21-03.pdf

i

OVERVIEW

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE: FY22 BROWNFIELDS JOB TRAINING GRANTS

ACTION: Request for Applications (RFA)

RFA NO: EPA-OLEM-OBLR-21-03

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

DATES: The closing date and time for receipt of applications is OCTOBER 5, 2021, 11:59 p.m.

ET. Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov. Applications received after 11:59 p.m. ET on OCTOBER 5, 2021, will not be considered. Please refer to the Due Date and Submission Instructions in Section IV.B. and Appendix 2 for further instructions.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to deliver Brownfields 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.

While Brownfields Job Training Grants require training in brownfield assessment and/or cleanup activities, 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.

COVID-19 Update: EPA is providing flexibilities to applicants experiencing challenges related to COVID-19. Please see the Flexibilities Available to Organizations Impacted by COVID-19 clause in Section IV of EPA’s Solicitation Clauses at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses and the instructions outlined in Section IV.B. of this announcement.

Entities that were awarded an FY21 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant (EPA-OLEM-OBLR-20-03) may not apply for a FY22 Brownfields Job Training Grant under this solicitation.

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.

EPA urges applicants to review the Frequently Asked Questions, which can be found at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training ii

NOTE: In addition, prior to naming a contractor or subrecipient in your application, please carefully review the “Contracts and Subawards” solicitation clause which can be found by following the link in Section VI.F of these guidelines.

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total funding available under this competitive opportunity for FY 22 is approximately $3,000,000, subject to availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 15 Brownfields Job Training grants at amounts up to $200,000 per award. Please note, applicants cannot submit multiple applications under this solicitation.

iii

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 & THRESHOLD CRITERIA 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. Plans for Delivering Trainings

8. Target Area

9. Previous Funding Requirement

SECTION IV – APPLICATION SUBMISSION INFORMATION page 15

IV.A. How to Obtain an Application Package IV.B. Due Date and Submission Instructions IV.C. Content and Form of Application Submission IV.D. Narrative Information Sheet IV.E. Narrative

1.Community Need 2.Training Program Description

3. Budget

4. Program Structure, Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes 5.Community and Employer Partnerships

6. Leveraging 7.Programmatic Capability

IV.F. Attachments IV.G. Confidential Business Information iv

IV.H. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

SECTION V – APPLICATION 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 34 VI.A. Award Notices VI.B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements VI.C. Reporting Requirements VI.D. Programmatic Requirements VI.E. Disputes VI.F. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

SECTION VII – AGENCY CONTACTS page 37

APPENDIX 1 – Prohibitions on Use of Funds page 39

APPENDIX 2 – Grants.gov Application Submission Instructions page 41

APPENDIX 3 – Other Factors Checklist Form page 45

SECTION I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

This funding opportunity is made available through EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR). Through the Brownfields Job Training Program, graduates develop 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, and chemical safety.

I.A. Description of Grant

A critical part of EPA’s Brownfields Job Training 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, Brownfields Job Training Grants provide funding to train unemployed and under-employed residents of communities impacted by a variety of waste facilities, blighted properties, and contaminated sites. Training programs funded by the Brownfields Job Training Grant provide program graduates with the opportunity to seek and obtain environmental jobs that contractors may otherwise fill from outside the affected community.

Brownfields Job Training Grants help residents take advantage of jobs across a spectrum of brownfield related activities, including the assessment, cleanup, remediation, and planning/site preparation for the revitalization of brownfields. This can involve the assessment and cleanup of solid and hazardous waste; chemical risk management; stormwater management relating to site cleanup; planning/site preparation for low impact development activities; planning/site preparation for green infrastructure installation and maintenance; and vulnerability assessment and contamination mitigation planning. Applications for grants under the Brownfields Job Training program may be reviewed more favorably under the Section V evaluation criteria if they target unemployed individuals, dislocated workers, individuals laid off as a result of recent manufacturing plant closures, and severely under-employed or unemployed individuals.

Applications may also be reviewed more favorably under the criteria if they target low-income and minority residents of environmentally impacted communities, veterans, and individuals with little to no advanced education. Applicants must identify the target area that they intend to serve.

A target area can be any area (e.g., county, city, neighborhood, watershed, etc.) that is impacted by the presence of one or more brownfield sites. EPA will consider applications that propose to serve large geographical areas, especially rural communities that include a number of towns, as well as applicants able to serve sister-cities (partnership between U.S. cities).

