2019 SHC STAR RFA_8_16_2019_GCA_Edits (3).docx715 (3).docxbsb723 (2) CLEAN.pdf

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program

Contaminated Sites, Natural Disasters, Changing Environmental Conditions and Vulnerable Communities:

Research to Build Resilience

This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2019-STAR-E1

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509

Solicitation Opening Date: July 29, 2019 Solicitation Closing Date: September 30, 2019: 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time

Table of Contents

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Synopsis of Program Award Information Eligibility Information Application Materials Agency Contacts

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction

B. Background C. Authority and Regulations D. Specific Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes E. References F. Special Requirements

II. AWARD INFORMATION

**Please Note** The RFA closing date is extended to September 30, 2019.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing C. Other

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Grants.gov Submittal Requirements and Limited Exception Procedures B. Application Package Information C. Content and Form of Application Submission D. Submission Dates and Times E. Funding Restrictions F. Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Peer Review B. Relevancy Review C. Past Performance History Review D. Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS) Review E. Evaluation of the Scientific Data Management Plan F. Funding Decisions G. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notices B. Disputes C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Access Standard STAR Forms (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms) View research awarded under previous solicitations (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas)

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Synopsis of Program:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is asking the scientific community to propose transdisciplinary research with an approach that integrates the following research questions: (1) How may certain natural disasters (e.g., wildfires, severe storms, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or tsunamis) or changing environmental conditions (e.g., rising sea levels, higher average temperature or heat index) cause specific chemical contaminants to migrate from certain contaminated or containment sites (e.g., hazardous waste sites, landfills, solid waste or wastewater storage or treatment facilities, industrial sites such as mines or refineries) to nearby communities and pose elevated exposure risks to vulnerable groups, especially the elderly and/or children under the age of five years? (2) What are the major contributing factors or effect modifiers, in addition to the contaminants and natural disasters or changing environmental conditions, that may exacerbate the impacts to these vulnerable groups in impacted https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_eruption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_eruption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake communities? and (3) How can scientific research results specifically help communities build better resilience against the problems and issues identified above?

This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. Human subjects research supported by the EPA is governed by EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 (Protection of Human Subjects). This includes the Common Rule at subpart A and prohibitions and additional protections for pregnant women and fetuses, nursing women, and children at subparts B, C, and D. Research meeting the regulatory definition of intentional exposure research found in subpart B is prohibited by that subpart in pregnant women, nursing women, and children. Research meeting the regulatory definition of observational research found in subparts C and D is subject to the additional protections found in those subparts for pregnant women and fetuses (subpart C) and children (subpart D). All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS, as described in Section IV.C.7.c of this solicitation), and if the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.D and V.E of this solicitation.

Guidance and training for investigators conducting EPA-funded research involving human subjects may be obtained here:

https://www.epa.gov/osa/basic-information-about-human-subjects-research-0 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40cfr26_main_02.tpl

The STAR Program’s goal is to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. It is a competitive, peer-reviewed, extramural research program that provides access to the nation’s best scientists and engineers in academic and other nonprofit research institutions. STAR funds research on the environmental and public health effects of air quality, environmental changes, water quality and quantity, hazardous waste, toxic substances, and pesticides.

Award Information:

Anticipated Type of Award: Grant or cooperative agreement Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately five awards Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $4 million total for all awards Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $800,000, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 3 years. Cost-sharing is not required. Applications with budgets exceeding the total award limits will not be considered.

Eligibility Information:

Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, and hospitals located in the U.S., state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. See full announcement for more details.

Application Materials:

https://www.epa.gov/osa/basic-information-about-human-subjects-research-0 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40cfr26_main_02.tpl

To apply under this solicitation, use the application package available at Grants.gov (for further submission information see Section IV.F. “Submission Instructions and other Submission Requirements”). Note: With the exception of the current and pending support form (available at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms), all necessary forms are included in the electronic application package. Make sure to include the current and pending support form in your Grants.gov submission.

If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one month to complete the registration process. Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a unique entity identifier (e.g., ‘DUNS number’) and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. This registration, and electronic submission of your application, must be performed by an authorized representative of your organization.

