CNM NOFO Forecast 2023-Aug-14 002.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Notice of Funding Opportunity Forecast

AGENCY: Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Department of Defense

ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity Forecast

NOTICE: The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. 117-103) provides $75 million for this program to remain available until September 30, 2025.

SUMMARY: This Notice of Funding Opportunity Forecast is seeking comments on an opportunity for state and local governments to obtain funding under the competitive Community Noise Mitigation Program through the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to install noise mitigation insulation at covered facilities. This Notice includes proposal requirements, the deadline for submitting proposals, and the criteria that will be used to select proposal respondents to apply for a grant under this program. To the extent practical and as appropriate, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation developed the selection criteria and other information to be consistent with the Federal Aviation Administration’s financial assistance policies and guidance associated with noise mitigation projects. Because this is a new program, this Notice requests public comments (as a “Forecast”) on the proposed requirements and selection criteria, as provided in Section E., paragraph 1. of this Notice.

Comments received will be used to develop a Final Notice of Funding Opportunity. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will consider any comments submitted by October 13, 2023 based on a 60-day Forecast comment period then convert this Forecast to a Final Notice of Funding Opportunity. Comments should be submitted using the form located at the following link: https://forms.office.com/g/FRUr0UuxFg

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may award grants under this Notice to state and local governments for the purpose of reducing the impact of fixed wing military aviation noise on “covered” facilities. Covered facilities include hospitals, daycare facilities, schools, facilities serving senior citizens, and private residences. Covered facilities that are considered potentially eligible are located either within one (1) mile of a military installation boundary or within an area experiencing day-night average sound level of 65 decibels or greater due to military fixed-wing aviation noise, based on documentation and analyses prepared in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 4165.57, Air Installation Compatible Use Zones, the National Environmental Policy Act, or Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 150 (see resources at https://oldcc.gov/our-programs/community-noise-mitigation). Eligible entities may either obtain funding assistance under the Community Noise Mitigation Program or serve as a pass-through entity in accordance with Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200, paragraphs 331 through 333.

Funding under this program requires a ten percent (10%) local project cost share contribution from the proposer. To avoid duplication of effort, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation is required to coordinate and consult with the Department of Transportation via the Federal Aviation Administration on noise compatibility planning per Title 14, Code of Federal https://forms.office.com/g/FRUr0UuxFg https://oldcc.gov/our-programs/community-noise-mitigation

Community Noise Mitigation Program Forecast

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Regulations, Part 150, for civil airport locations. Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation Community Noise Mitigation funding can be used to meet the local match requirements associated with the Federal Aviation Administration financial assistance to airport sponsors for noise mitigation at civil airport locations.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

a. Federal Awarding Agency: Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Department of Defense.

b. Funding Opportunity Title: DRAFT Community Noise Mitigation Program.

c. Announcement Type: Notice of Funding Opportunity Forecast.

d. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 12.600.

e. Key Dates: The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation is seeking public comment on this Notice of Funding Opportunity Forecast for a period of 60 days from its publication/posting.

At the time a Final Notice of Funding Opportunity is posted, proposers will have a period of 90 days to respond. After the Proposal Deadline is reached, submitted proposals will be screened to ensure completeness and eligibility. Complete proposals from eligible entities will be referred to a Community Noise Mitigation Program Review Panel to evaluate against the criteria in Section E., paragraph 1. of this Notice. A final proposal ranking will then be provided to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Energy, Installations and Environment) for approval. Once approved, the final ranked list will be provided to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation Director to invite a formal grant application on or about TBD. All grant agreements must be issued and countersigned by the proposer (Grantee) prior to TBD, and the appropriated funding must be awarded and obligated no later than September 30, 2025. Grantees will have five (5) years to expend the funds from the date of award.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This Notice identifies the draft criteria established for the selection of noise mitigation project(s) under the Community Noise Mitigation Program which is intended to facilitate the installation of sound insulation in covered facilities. Through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub.

L. 117-103), $75 million in funding is available with $56,250,000 allocated for funding at or near active-duty military installations and $18,750,000 allocated for funding at or near guard or reserve installations, of which $5 million shall be for funding to communities for which a nearby military installation has transitioned to a new type or model of aircraft after January 1, 2019.

The recipient has five (5) years from the date of award to expend these funds. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation must obligate these funds through a counter-signed grant agreement no later than TBD.

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B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Proposals will be scored by a Community Noise Mitigation Program Review Panel using the selection criteria provided in Section E., paragraph 1. of this Notice. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will accept proposals through Grants.gov for funding through 5 p.m. PDT on TBD, (the Proposal Deadline). The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will then invite those respondents determined to be the most competitive to complete a grant application on or about TBD.

