the assessment and cleanup of sites for urban agriculture and horticulture.

• Training participants in planning and conducting ecological restoration of contaminated land, including general botanical classes or introductory horticultural classes related to land and stream restoration or indigenous species and native plant re-vegetation; landscaping;

and soil science.

• Training in adaptation or resiliency, including wildlife hazing.

1 Due diligence is the process for evaluating a property for the potential presence of environmental contamination, and for assessing potential liability for any contamination present at the property.

• Training in the various certifications of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

(LEED).

• Training in building trades related to constructing berms, caps, synthetic barriers, pumping facilities, and similar structures to remediate contamination.

• Training in national historic preservation and tribal historic preservation regulations associated with cleanup projects.

• Training in vapor intrusion testing and mitigation.

• Training in site surveying, mapping, blueprint reading, computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), and geographic information systems (GIS).

• On-the-job training insurance for trainees.

• Costs associated with health exams (e.g., pulmonary function tests), drug testing, or licensing fees directly related to the training and/or the placement of graduates in environmental work.

• Costs used to cover rental fees associated with training facilities or minor alteration of existing facilities. (Construction costs are not allowable.)

• Costs associated with eligible participant support costs, including transportation for trainees for site visits during training or to transport trainees to and from class.

I.D. Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

Examples of ineligible uses of grant funds are listed below. Please note that this list is intended to be illustrative and is not all inclusive. Grant funds may not be used for the following activities:

• Training in general construction skills and trades (e.g., carpentry, plumbing, electricity, etc.).

• Training in natural resource extraction or related processes, such as hydraulic fracturing, oil refinery, or mining operations.

• Conducting actual site assessments or cleanups, except within the context of on-the-job training.

• Conducting response activities often associated with cleanups (e.g., landscaping, demolition, and groundwater extraction), except within the context of on-the-job training assignments. Assessment, cleanup, and associated activity costs must be funded through other means.

• General or life skills education activities, such as remedial classes in math and reading;

job readiness training, such as developing resumes and acquiring interview skills; GED costs; website development; vehicle or medical insurance; or child care and daycare costs.

• Stipends for students, including on-the-job training costs, or scholarship funds to support students’ enrollment in college courses. As noted above, stipends for student transportation expenses are eligible.

• Membership fees, such as fees required to join placement service organizations or environmental organizations.

• Providing food or light refreshments to employees, instructors, and trainees - except at graduation ceremonies.

• Training that seeks to test a product or is intended to expand a business, including training that seeks to expand construction and demolition debris recycling businesses for example, or training that is intended to only serve staff of an existing business who are already employed with that business.

• Training in firefighting, including wildfire firefighting, unless the training is a component of environmental disaster response training.

• Costs that are unallowable (e.g., lobbying and alcoholic beverages) under Cost Principals 2 CFR 200 and 1500, as applicable.

• Matching any other federal funds (unless there is specific statutory authority for the match). None of the statutory authorities listed above provide this authority. Grant funds may be used to match state or local funds, if authorized by the relevant state statute or local ordinance.

• Construction or substantial rehabilitation of buildings or other facilities to house training.

• Foreign travel.

• Proposal preparation costs.

• Administrative costs, management fees, penalties, or fines. (Refer to Appendix 1:

Prohibitions on Use of Funds.)

See https://www.epa.gov/brownfields for additional information on ineligible grant activities.

I.E. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

EPA’s Strategic Plan is available at https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html. The activities to be funded under this announcement will be linked to EPA’s strategic plan consistent with EPAs current priorities for cleaning up contaminated sites and returning land back to communities. Applicants must explain in their proposal how their project will further these current priorities.