If you do not have the technical capability to utilize the Grants.gov application submission process for this solicitation, see Section IV.A below for additional guidance and instructions.

Agency Contacts:

Technical Contact: Intaek Hahn; phone: 202-564-4377; email: hahn.intaek@epa.gov Eligibility Contact: Ron Josephson; phone: 202-564-7823; email: josephson.ron@epa.gov Electronic Submissions Contact: Debra M. Jones; phone: 202-564-7839; email:

jones.debram@epa.gov

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction

Under EPA’s overarching mission to protect human health and the environment, one of the major research priorities of the EPA’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC) National Research Program (https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-sustainable-and-healthy-communities-research-program) is to promote and build healthy and resilient communities (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/strap_2016_shc_508.pdf).

This research priority includes support for the Agency’s goal (https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/memorandum-epas-environmental-justice-and-community-revitalization-priorities) to protect vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, from the impacts of natural disasters (e.g., wildfires, severe storms, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or tsunamis) or changing environmental conditions (e.g., rising sea levels, higher average temperature or heat index), especially when these events result in contaminants migrating to communities from sites (e.g., hazardous waste sites, landfills, solid waste or wastewater storage or treatment facilities, industrial sites such as mines or refineries) that, under normal conditions, safely contain or manage them.

https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms mailto:hahn.intaek@epa.gov mailto:josephson.ron@epa.gov mailto:jones.debram@epa.gov https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-sustainable-and-healthy-communities-research-program https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-sustainable-and-healthy-communities-research-program https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/strap_2016_shc_508.pdf https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/memorandum-epas-environmental-justice-and-community-revitalization-priorities https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/memorandum-epas-environmental-justice-and-community-revitalization-priorities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado

The EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection (OCHP) has the primary goal to ensure that all EPA actions and programs address the unique vulnerabilities of children (https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-childrens-health-protection-ochp). EPA’s children’s health protection efforts are guided by Executive Order 13045, “Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks" (PDF). For example, children under the age of five years may be one of the most vulnerable and susceptible population groups, in biological, social, and behavioral contexts, to environmental contaminants and other stressors, including natural disasters (https://www.epa.gov/children, https://www.epa.gov/ace). Unlike school-age children, they tend to be less mobile, more dependent on others for survival, and explore their environment by placing dirt/soil/objects/hands into their mouths. What they are exposed to during early lifestages may be crucial determinants of their lifetime health (1, 2, 3, 4). EPA considers the risks to infants and children consistently and explicitly as part of risk assessments generated during its decision-making process, including the setting of standards to protect public health and the environment (https://www.epa.gov/children/epas-policy-evaluating-risk-children).

When communities aim to build their overall resilience against elevated contaminant exposure due to natural disasters or changing environmental conditions, one of the most important factors to consider is protecting the health and well-being of their most vulnerable residents, specifically for this solicitation, children under the age of five years and/or the elderly, especially those who are infirmed and less amenable to evacuation or relocation. The life stages are very different between young children and the elderly resulting in different outcomes of exposure to contaminants that have been released into the environment from a natural disaster or changing environmental conditions. The goal of this research is to understand how communities can be resilient to natural disasters or changing environmental conditions to protect the health and well-being of the community’s most vulnerable groups – young children and/or the elderly.

There are different definitions of “community resilience” (5, 6, 7, 8, 9), but the core emphasis remains improving public health and well-being in a community by protecting at-risk or vulnerable groups. EPA’s SHC National Research Program uses the following definition for “resilience.” Resilience is the capacity of a social-ecological system to cope with a hazardous event or disturbance, responding or reorganizing in ways that maintain its essential function, identity, and structure, while also maintaining the capacity for adaptation, learning and transformation.