As part of the training program description section of an application, and as discussed in Section IV.E, applicants must include two separate plans with their application: 1. how you propose to deliver trainings in person under normal circumstances and 2. how you propose to deliver the Brownfields job trainings if in-person training (as proposed under plan 1) is not possible due to impacts related to COVID-19 (e.g., under quarantine situations, if social distancing is required in your locale). Plan 2 training may include implementing training techniques such as switching class format to online only or reducing the number of students in each cohort to allow students to be located six feet apart from each other. Note: THESE PLANS ARE IN ADDITION TO THE TRAINING PROGRAM TABLE described in Section IV.E. Both training plans should include information such as: how you will structure your training program, what classroom format(s) you propose to use (e.g., reducing class sizes, switching to online format such as Zoom, Skype, another online format); how students will have access to the classroom format; how long you are proposing to use the classroom format(s) (e.g., the entire duration of the cohort, or only a brief time until in-person meetings can resume again); and what advisories you will be following regarding opening/closings of in-person meetings (e.g., state, county or city government advisories, university/college established procedures, etc.) If both of your plans contain similar items or one plan can be used for both situations, you must still provide a separate description of each plan outlining how the trainings will be held under both a COVID-19 situation and a non-pandemic situation. For example, if during normal times the proposed class size is 8, and during a social distancing period the class size also will be 8, you must still provide two separate plans, even though they contain the same information. A statement that one plan (or the same plan) will apply to both normal times and under social distancing will NOT be accepted.

Applicants will be evaluated, as described in Section V, on the extent to which they partner with and secure hiring commitments from local contractors and other stakeholders where EPA-funded projects are located. Such projects may include brownfields assessment, cleanup and redevelopment, solid and hazardous waste management, or the remediation of oil spills located on brownfield or Superfund cleanup sites. Applicants should make efforts to link graduates of Brownfields Job Training 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 352 job training grants totaling approximately $75 million through the Brownfields Job Training Program, previously known as the Environmental Workforce Job Development Training Program. As of June 2021, approximately 18,780 individuals have completed training, and over 13,900 of those graduates obtained employment in the environmental field, earning average starting wages of over $14 per hour. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of approximately 74% since the program was created in 1998.

I.B. Use of Grant Funds

In addition to brownfields assessment and cleanup training, as well as training in the areas of community involvement and site preparation for sustainability and equitable reuse and development, applicants may choose to deliver a variety of other environmental training activities as listed below. Applicants may tailor curricula to the labor market needs of their targeted community as long as it matches eligible uses. The only required training is OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 40-hour HAZWOPER. Beyond this, the applicant can design a curriculum of eligible courses that meets the training needs identified by a local labor market assessment and/or employer survey.

• Training in “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.

• Training in stormwater management; green infrastructure installation, management, and maintenance; or low impact development (LID) training for the purpose of preparing a brownfield site for sustainable reuse.

• Emergency planning, preparedness, and response training for emergencies leading to contamination on brownfields sites, such as 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; Disaster Recovery.

• Enhanced environmental health and safety training related to site remediation, 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); isolation of work areas; safe storage and handling of chemicals; prevention of spills; 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.

• Energy efficiency, and alternative energy technologies, such as training in retrofitting technologies, in order to prepare brownfield sites for renewable energy installation for reusing and redeveloping former brownfield sites.

I.C. Eligible Uses of Grant Funds

Grant funds must be used for direct programmatic costs associated with implementing a Brownfields Job Training program. Examples of eligible uses of grant funds are listed below.

Please note that this list is intended to be illustrative. Applicants must indicate the specific types of 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, site remediation, and equitable development associated with brownfields.

• Training in sustainable deconstruction in preparation of a brownfield site cleanup or redevelopment.

• 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) 2, forklift, and machine operations associated with the transportation of hazardous waste.

• Training in Freon removal or the removal of hazardous substances from white goods located on a brownfield site.

• Training in the use of compost and soil amendments and associated sampling, testing, and design considerations, and management techniques to support the assessment, cleanup and preparation 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 related to preparing sites for reuse and redevelopment.

• Awareness training in Environmental Stewardship and Environmental Justice to promote community involvement in assessment, cleanup and reuse of brownfield sites.

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.

2 Commercial Driver’s License must be incidental to an overall training course related to hazardous waste transportation. It may not be required or used for any other purpose.

• Training in climate change mitigation and adaptation or resiliency as it relates to preparation of brownfield sites for cleanup and subsequent reuse.

• Training in Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Management; and Erosion and Sediment

Control for site remediation and preparation for reuse and redevelopment.

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

• 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. relating to constructing buildings).

• 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 actual 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 childcare 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.

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

• Matching any other federal funds (unless there is specific statutory authority for the match). The statutory authority for the Brownfields Job Training Program, section 104(k)(7) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) 42 U.S.C. 9604(k)(7) does not provide the requisite 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.

• Application preparation costs.