I.F. Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes

Pursuant to EPA Order 5700.7A1, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” https://www.epa.gov/brownfields https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf

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

EPA must report on the success of its Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program through measurable outputs and outcomes, such as the number of individuals recruited, trained, certified, and placed directly in environmental careers, as well as average hourly starting wage. Applicants must discuss in their proposals how funding will achieve environmental outputs and outcomes. Outputs specific to each project will be identified as deliverables in the work plan negotiated if the proposal is selected for award. Grantees will be expected to report progress toward the attainment of project outputs 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 product 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 may include but are not limited to:

Number of individuals recruited, trained, certified, and placed in environmental careers in communities impacted by solid and hazardous waste sites and facilities. Each grant award is anticipated to result in at least 50 individuals completing training, with a minimum job placement rate of 70%. These target numbers are approximations and will vary by grantee depending on the comprehensiveness of a curriculum and where the grantee is located (urban versus rural locations where a larger number of individuals may be more easily recruited than locations where recruitment may be more challenging as a result of smaller populations).

Number of classroom style trainings, practical trainings, and curricula modules.

Number of appropriate certifications in environmental sampling and site cleanup methods.

Number of certifications in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 40-hour HAZWOPER training.

2. Outcomes: The term “outcome” 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; must be qualitative or quantitative; and may not necessarily be achievable during the project period. EPA anticipates the outcomes from the projects awarded under this announcement may be an increase in the capacity of governmental entities and nonprofit organizations to:

Help residents of communities take advantage of jobs created by the assessment, cleanup, and management of solid and hazardous waste sites and facilities while addressing environmental justice concerns.

Provide training that leads to sustainable employment in the environmental field.

Improve community involvement and stimulate the development of constructive partnerships.

Reduce chemical exposures and improve the health of workers, occupants, and residents.

Improved knowledge—in acquisition and attainment—of pest and pesticide safety information.

Increase safety by improving pest and pesticide management.

Improve pest management and reduced pest complaints.

Foster self-sufficiency and enhance the skills and availability of labor for environmental remediation in environmental justice and other communities impacted by environmental contamination.

Enable residents to participate in the promotion of environmental health and occupational safety, both on the job and in their communities.

I.G. Supplementary Information

The statutory authorities for assistance agreements expected to be awarded by EPA under this announcement are listed below.

1. Section 104(k)(6) of CERCLA-State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) appropriations (hazardous substances and petroleum)

2. Section 311(b)(3) of CERCLA-Superfund appropriations

3. Section 104(b) of the Clean Water Act

4. Section 8001 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act-Environmental Programs and Management (EPM) appropriations

5. Section 10 of Toxic Substances Control Act-Environmental Programs and Management (EPM) appropriations

6. Section 20 of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act- Environmental

Programs and Management (EPM) appropriations

As required by 2 CFR § 200.113, non-federal entities or applicants for a Federal award must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity all violations of Federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the Federal award. Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR § 200.338, including suspension and debarment.

SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION

II.A. What is the Amount of Available Funding?

The total funding available under this competitive opportunity is approximately $3,000,000, subject to availability of funds, quality of proposals received, and other applicable considerations for FY18. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 15-16 environmental workforce development and job training cooperative agreements. Applicants may apply for up to $200,000 of EPA funds.

Of the total $3,000,000 available, the EPA estimates based on previous grant cycles that the following funding amounts will be available to support the various types of training either at the awareness or advanced level, with the majority of funding being used to support brownfields assessment, cleanup, and hazardous waste related training:

• Brownfields hazardous waste assessment and cleanup training, including petroleum cleanup training: $2,865,000

$25,000

of formerly contaminated sites for renewable energy purposes, etc.): $15,000

Please note that applicants are required to provide cost estimates for each training course identified in their proposed training curriculum. Applicants must also indicate what percentage of their total grant funds are being designated to support each training course. Based on the funding amounts listed above, EPA may only be able to fund a limited amount of advanced level courses in subject areas beyond brownfields hazardous waste training. Depending on the quality of proposals received and what level of training is proposed, EPA may be able to fund multiple proposals that seek to deliver awareness and/or intermediate level training in the categories listed above. Based on the limited amounts of funding to support certain types of training, the EPA may not be able to fund all training courses proposed by an applicant. Applicants should take this into consideration when they decide what types of training they will offer and at what level it will be delivered. Applicants will not have the ability to materially revise their proposals, substitute, or alter their training curricula if the proposal is selected for funding and certain types of training are unable to be funded.

EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this competition, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes 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, types of training, 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.

Awards may be fully or incrementally funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations.

II.B. What is the Project Period for Award(s) Resulting from this Solicitation?

The project period for Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants is three years. Training is anticipated to have concluded by the end of year two, with the third year of the award devoted to the placement of remaining graduates in employment and reporting accomplishments data to the EPA.

II.C. Substantial Involvement

The Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant will be awarded in the form of a cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements permit the EPA’s Project Officers 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:

procurements.

• Reviewing qualifications of key personnel. (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient).

• Reviewing and commenting on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement. (The final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient.)

• Reviewing outputs and outcomes to ensure substantial progress has been made in accordance with the cooperative agreement terms and conditions.

• Approval of project phases, such as curriculum development, prior to the implementation of training.

SECTION III – APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

III.A. Who Can Apply?

In accordance with CFDA 66.815, the following entities are eligible to apply for an Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant:

supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a general purpose unit of local government.

statutory at CERCLA §104(k)(1)). Intertribal Consortia 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 EPA Regional Job Training Coordinator listed)

• Alaskan Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation and the

Metlakatla Indian Community. (Alaskan Native Regional Corporation and Alaska Native Village Corporation as those terms are defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 and following).)

• Nonprofit organizations. For purposes of this 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; is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. Workforce Investment Boards and organized Labor Unions that meet these criteria may be eligible nonprofit organizations.

Public and nonprofit private educational institutions are eligible to apply. However, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply. For-profit or proprietary training organizations or trade schools are not eligible to apply.

III.B. Voluntary Cost Share/Leveraging

Matching funds are not required under this competition. Although cost-sharing or matching is not required as a condition of eligibility under this competition of this announcement, EPA will evaluate responses to the Leveraging criterion (Section IV.C.3.7.). Leveraging is when an applicant proposes to provide its own additional funds/resources or those from third party sources to support or complement the project they are awarded under the competition which are above and beyond the EPA grant funds awarded. Any leveraged funds/resources, and their source, must be identified in the proposal. Leveraged funds and resources may take various forms as noted below.

Voluntary cost share is a form of leveraging. Voluntary cost sharing is when an applicant voluntarily proposes to legally commit to provide costs or contributions to support the project when a cost share is not required. Applicants who propose to use a voluntary cost share must include the costs or contributions for the voluntary cost share in the project budget on the SF

424. If an applicant proposes a voluntary cost share, the following apply:

• A voluntary cost share is subject to the match provisions in the grant regulations (2 CFR 200.306, as applicable).

unless the statute authorizing the other federal funding provides that the federal funds may be used to meet a cost share requirement on a federal grant.

• The recipient is legally obligated to meet any proposed voluntary cost share that is included in the approved project budget. If the proposed voluntary cost share does not materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by 2 CFR 200.338.

Other leveraged funding/resources that are not identified as a voluntary cost share. This form of leveraging may be met by funding from another federal grant, from an applicant's own resources, or resources from other third party sources. This form of leveraging should be discussed in the proposal, but should not be included in the budget narrative or table. Costs covered by this form of leveraging need not be eligible and allowable project costs under the EPA cooperative agreement. While this form of leveraging should not be included in the budget, if selected, the grant work plan should include a statement indicating that the applicant is expected to produce the proposed leveraging consistent with the terms of the announcement and the applicant's proposal. If applicants propose to provide this form of leveraging, EPA expects them to make the effort to secure the leveraged resources described in their proposals. If the proposed leveraging does not materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by 2 CFR Parts 200 or 1500.