Natural disasters or changing environmental conditions potentially pose increased risks for contaminant releases that could migrate to nearby communities from contaminated sites or containment facilities (10, 11, 12). While many scientific research efforts have addressed potential impacts of natural disasters or changing environmental conditions on vulnerable groups, contaminated sites or community resilience against natural disasters (5, 13, 14, 15), few research efforts have investigated these problems in integrated ways under one environmental research framework. This integrated framework is needed to fill research gaps for holistic scientific problem identification, understanding and solutions (16, 17, 18, 19) that will lead to comprehensive, system-based, community-level strategies to build resilience. Community resilience may include prevention, risk-reduction, intervention, health-promotion or best https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-childrens-health-protection-ochp http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1997-04-23/pdf/97-10695.pdf http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1997-04-23/pdf/97-10695.pdf https://www.epa.gov/children https://www.epa.gov/ace https://www.epa.gov/children/epas-policy-evaluating-risk-children practices to protect the health and well-being of children under the age of five years as well as the health of the elderly.

To the extent possible, the research results or findings should produce innovative yet practical outputs that are applicable or generalizable to other communities across the nation. All research projects will be required to include a Community Engagement Research (CEnR) Plan to work on community-engaged problem identification (such as community-led assets and vulnerabilities mapping), translation, and community-driven solutions to bring about desired outcomes. The description of the CEnR Plan is provided in Section I.D and IV.C.7.e.

EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the Nation faces. At the same time, EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.

For purposes of this solicitation, the following are considered MSIs:

1. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1061). A list of these schools can be found at Historically Black Colleges and Universities;

2. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059c(b)(3) and (d)(1)). A list of these schools can be found at American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities;

3. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1101a(a)(5)). A list of these schools can be found at Hispanic-Serving Institutions;

4. Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; (AANAPISIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059g(a)(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; and

5. Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act of 2008, 20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6). A list of these schools can be found at Predominately Black Institutions.

B. Background

Of the many vulnerable human population groups, children from birth to the age of five years are of concern because of their unique biological, social and behavioral vulnerabilities, susceptibilities and potential life-long health impacts (1, 2, 3, 4). This concern may be multiplied when they are born and grow up in a community near a contaminated or containment site (20, 21, 22, 23) since natural disasters or changing environmental conditions may result in transport and spread of contaminants to the immediate surrounding media (such as air, water, soil, dust, https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/hsi-eligibles-2016.pdf https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XVkOWKMDORm53pvU0L8EPsrJC94&msa=0&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=3&source=embed&ll=40.58644586187277%2C-148.28228249999984 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wlIi3j7gtlNq_w-0NKAb2bF2VmY&ie=UTF&msa=0&ll=37.35160769312532%2C-96.17229800000001&z=4 surfaces) to which the children may be exposed (24, 25). The other vulnerable group of concern is the elderly, especially since they may not be as agile or resilient to natural disasters or changing environmental conditions as other population groups. Research is needed to identify and characterize such vulnerable sites or facilities (e.g., hazardous waste sites, landfills, solid waste or wastewater storage or treatment facilities, industrial sites such as mines or refineries).

A comprehensive scientific investigation of the factors that make the sites or facilities particularly vulnerable to certain natural disasters or changing environmental conditions is needed. In addition, many of the communities within close proximity to a contaminated site or containment facility tend to have disproportionately high socioeconomic burdens and other stressors (26). Consequently, cumulative potential adverse impacts on the most vulnerable residents could be greatly exacerbated. Additional research is also needed to identify the major modifying factors or conditions that would adversely affect the health of vulnerable groups in these communities.

There have been many efforts addressing these research needs, but there still is a need to investigate these environmental concerns (natural disasters/changing environmental conditions, contaminated/containment sites and contaminant exposure risks to children and/or the elderly) in a holistic and integrated way. The proposed research should equip communities to be effectively prepared against potential exposure to contamination resulting from natural disasters or changing environmental conditions, in the context of reducing or eliminating potential threats to the health and well-being of young children and/or the elderly. Such scientific information is essential to minimize adverse effects to human health by making sound decisions about the post-event recovery, restoration and revitalization processes, hence achieving overall community-level resilience. It is important, therefore, for researchers to engage communities in identifying problems, translating scientific research results into practical information and developing community-driven solutions. For example, research results can inform local and state governments, community leaders, emergency responders and managers of contaminated sites in developing solutions.