• Administrative costs, including all indirect costs and direct costs for grant administration in excess of five (5) percent of the total amount of EPA grant funding, with the exception of financial and performance reporting costs (which are considered allowable programmatic costs and not subject to the 5% limitation). (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

The activities to be funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2018-2022 Strategic https://www.epa.gov/brownfields https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan

Plan.3 Awards made under this announcement will support Goal 1 – A Cleaner, Healthier Environment, Objective 3 – Revitalize Land and Prevent Contamination of EPA’s Strategic Plan.

All applications must be for projects that support this goal and objective.

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

EPA requires that applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements.4 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 goal and objective described above in Section I.E.

Applicants are required to describe how funding will help EPA achieve environmental outputs and outcomes in their responses to the criteria in Section V. Outputs and outcomes specific to each project will be identified as deliverables in the negotiated workplan if the application is selected for award. Recipients will be expected to report progress toward the attainment of expected project outputs and outcomes during the project performance period. Outputs and outcomes are defined as follows:

1. Outputs: The term “output” refers to an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work 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 recipient depending on the comprehensiveness of a curriculum and where the recipient 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 individuals that receive 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

3 EPA’s Strategic Plan is available at https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan.

4 EPA Order 5700.7, EPA’s Policy for Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements is available at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements.

https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements 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 and cleanup of brownfields and 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 exposures to hazardous substances and other contaminants and improve the health of workers, occupants, and residents.

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 is CERCLA 104(k)(7).

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 applications received, and other applicable considerations for FY22. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 15 Brownfields Job Training grants. Applicants may apply for up to $200,000 of EPA funds.

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 applications and make no awards under this announcement or make fewer awards than anticipated.

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications 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 an application, will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the application, 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 Brownfields Job Training Grants is three (3) years. Training is anticipated to conclude by the end of the second year, with the third year of the project period devoted to the placement of remaining graduates in employment and reporting accomplishments data to EPA.

II.C. Substantial Involvement

The Brownfields Job Training Grant will be awarded in the form of a cooperative agreement.

Cooperative agreements permit 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 related to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for this project may include:

• Close monitoring of the recipient’s performance to verify the results.

• Collaboration during performance of the scope of work, including participation in project activities, to the extent permissible under EPA policies. Examples of collaboration include:

a. Consultation between EPA staff and the recipients on effective methods of carrying out the scope of work provided the recipient makes the final decision on how to perform authorized activities.

b. Advice from EPA staff on how to access publicly available information on EPA or other Federal agency web sites.

c. With the consent of the recipient, EPA staff may provide technical advice to recipient contractors or subrecipients provided the recipient approves any expenditures of funds necessary to follow advice from EPA staff. The recipient remains accountable for performing contract and subaward management as specified in 2 CFR 200.318 and 2 CFR 200.332 as well as the terms of the EPA cooperative agreement.

d. EPA staff participation in meetings, webinars and similar events upon the request of the recipient or in connection with a co-sponsorship agreement.

• In accordance with 2 CFR 200.325, as appropriate, review of proposed procurements.

• Review and approval of the substantive terms of procurement contracts and subawards

(EPA will not select contractors or subrecipients).

• 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 is made in accordance with the cooperative agreement terms and conditions.

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

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=34183e930e741a04ff06debe9d858069&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_1318&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fad22b17b4bd4c04ee1eafc308099edd&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_1332&rgn=div8

SECTION III – APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY & THRESHOLD CRITERIA

III.A. Who Can Apply?

In accordance with CFDA 66.815, the following entities are eligible to apply for a Brownfields Job Training Grant:

• General Purpose Unit of Local Government (EPA uses the definition of Local government in 2 CFR 200.1.)

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

• Government entity created by State Legislature.

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

• Redevelopment Agency that is chartered or otherwise sanctioned by a State.

• State.

• Indian Tribe other than in Alaska. (The exclusion of Alaskan Tribes in Alaska, with the exception of the Metlakatla Indian Community as noted below, from grant eligibility is 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, consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization in 2 CFR 200.1 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. Eligible nonprofit organizations may, but are not required to be, exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Workforce Investment Boards and organized Labor Unions that meet these criteria may be eligible nonprofit organizations. Public and nonprofit private institutions of higher education (including community colleges and similar 2-year 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

Cost sharing and matching funds are not required under this competition. Although cost-sharing or matching is not required as a condition of eligibility under this competition, EPA will evaluate responses to the Leveraging criterion in Section V. 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 awarded under the competition that are above and beyond

EPA grant funds awarded. Any leveraged funds/resources, and their source, must be identified in the application. Leveraged funds and resources may take various forms as noted below.

Voluntary cost share is a form of leveraging. As provided in 2 CFR 200.1, Voluntary committed 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).

• A voluntary cost share may only be met with eligible and allowable costs.