III.C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

This section contains the threshold eligibility criteria that ensure applicants are eligible to receive EWDJT grants. Threshold criteria are evaluated on a pass or fail basis. Only those proposals that specifically address and pass each of the eight threshold criteria listed below will be evaluated against the ranking criteria in Section V.A. of this announcement. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of failing threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

For purposes of the threshold eligibility review, EPA may seek clarification of applicant information. Applicants that simply fail to address a threshold criterion may not be provided an opportunity to respond or submit clarifying information so as not to provide an applicant an unfair competitive advantage or to provide the appearance of an unfair competitive advantage over applicants who submit complete proposals. The applicant’s responses to the threshold criteria must be included in the cover letter submitted to EPA or the proposal will be rejected.

Ineligible costs/activities: If a proposal is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the proposal will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the proposal, render the entire proposal ineligible for funding.

1. Applicant Eligibility Describe how you are an eligible applicant as described in Section III.A. For entities other than cities, counties, tribes, or states, please attach documentation of your eligibility, such as nonprofit status, resolutions, or statutes.

2. Demonstration that Proposed Project Does Not Duplicate Other Federally Funded Environmental Job Training Programs Demonstrate that the proposed training project does not duplicate other federally funded programs for environmental job training in your target community, including training provided through the EPA’s Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI); the EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants Program CFDA 66.604; and the EPA’s Surveys, Studies, Investigations, Training, and Special Purpose Activities Relating to Environmental Justice Grants Program CFDA 66.309. Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed training project does not duplicate National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Hazardous Waste Worker Training programs in their target community or Department of Labor (DOL) grant funds that include brownfields remediation, renewable energy, HVAC, or other energy-related training or wastewater treatment technology operator training. Federal agencies maintain lists of these grant programs at the following websites:

EPA: www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-job-training-initiative www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice

NIEHS: www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/about_wetp/ecwtp/index.cfm DOL: www.dol.gov/ocia/grants.htm

If you are listed on any of these websites as a recipient, you must demonstrate how services under this proposed project will complement, but not duplicate the existing federal environmental job training activities (i.e., different target audience, such as a different age group, differing types of certification training).

If you are not listed on the above websites, but are the recipient of other federally funded environmental or “green job” training programs serving your area or community(ies), you must similarly demonstrate how services under this proposed project will complement, but not duplicate, the existing federal environmental job training activities. These other programs may include funding provided by Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Energy (DOE), Health and Human Services (HHS), and other federal agencies. The EPA may also conduct internal screening to ensure demonstration of non-duplication and will coordinate duplication screening with federal partners.

If your proposed target community is not a recipient of any federally funded environmental or “green job” training programs, a statement to this effect must be included in the threshold criteria section of your cover letter.

3. Required HAZWOPER Training Your proposal must include OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training and be provided to all trainees in the proposed program. Proposals that do not include 40-hour HAZWOPER in their training curriculum will be rejected.

4. Federal Funds Requested/Funding Amount Proposals with project periods exceeding three (3) years or requesting more than $200,000 in federal funds for the entire project period will not be reviewed. Please indicate your requested funding amount and estimated project period.

5. Substantial Conformity with Instructions and Format Requirements Proposals must substantially conform to the proposal submission instructions and format requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected.

Pages in excess of stated page limitations will not be reviewed.

6. Training Curriculum Chart Indicating the Cost of Each Course As part of the proposal, applicants must submit a detailed training curriculum chart with associated costs for each training course as referenced in Section IV.C.3. Applicants must calculate and indicate what percentage of the grant budget will be allocated for each training course within this chart. The training curriculum chart with associated costs for each training course is not considered an attachment and must be included with responses https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-job-training-initiative https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-grants-and-resources https://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/about_wetp/ecwtp/index.cfm https://www.dol.gov/ocia/grants.htm to the ranking criteria as part of the narrative proposal. When addressing this threshold criterion on your cover letter, indicate on which page your training curriculum chart can be found.

7. Target Area and Proposal Submission Requirement Identify the target area (as defined in Section I.A.) you propose to serve, including the town or city, as well as the neighborhood(s). Applicants cannot propose to serve multiple metropolitan areas or target areas. However, the EPA will consider proposals that propose to serve large areas, especially in rural communities, which may include a number of towns or proposals that seek to serve sister-cities, for example.