EPA is asking the scientific community to propose transdisciplinary research with an approach that integrates the following research questions: (1) How may certain natural disasters (e.g., wildfires, severe storms, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or tsunamis) or changing environmental conditions (e.g., rising sea levels, higher average temperature or heat index) cause specific chemical contaminants to migrate from certain contaminated or containment sites (e.g., hazardous waste sites, landfills, solid waste or wastewater storage or treatment facilities, industrial sites such as mines or refineries) to nearby communities and pose elevated exposure risks to vulnerable groups, especially the elderly and/or children under the age of five years? (2) What are the major contributing factors or effect modifiers, in addition to the contaminants and natural disasters or changing environmental conditions, that may exacerbate the impacts to these vulnerable groups in impacted communities? and (3) How can scientific research results specifically help communities build better resilience against the problems and issues identified above?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado

In addressing these questions within an integrated research framework, researchers must identify and select an existing containment or contaminated site(s) and provide credible and reasonable rationale(s) for why the site(s) may likely be adversely impacted by certain natural disasters or changing environmental conditions resulting in the migration of contaminants to nearby communities. The proposed research project should also identify specific contaminants in certain environmental media that will pose elevated exposure risks to young children and/or the elderly as a result of a natural disaster or changing environmental conditions. Researchers are encouraged to refer to the “total environment” concept (https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.rfatext/rfa_id/630) (2, 27) that examines chemical and non-chemical stressors (e.g., social determinants of health such as nutrition, social conditions, stress, socioeconomic status and cultural factors) that may govern the susceptibilities of vulnerable groups in the selected community. Non-chemical stressors cannot be considered alone, but applicants are required to include them as secondary or modifying variables to the primary contaminant(s)/chemical stressor(s). Researchers may also refer to the “vulnerability categories or themes” (28) (for example, https://www.globalchange.gov/sites/globalchange/files/Vulnerability%20- %20SSCC%20workshop%20Part%201%204-9-2018.pdf) or may consider using an environmental justice (EJ) screening and mapping tool (e.g. USEPA EJSCREEN, CalEnviroScreen (California), Potential Environmental Justice Areas (New York), Environmental Justice Viewer (Massachusetts), EJ Start (Illinois), Environmental Justice Communities (Connecticut), EJ Mapper (New Mexico), eMap (Pennsylvania), Understanding Environmental Justice in Minnesota (Minnesota), Washington Tracking Network (Washington), or https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/EJ/GIS-examples.pdf (North Carolina)) and EJ indicators to prioritize community-specific non-chemical stressors or environmental variables when conducting community-engaged vulnerability assessments or mapping.

Researchers may also refer to or consider using various scientific reports, guidances or tools regarding vulnerability, sustainability or resilience. Some examples are EPA’s EnviroAtlas for mapping community assets and vulnerabilities https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas; EPA’s Community Health Vulnerability Index (CHVI) https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017- 07/documents/community_health_vulnerability_index.pdf; EPA’s Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool (C-FERST) https://www.epa.gov/c-ferst;

EPA’s Superfund Climate Resilience: Vulnerability Assessment, https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-climate-resilience-vulnerability-assessment;

Framework for Sustainability Indicators at EPA, https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-10/documents/framework-for-sustainability-indicators-at-epa.pdf; EPA Drinking Water and Wastewater Resilience, https://www.epa.gov/waterresilience; and the Inventory of EPA’s Tools for Enhancing Community Resilience to Disasters, An Inventory of EPA's Tools for Enhancing Community Resilience to Disasters.