In the event an invited respondent is unable to submit a grant application, or if the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation determines that the invited respondent’s application materially differs from the proposal that was considered and ranked by the Review Panel, the next highest ranked respondent may be invited to submit a grant application based upon the availability of funds. To receive a grant award, an eligible proposer must submit both a successful proposal and a complete and acceptable grant application.

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will determine the final amount of each award. Final award amounts depend on the recommendation of the Community Noise Mitigation Program Review Panel, the availability of appropriations, and due diligence by the Office of Defense Community Cooperation based on the provisions of Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 C.F.R. Part 200).

All funded projects must include a timeline with a demonstrated capacity to expend the funding as well as complete all proposed noise mitigation activity within the fifty-four (54) month maximum period of performance of the grant.

A completed project is one that can, within the period of performance:

• Demonstrate it has attained a post-construction acoustical testing average habitable room interior noise level below a Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) or Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) 45 decibel within Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) or Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) 65 - 75 decibel noise contour zones (subject to limitations on local building standards); or,

• Demonstrate it has attained a post-construction acoustical testing average habitable room interior noise level reduction between 10 - 30 decibels within noise contour zones of Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) or Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) 75 decibel and above; or,

• Demonstrate that Department of Defense funding was used as the airport sponsor’s local match for the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program that allocates funds for noise mitigation identified in an airport’s noise compatibility program that is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in a Record of Approval per Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 150 (14 C.F.R. Part 150) or identified in a Record of Decision per Federal Aviation Administration Order 1050.1F, “Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures”.

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Recipients of Community Noise Mitigation Program grants will be subject to terms and conditions as specified by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. Please refer to the Manage Your Grant page, located under the Our Process header at OLDCC.gov for more information on these grant terms and conditions (https://oldcc.gov/grant-terms-and-conditions).

Funding is limited, so project cost overruns are the responsibility of the Grantee. The Grantee’s ten percent (10%) local cost share contribution for the project must be available for expending and under the control of the potential Grantee or otherwise integrated into the project implementation approach prior to proceeding with the project. Projects must be executed in accordance with an approved timeline as submitted with the application and to be referenced in the grant agreement.

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may terminate an award for cause, including on the basis of failure to comply with the approved timeline: noncompliance with other grant terms and conditions; or failure to obtain a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration in instances where Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation funding is to be used to meet the Federal Aviation Administration’s local match requirement. All grants will be administered in accordance with 2 C.F.R. Part 200.

Awards under this notice will be issued in the form of a grant agreement, as described by Title 31 of U.S. Code § 6304.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Proposers The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may award grants under this Notice to entities of state or local government. “State” and “local government” are defined in 2 C.F.R.

Part 200.1. 2 C.F.R. Part 200.331-.333 also prescribes how eligible entities (state and local governments) that receive funding under the Community Noise Mitigation Program may act as pass-through entities.

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will accept proposals from any location meeting the eligibility criteria for the Community Noise Mitigation Program. In advance of the submission of any proposal, eligible locations must identify a single state or local government entity to submit on behalf of the covered facilities represented by that proposal, who, should the proposal be selected to submit a grant application, will then also serve as the overall project Grantee and fiscal agent. Such a recipient may count its administrative expenses as part of the local cost share contribution. To receive an award, an eligible proposer must submit both a successful proposal and an acceptable grant application.

2. Local Project Cost Share Contribution (Non-Federal)

State or local government recipients must agree to contribute local cost share (non-Federal match) of not less than ten percent (10%) of the total funding requested as the recipient of a grant under the Community Noise Mitigation Program for a proposed noise mitigation project(s).

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These local cost share contributions may not also count as a source of non-Federal match for other Federal project funding that may be used to fund the proposed noise mitigation project under this program. The ability to use other Federal funds as source for non-Federal match for this program will be determined by the authority and appropriation providing those funds as well as whether the relevant grantor provides approval. All proposals including the participation of other Federal funds as a funding match source must provide the date when the Federal funding agreement was counter-signed by the non-Federal recipient. A selected Grantee must show that the Grantee’s local cost share contribution funding is immediately available for expenditure (except when Department of Defense funding is being used to meet the local match requirement associated with the Federal Aviation Administration financial assistance to airport sponsors for civil airports).

In the case of Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation funds being used to meet the Federal Aviation Administration’s local match requirements for civil airport grant requests through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for noise mitigation, the ten percent (10%) local cost share to the Community Noise Mitigation Program is not required. However, evidence of funding from Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program noise mitigation funds must be obligated to a Civil Airport location within twelve (12) months of award of an Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation Community Noise Mitigation project.

Expenses proposed as a source for the state or local government cost share contribution must be incurred and expended within the proposed project period of performance, commencing from the date of award, or no earlier than the date of enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, (Pub. L. 116-133) December 27, 2020, and no later than five (5) years after the grant award.