• The recipient may not use other sources of federal funds to meet a voluntary cost share 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 as provided in the definition of Voluntary committed cost sharing in 2 CFR 200.1. 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 200.339 and 2 CFR 200.340.

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 application 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 workplan 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 application. If applicants propose to provide this form of leveraging, EPA expects them to make the effort to secure the leveraged resources described in their applications. 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 a Brownfields Job Training Grant. Threshold criteria are pass/fail and are based on certain requests for information identified below. The information you submit will be used by EPA solely to make eligibility determinations for grants. The applicant’s responses to the threshold criteria must be included in the Narrative Information Sheet submitted to EPA or the application will be rejected. Only those applications that specifically address and pass all threshold criteria will be evaluated against the evaluation criteria in Section V.A. of this announcement.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3e88d9d4557754bcb781241135d934ae&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_11&rgn=div8

Entities may not apply for more than one FY22 Brownfields Job Training Grant even if proposing to serve different target areas. Applicants that exceed the number applications allowable will be contacted, prior to review of any of the applications by EPA, to determine which application(s) the applicant will withdraw from the competition.

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

Applications received after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with www.grants.gov or relevant www.sam.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application 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.

EPA will verify that the Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number listed on the application is the correct DUNS number for the applicant’s organization/department. If the correct DUNS number is not included in the application, the application may be deemed ineligible. Applicants need to ensure that the correct Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and DUNS number of the entity that will receive the award and will be held accountable by EPA for the proper expenditure of funds are listed on the application.

Responses to each item below are required and must be included in the Narrative Information Sheet that is included in the application submitted to EPA. See Section IV.C. for a complete list of required documents that must be submitted.

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 EPA’s Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI); EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants Program CFDA 66.604; and 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:

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.grants.gov/

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: https://www.dol.gov/general/grants/howto

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. 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 Narrative Information Sheet.

3. Required HAZWOPER Training

Your application 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. Applications that do not include 40-hour HAZWOPER in their training curriculum will be rejected.

4. Federal Funds Requested/Funding Amount

Applications 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 Applications must substantially conform to the application submission instructions and format requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or they will be rejected.

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

6. Training Curriculum Chart Indicating the Cost of Each Course As part of the application, applicants must submit a detailed training curriculum chart with associated costs for each training course as referenced in Section IV.E. 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 to the ranking criteria as part of the Narrative. When addressing this threshold criterion in your Narrative Information Sheet, indicate on which page of the application your training curriculum chart can be found.

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/general/grants/howto

7. Plans for Delivering Training Your application must include the 2 separate plans for delivering training as referenced in Section I.A. Applications that do not include the two plans will be rejected. When addressing this threshold criterion in your Narrative Information Sheet, indicate on which page of the application your training delivery plans can be found.

8. Target Area

You must 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 target areas. However, EPA will consider applications that propose to serve large areas, especially in rural communities, that may include a number of towns, as well as applications seeking to serve sister-cities.

Additionally, applicants other than tribal governments: If the target area is smaller than a city/town, list the census tract number(s) within the target area. (Please see the FY22 FAQs for guidance on how to find a census tract.)

Please note that applicants who were awarded an Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant (EPA-OLEM-OBLR-20-03) from EPA in Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) are not eligible to under this competition. Grant recipients who received EWDJT funding in FY21 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 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant in, or before, Fiscal Year 2020, and who did not receive funding in FY21 as described above, are eligible to apply for funding under this competition. Please list the most recent year you received an EWDJT Grant from EPA, or if you have not received a grant in the past, in your Narrative Information Sheet.

Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding.

EPA staff will respond to questions regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the application, and requests for clarification about this announcement. For purposes of the threshold eligibility review, EPA, if necessary, may seek clarification of applicant information that is included in the application and/or consider information from other sources, including EPA files. Such communications shall not be used to correct application deficiencies or material omissions, materially alter the application or project proposed, or discuss changes to the applicant’s responses to any evaluation or selection criteria.

In order to maintain the integrity of the competition process, EPA staff cannot meet with individual applicants to discuss draft applications, provide informal comments on draft applications, or provide advice to applicants on how to respond to ranking criteria. EPA’s limitations on staff involvement with grant applicants are described in EPA’s Policy for Competition of Assistance Agreements.5

SECTION IV – APPLICATION SUBMISSION INFORMATION

IV.A. How to Obtain an Application Package

A copy of these guidelines can be obtained from the EPA Brownfields Program website6 or through www.grants.gov.

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. Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on OCTOBER 5, 2021. Please allow enough time to successfully submit your application package and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit. Occasionally, technical and other issues arise when using www.grants.gov.

Applications submitted after 11:59 p.m. ET OCTOBER 5, 2021, will not be considered for funding.

In order to…