C. Authority and Regulations https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.rfatext/rfa_id/630 https://www.globalchange.gov/sites/globalchange/files/Vulnerability%20-%20SSCC%20workshop%20Part%201%204-9-2018.pdf https://www.globalchange.gov/sites/globalchange/files/Vulnerability%20-%20SSCC%20workshop%20Part%201%204-9-2018.pdf https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/report/calenviroscreen-30 https://www.dec.ny.gov/public/911.html http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/map_ol/ej.php http://illinois-epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=f154845da68a4a3f837cd3b880b0233c https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2688&q=322378&deepNav_GID=1511 https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2688&q=322378&deepNav_GID=1511 https://gis.web.env.nm.gov/oem/?map=egis https://www.dep.pa.gov/PublicParticipation/OfficeofEnvironmentalJustice/Pages/PA-Environmental-Justice-Areas.aspx http://mpca.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=f5bf57c8dac24404b7f8ef1717f57d00 http://mpca.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=f5bf57c8dac24404b7f8ef1717f57d00 https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/wtn/WTNIBL/ https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/EJ/GIS-examples.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-07/documents/community_health_vulnerability_index.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-07/documents/community_health_vulnerability_index.pdf https://www.epa.gov/c-ferst https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-climate-resilience-vulnerability-assessment https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-10/documents/framework-for-sustainability-indicators-at-epa.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-10/documents/framework-for-sustainability-indicators-at-epa.pdf https://www.epa.gov/waterresilience https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_file_download.cfm?p_download_id=528735&Lab=NHSRC

The authority for this Request for Applications (RFA) and resulting awards is contained in the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1, Section 1442; the Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2609, Section 10; the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, 7 U.S.C. 136r, Section 20; the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7403, Section 103(b)(3); the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1254, Section 104(b)(3); and the Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6981, Section 8001.

For research with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2)(F).

Note that a project’s focus is to consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA’s financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control or pesticide control depending on which statute(s) is listed above. Further note applications dealing with any aspect of or related to hydraulic fracking will not be funded by EPA through this program.

Additional applicable regulations include: 2 CFR Part 200, 2 CFR Part 1500, and 40 CFR Part 40 (Research and Demonstration Grants).

D. Specific Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes Note to applicant: The term “output” means 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. The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective.

The activities to be funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan (https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html). Activities to be funded under this announcement support Goal 3: Rule of Law and Process, Objective 3.3: Prioritize Robust Science, of EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan. Awards made under this announcement will further EPA’s priorities supporting robust science for Sustainable and Healthy Communities.

All applications must be for projects that support the goal and objective identified above.

EPA also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements, https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements). Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the priorities described above.

The proposed project should be as responsive as possible to the task of addressing and integrating all three research questions below into one comprehensive and holistic environmental health research project. Applications that integrate a diverse field of disciplines (social science, https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements economics, public health, epidemiology, engineering, environmental science, biology, statistics, toxicology, chemistry, etc.) to address the complexity of the research problem are strongly encouraged. Note that non-chemical stressors (e.g., social determinants of health such as nutrition, social conditions, stress, socioeconomic status and cultural factors) cannot be considered alone, but applicants are required to include them as secondary or modifying variables to the contaminant(s)/chemical stressor(s). Applications that do not address all three research questions identified below and that do not present the proposed research in a clearly integrated framework will not be evaluated as favorably as those that do. Applicants can choose to address both vulnerable groups (children under the age of 5 years and the elderly) or solely focus their research on either children under the age of 5 years or the elderly. Applications that address both vulnerable groups (i.e., children under the age of 5 years and the elderly) will not necessarily be rated more highly than those that only focus on one of the vulnerable groups. The examples listed below under each research question are for applicants to consider in shaping their research project. Applicants are not required to include all of the examples or to limit their research scope to these examples.

Research Questions:

(1) How may certain natural disasters (e.g., wildfires, severe storms, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or tsunamis) or changing environmental conditions (e.g., rising sea levels, higher average temperature or heat index) cause specific chemical contaminants to migrate from certain contaminated or containment sites (e.g., hazardous waste sites, landfills, solid waste or wastewater storage or treatment facilities, industrial sites such as mines or refineries) to nearby communities and pose elevated exposure risks to vulnerable groups, especially the elderly and/or children under the age of five years?

Researchers should address all three components (natural disasters or changing environmental conditions, contaminated/containment sites and contaminant exposure risks to young children and/or the elderly) in their proposed research. Some examples to consider under this research question include:

• Identify and characterize an existing contaminated or containment site(s) that may be particularly vulnerable to certain type(s) of natural disasters or changing environmental conditions.

• The selected natural disaster or changing environmental condition should be scientifically corroborated to be a probable event/condition to the region or community being addressed.