Applicants can not submit multiple proposals under this solicitation. Applicants who submit more than one proposal will be contacted by EPA prior to proposal review to determine which one(s) will be withdrawn.

Please note that applicants who received an EWDJT Grant from EPA in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) are not eligible to apply under this competition. Grantees who received EWDJT funding in FY17 may not apply under this competition under any circumstance, even if the applicant proposes to serve a different city or target area. Applicants who received an EWDJT grant in, or before, Fiscal Year 2016, and who did not receive funding in FY17 as described above, are eligible to apply for funding under this competition.

8. Submission of Proposals Proposals must be submitted and successfully received through www.grants.gov by the deadline of December 15, 2017, 11:59 p.m. ET. Proposals submitted after the submission deadline of December 15, 2017, 11:59 p.m. ET 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 are responsible for ensuring their proposal is submitted and accepted by www.grants.gov by the deadline. Additional instructions for submitting your proposal can be found in Appendix 2. Applicants should confirm receipt of their proposal with Rachel Congdon at EPA at (202) 566-1564, or via email at congdon.rachel@epa.gov, as soon as possible after the submission deadline if the applicant has concerns regarding www.grants.gov submission —failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed.

SECTION IV – PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION

IV.A. How to Obtain an Application Package

Electronic copies of this RFP can be obtained at www.grants.gov or through the EPA’s Brownfields Program website at www.epa.gov/brownfields.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:congdon.rachel@epa.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/brownfields

IV.B. Due Date and Submission Instructions

Your organization’s Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through www.grants.gov. Proposals must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on December 15, 2017. Please allow enough time to successfully submit your application package and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

Proposals received after 11:59 p.m. ET December 15, 2017, will not be considered for funding.

In order to submit a proposal2 through www.grants.gov, you must:

1. Have an active DUNS number,

2. Have an active System for Award Management (SAM) account in www.sam.gov,

3. Be registered in www.grants.gov, and

4. Be designated as your organization’s AOR.

The registration process for all of the above items may take a month or more to complete.

Occasionally, technical and other issues arise when using www.grants.gov.

The electronic submission of your application must be made by the AOR of your institution who is registered with www.grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for federal assistance.

Refer to Appendix 2 for specific instructions on the use of www.grants.gov.

After signing and successfully submitting the application package, within 24 to 48 hours the AOR should receive notification emails from www.grants.gov with the following subject lines:

1. GRANT###### Grants.gov Submission Receipt

2. GRANT###### Grants.gov Submission Validation Receipt for Application

If the AOR did not receive either notification emails listed above, contact the www.grants.gov Help Desk at 1-800-518-4726. The Help Desk is open 24/7 (except federal holidays).

After the application package is retrieved out of the www.grants.gov system by EPA, the AOR should receive the following notification emails from www.grants.gov:

3. GRANT###### Grants.gov Grantor Agency Retrieval Receipt for Application

4. GRANT###### Grants.gov Agency Tracking Number Assignment for Application

In the event that you experience difficulties transmitting the proposal through www.grants.gov, please refer to the procedures in Appendix 2.

If you do not have the technical capability to apply electronically through www.grants.gov because of limited or no Internet access which prevents you from being able to upload the required application materials to www.grants.gov, please refer to the procedures in Appendix 2.

2 Note that the terms “proposal” and “application” mean the same thing for the purposes of this competition. The files that you submit through www.grants.gov as your proposal are what is known as an application package in www.grants.gov.

https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ http:Grants.gov http:Grants.gov http:www.grants.gov

IV.C. Content and Form of Proposal Submission

All pages exceeding the page limits described below will not be reviewed. Upon receipt, proposals will be reviewed for substantial conformity with the format requirements and page limits listed below, per the threshold eligibility criteria in Section III.C. All application materials, including support letters, must be submitted in English. Photos and graphics will not be considered. The narrative proposal and cover letter must be typed on 81/2 x 11 paper, be single-spaced, and should use Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri font, sized no smaller than 11 point, and have one (1)-inch margins. Attachments are limited to those identified below and are limited to one scanned image per page.