3. Eligible Noise Mitigation Projects Projects are eligible for funding under the Community Noise Mitigation Program if they meet the following criteria:

• are a “covered” facility, which includes hospitals, daycare facilities, schools, facilities serving senior citizens, and private residences;

• are impacted by military fixed wing aviation noise, meaning they are:

• are located within one (1) mile of an installation boundary or a day-night average sound level of 65 decibels or greater of a military installation; or

• involve a location at which military aircraft are stationed, or are located in an area impacted by military aviation noise within one (1) mile or a day-night average sound level of 65 decibels or greater; and,

• demonstrate the presence of excessive aviation noise based on documentation and analyses prepared in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 4165.57 Air Installation Compatible Use Zones, the National Environmental Policy Act, or 14 C.F.R Part 150; and,

• for civil airport locations with a military tenant or use, have current Noise Exposure Map (NEM) or noise contours from a National Environmental Policy Act document. Airport Noise Exposure Maps older than five (5) years may require validation (in writing) by the airport sponsor that they are representative of current operations.

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• for Department of Defense locations, have a current Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) study or noise contours from a National Environmental Policy Act document. Department of Defense Air Installation Compatible Use Zone Studies older than five (5) years may require validation (in writing) by the military installation commander that they are representative of current operations.

Proposals must demonstrate a project is ready to commence within twelve (12) months of award, including letters of commitment from relevant stakeholders (e.g., occupant participation agreements with property owners), design and cost estimates, procurement procedures, a timeline that includes entitlements and environmental clearances and other relevant information depending on the scope of work proposed. Proposed projects must also comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and obtain any necessary permitting before project activities can commence.

Proposals must prioritize the installation of noise mitigating insulation specifically on the basis of noise contours. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will not approve projects that apply socioeconomic factors or other inappropriate criteria to limit or modify the group of properties to which mitigation efforts will be directed. Proposals should provide a description of all eligible structures within the footprint of the pertinent noise contour and should demonstrate that funds will be applied in manner that secures mitigation to all such structures in a fashion based on the severity of noise within those contours.

Eligible community noise mitigation projects include only noise mitigation activity costs outside of local military installation property, including reasonable allowances for contingencies.

4. Eligible Noise Mitigation Project Activities Activities described below are eligible for Department of Defense funding under the Community Noise Mitigation Program if they meet the criteria indicated. Refer to Section G. of this Notice for a list of terms and definitions associated with the eligible noise mitigation activities described in this section:

• Sound attenuating habitable rooms as defined in Section G. of this Notice, which can consist of standard treatment packages (window and door replacement) and secondary treatment packages (caulking, weather stripping, installation of storm doors/windows).

o Sound insulation treatments are designed to reduce interior noise levels due to aircraft noise in certain areas of covered facilities, for example, habitable rooms in homes. Thus, a covered facility must be experiencing existing interior noise levels that are 45 decibels or greater with the windows and doors closed to be considered eligible. The proposer must be able to demonstrate the sound insulation treatment will achieve a reduction of interior noise levels as follows:

For covered facilities in locations where the noise contours are between

Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) / Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) 65 - 75 decibels (subject to limitations on local building standards) must provide a reduction of at least 5 decibels and bring the average interior noise level below 45 decibels; or, ge

For covered facilities in locations where the noise contours are located in Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) / Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) 75 decibels or higher, the interior noise levels must provide a reduction between 10 - 30 decibels. When these locations involve a military use or tenant at a civil airport location, additional supporting documentation may be needed for Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration to make a final eligibility determination.

• Using pre-award local cost share contribution funding for operational and administrative costs.

• All covered facilities to be mitigated must have been built prior to December 27, 2020, the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-133).

• Applying Block Rounding or Neighborhood Equity as defined in Section G. of this Notice may be allowable for residences only, as long as the proposer provides supporting information for Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to make a determination the circumstances to apply block round or neighborhood equity is appropriate.

• Purchasing of properties is allowable only when Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation funding will be used to meeting the Federal Aviation Administration local match requirements associated with the Federal Aviation Administration financial assistance to airport sponsors and where mobiles homes are occupied in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 150/5100-17, “Land Acquisition and Relocation".

5. Disallowed Noise Mitigation Project Activities The following activities are not eligible for grants under the community noise mitigation program:

• Block Rounding for anything other than residences. This includes buildings such as schools.

• Building Code Corrections. If it is determined in the course of designing a sound insulation project that a building needs improvements in order to conform to local building codes, only the costs of the sound insulation are allowable.

• Comfort or attractiveness improvements.

• Demonstration Programs. This may include installation of unproven methods of reducing sounds such as installing white noise generators in classrooms.