• Explain what makes the site(s) vulnerable. Be specific in identifying and describing all major relevant environmental and other factors and conditions. Use relevant “big data” to support your vulnerability assessment (https://blog.epa.gov/2016/10/21/filling-the-gaps-in-environmental-science-with-big-data/).

• Describe the specific contaminant(s) and the media and exposure routes that threaten the health and well-being of vulnerable groups as they relate to contaminant(s) migration. If focusing on children, describe how these threats may change at varying lifestages throughout the first five years of childhood.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_eruption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake https://blog.epa.gov/2016/10/21/filling-the-gaps-in-environmental-science-with-big-data/ https://blog.epa.gov/2016/10/21/filling-the-gaps-in-environmental-science-with-big-data/

• Identify and analyze any local or community public health or environmental health data available to establish the scientific link(s) between natural disasters or changing environmental conditions and elevated threats to vulnerable group’s exposures to contaminants.

(2) What are the major community-specific contributing factors or effect modifiers, in addition to the contaminants and natural disasters or changing environmental conditions, that may exacerbate the impacts to these vulnerable groups in impacted communities? Some examples to consider under this research question include:

• Identify and characterize major community-specific non-chemical stressors of importance in the selected community, other than the fact that the community is located near a containment or contaminated site(s).

• Explain how the identified community-specific non-chemical stressors or environmental variables would exacerbate or further elevate the threats to vulnerable groups in the event of contaminant migration under natural disasters or changing environmental conditions.

• Rank and explain the contributing factors or effect modifiers in order of significance to the health protection of the vulnerable group(s).

(3) How can scientific research results specifically help communities build better resilience against the problems and issues identified above? Some examples to consider under this research question include:

• System-based, community-level strategies or solutions to build resilience may include prevention, risk-reduction, intervention, health-promotion or best practices to protect the health and well-being of vulnerable groups.

• Identify and explain the roles of the important ecosystem goods and services, social-ecological-cultural-institutional systems, resources, facilities, infrastructures, programs or policies in building community-level resilience for health protection. For example, researchers are encouraged to combine physical infrastructure-centered (built environment) approaches with natural-capital (ecological) and social-capital approaches (i.e., total environmental framework) in building community resilience against potential threats to its most vulnerable groups (27, 29, 30, 31, 32).

• Describe how vulnerability or resilience indicators, solutions or strategies for the community can be generalized to be applicable to broad scenarios or situations in different communities across the nation.

• Present scientific method(s) (quantitative or qualitative) to assess or verify the effectiveness of proposed solutions or anticipated health benefits.

Community Engagement Research (CEnR) Plan Researchers are required to involve communities or community-based organizations in the formulation of research objectives and in clarifying their real-world exposures and/or health effects. For the purpose of this announcement, a “community-based organization” generally means a nongovernmental organization that has demonstrated effectiveness as a representative of a community or a significant segment of a community and that helps members of that community obtain environmental, educational, or other social services. A community-based organization must be a nonprofit or not for profit corporation in good standing under state or tribal law with authority to enter into binding legal agreements. The community-based organization need not be tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Code but may use documentation of tax exempt status to demonstrate that it is a nonprofit. Applicants may utilize a Community Engagement Research (CEnR) framework, defined as a collaborative process of research involving researchers and community representatives, in order to meet this requirement.

The CEnR process of scientific inquiry requires that community members or other key community stakeholders be included in the identification of research problems and objectives, and in the formulation of community-driven solutions. Although a range of levels of community involvement can be considered CEnR, CEnR is characterized by substantial community input and involvement in the project. The applicant will need to justify the level of community involvement that is proposed in the application. While not required, each applicant is encouraged to form a CEnR framework to meet the requirement for community involvement in the project that may include relevant community leaders and/or a committee or an advisory group, such as Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU; https://www.pehsu.net/). The CEnR Plan should:

• Focus on research issues of significance to a community that is interested in the proposed work.

• Identify the role of community members in the proposed research plan (i.e., the degree of community input or engagement in the conceptualization, design, methods, analyses and dissemination of research).

• Describe how this research will enhance the capacity of the community, pertaining to building resilience against natural disasters/changing environmental conditions, contaminant migration and protecting vulnerable groups.

• Allocate appropriate resources to the research partners to ensure success of the collaboration, e.g., delineating funds under the project’s budget for community participation.

• If a host organization (any organization/institution other than the applicant) is used to facilitate community participation or partnerships, evaluate the organization’s mission and practices concerning community partnerships (e.g., how the staff has or can develop skills to sustain community participation).

• Provide evidence of community support and an active partnership with a community engagement research committee, a community-based organization or advisory group members (e.g., letter(s) of intent or support from community leaders, state or local government agencies, non-government organizations, public health professionals, community emergency planners or responders, social workers, child serving organizations, assisted living and nursing homes, utility managers, site managers or operators, decision makers or policy planners). See Section IV.C.11.a.

Expected Outputs: Researchers are strongly encouraged to translate their research findings into appropriate information for affected communities, public health professionals, remediation, restoration and revitalization professionals, decision makers and the public with the goals of https://www.pehsu.net/ improving community resilience in the context of the health and well-being of vulnerable groups.

Expected outputs include: detailed, scientifically verified and practical technical documents, publications, methods, processes or procedures, models, tools, translated information, guidelines, standard operating procedures (SOP) and communication or education materials, that will effectively assist and guide professionals and community members involved in all phases and processes involved in protecting vulnerable groups from exposure to contaminants resulting from the occurrence of natural disasters or changing environmental conditions. The methods, techniques, processes or practices developed must clearly demonstrate how they will ultimately contribute to improving the health and well-being of young children and/or the elderly in vulnerable communities by, for example, meaningfully reducing or mitigating vulnerabilities or threats that will cause harmful health effects. For specific examples of useful outputs, researchers may refer to the EPA SHC Strategic Research Action Plan, https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/strap_2016_shc_508.pdf or the Inventory of EPA’s Tools for Enhancing Community Resilience to Disasters, An Inventory of EPA's Tools for Enhancing Community Resilience to Disasters.

Expected Outcomes: The most significant outcome EPA anticipates from research supported by this RFA is an increase in the ability and capacity to protect vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly, and communities from the impacts of natural disasters or changing environmental conditions, especially when these events might result in toxic contaminants migrating from contaminated/containment sites or facilities to nearby communities. The desirable outcome is increased community-level resilience against contamination brought on by natural disaster(s) or changing environmental condition(s). The increased resilience includes, but is not limited to, meaningful reductions in risks or threats to children’s health from exposure to contaminants resulting from the occurrence of natural disasters or changing environmental conditions, enhanced social-ecological capacities to withstand and recover from the impacts of such events and public health promotion or intervention that may help enhance adaptation to new environments or minimize sustained damages from changed environments. This research will also improve the scientific foundation for environmental policy and decision-making in communities near containment or contaminated sites that are affected by natural disasters or changing environmental conditions.

To the extent practicable, research applications must embody innovation and sustainability.

Innovation for the purposes of this RFA is defined as the process of making changes; a new method, custom or device. Innovative research can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses. Research applications must include a discussion on how the proposed research is innovative (see Section IV.C.7.a). The goal of sustainability, derived from the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), is to “create and maintain conditions, under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.” Research applications must include a discussion on how the proposed research will seek sustainable solutions that protect the environment and strengthen our communities (see Section IV.C.7.a). Reviewers will draw from all of the above-mentioned innovation and sustainability definitions in the review/evaluation process of research applications (see Section V.A).

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/strap_2016_shc_508.pdf

E. References

1. U.S. EPA. Children's Environmental Health Research Roadmap. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC. (2015).

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-11/documents/researchroadmap_ceh_508.pdf

2. Tulve, N. S., Ruiz, J. D. C., Lichtveld, K., Darney, S. P., & Quackenboss, J. J. Development of a Conceptual Framework Depicting a Child's Total (Built, Natural, Social) Environment in Oder to Optimize Health and Well-Being. Journal of Environment and Health Science, 2 (2): 1-8 (2016).

3. Cohen Hubal, E. A., de Wet, T., Du Toit, L., Firestone, M. P., Ruchirawat, M., van Engelen, J., & Vickers, C. Identifying important life stages for monitoring and assessing risks from exposures to environmental contaminants: Results of a World Health Organization review. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 69 (1): 113-124. (2014).

4. Janet Currie, Joshua Graff Zivin, Jamie Mullins, and Matthew Neidell, What Do We Know About Short- and Long-Term Effects of Early-Life Exposure to Pollution? Annu. Rev. Resour.

Econ. 6:217–47 (2014).

5. Rand, Building Community Resilience to Disasters - A Way Forward to Enhance National Health Security; Technical Report, (2011).

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2011/RAND_TR915.pdf

6. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response, At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health & Community Resilience (ABC), (2015).

7. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Resilient America Roundtable, In Symposium on Moving Forward: Pathways to Building Community Resilience, (2018).

8. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Building and Measuring Community Resilience: Actions for Communities and the Gulf Research Program, ISBN 978-0-

309-48972-0 | DOI 10.17226/25383 (2019).

9. U.S. EPA. Environmental Resilience: Exploring Scientific Concepts for Strengthening Community Resilience to Disasters. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-15/163. (2015) https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?Lab=NHSRC&dirEntryId=310052

10. U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, Sustainable and Healthy Communities Strategic Research Action Plan 2016-2019. (2016).

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-11/documents/researchroadmap_ceh_508.pdf https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2011/RAND_TR915.pdf https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?Lab=NHSRC&dirEntryId=310052

11. Rowena Fletcher-Wood, Contaminated land and extreme weather conditions: In Meeting report ECG Bulletin, Science Oxford, (2016).

12. U.K. Climate Change Risk Assessment, Government Report, United Kingdom. (2012).

13. Disasters and communities: Vulnerability, resilience and preparedness; Disaster Prevention and Management · January 2001 DOI: 10.1108/EUM0000000005930;

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Douglas_Paton/publication/249359249_Disasters_and_com munities_Vulnerability_resilience_and_preparedness/links/0deec53b1cf0fca448000000.pdf

14. Paton, D. and Johnston, D.M., Fostering resilience to extreme events within infrastructure systems: Characterizing decision contexts for mitigation and adaptation; Global Environmental Change 18:310– 318. (2008).

15. W. Neil Adger, Terry P. Hughes, Carl Folke, Stephen R. Carpenter, Johan Rockstrom, Social-Ecological Resilience to Coastal Disasters, Science 309:1036-1039. (2005). DOI:

10.1126/science.1112122.

16. Thomas A. Burke, Wayne E. Cascio, Daniel L. Costa, Kacee Deener, Thomas D. Fontaine, Florence A. Fulk, Laura E. Jackson, Wayne R. Munns, Jr., Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, Michael W.

Slimak, and Valerie G. Zartarian, Rethinking Environmental Protection: Meeting the Challenges of a Changing World, Environmental Health Perspectives, Brief Communication, Vol 125, Issue 3: 43-49 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1465

17. Fikret Berkes and Helen Ross, Community Resilience: Toward an Integrated Approach, Society & Natural Resources, An International Journal; Vol 26, Issue 1:5-20. (2013).

18. Olga V Wilhelmi and Mary H Hayden, Connecting people and place: a new framework for reducing urban vulnerability to extreme heat, Environ. Res. Lett. 5 014021:1-7. (2010).

19. J.K. Summers, L.M. Smith, L.C. Harwell, K.D. Buck, Conceptualizing holistic community resilience to climate events: Foundation for a climate resilience screening index, GeoHealth, 1:151–164, doi:10.1002/2016GH000047. (2017).

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2016GH000047

20. Martine Vrijheid, Health Effects of Residence Near Hazardous Waste Landfill Sites: A Review of Epidemiologic Literature, Environ Health Perspect 108 (suppl1):101-112 (2000).

21. Janet Currie, Michael Greenstone, and Enrico Moretti, Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health, Am Econ Rev. 101(3): 435–441. doi:10.1257/aer.101.3.435. (2011).

22. Christopher Timmins, Measuring the Value of Cleanup at Federal Facility National Priorities List Sites, Report, Department of Economics Duke University, (2017).

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