• Follow-on replacement. Follow-on replacement of windows, doors, equipment, or any items installed for noise reduction that appear to have met their useful life. Installation of noise reduction equipment is limited to the initial installation only.

• Inadequate maintenance corrections. Improvements to address inadequate maintenance.

• Installation or improvement of ventilation systems, including air conditioning.

• Condemnation.

• Mitigation of interior Noise Less than 45 decibels. Noise mitigation inside the DNL 65 decibels contour where the interior noise level is less than 45 decibels.

• Mitigation to accommodate a Noise Sensitive Use in a Commercially Zoned Structure.

• Mitigation outside of a Day-Night Average Sound Level of 65 decibels. Noise mitigation outside the Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) / Community Noise Equivalent ge

Level (CNEL) 65 decibels contour unless it can be demonstrated that the interior noise level is greater than 45 decibels.

• Mobile Homes or Mobile Classrooms. Sound insulation treatment for mobile homes and classrooms are not viable noise mitigation projects since they are not permanent structures, and their design and construction are unlikely to achieve adequate noise level reduction of less than 45 decibels (note that this is not the same thing as permanent modular buildings).

• Installation of noise monitoring equipment or systems.

• Non-Aircraft Noise Mitigation. The mitigation must be based on aircraft noise associated with the military installation or civil airport location.

• Using Federal funds to pay for operational or administrative costs for a noise mitigation project.

• Sound insulation treatment for educational facilities such as gymnasiums, cafeterias, and hallways because these areas are not considered to be adversely affected by a given level of noise as areas such as classrooms that are eligible for Department of Defense funding.

• Acquisition of land or easements for properties other than mobile home as part of a match to the Federal Aviation Administration, Airport Improvement Program at civil airport locations only.

• Mitigation inside the installation Clear Zone or Runway Protection Zone.

6. Eligible Costs Projects submitted must ensure all associated costs are eligible for Community Noise Mitigation Program funding. In cases where sound insulation treatment (e.g., new doors and windows) will be installed, workmanship and product warranty information must be provided. Proposals with ineligible costs will be removed during screening.

Eligible costs are limited to:

• Supplies and labor directly associated with eligible noise mitigation activities;

• Community engagement activities and outreach as source for the local cost share contribution;

• Activity costs associated with project administration, including, but not limited to, pre-inspections, legal fees, pre-construction acoustical testing, environmental studies, project design, title and escrow, and project oversight as source for the local cost share contribution;

• Post-Construction Acoustical Testing costs are an allowable activity for federal funds;

• Contingency allowances, not to exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the total allowable costs before any bids may be received, and ten percent (10%) after any construction contract has been awarded, may be included in proposal; however, grant payments are made on a reimbursable basis; and,

• All project costs must have been incurred and/or expended after December 27, 2020, the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-133) (including any planning, pre- and post-acoustical testing and design costs claimed as local cost share contribution).

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D. PROPOSAL AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Proposal Submission Package Proposals must be submitted electronically as described in Section D., paragraph 4.

2. Content and Form of Proposal Submission Each interested respondent must submit a complete proposal, including a completed but unsigned Standard Form 424, through Grants.gov not later than the Proposal Deadline (see Section D., paragraph 4.). Please refer to the instructions provided with the Grants.gov Notice of Funding Opportunity on how to complete the Standard Form 424.

A proposal may not exceed twenty pages (20) (single-sided, single-spaced with 1-inch margins, 11-point Times New Roman font), including all maps, drawings and attachments. The unsigned Standard Form 424, real property information, and documents showing that the project is construction-ready do not count against this twenty-page (20) limit. To be considered complete, a proposal shall include the following information:

A. Cover Page: All submissions must include a cover page that includes the information and only the information specified in this Part A. Submitters may access at their discretion a template to use for this Cover Page from this web link (WEBLINK FORTHCOMING).

1. Proposing Entity Name & Contact Information. Include: entity name, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), primary point of contact name, e-mail address, and organization address.

2. Project Name.

3. Grants.gov Tracking Number (assigned to proposers once they log into

Grants.gov and create a workspace based on a grant opportunity number).

4. Project Need. Description of the cause of the noise as it relates to eligibility for this program. Information may include installation mission description including the name of the installation or civil airport location and type of aircraft flown. If the military installation has transitioned to a new type or model of aircraft after January 1, 2019, please state the type of aircraft and the date of initial operational capability at the location.

5. Status of Local Project Cost Share Contributions. Indicate (select only one):

proposal includes at least a ten percent (10%) local project cost share contribution, or proposal is being used to meet the local match requirement associated with the Federal Aviation Administration’s financial assistance to airport sponsors for noise mitigation (https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip).

6. For projects including a ten percent (10%) local project cost share contribution, indicate (select all that apply): all proposed local project cost share contributions are currently available and under the control of the potential Grantee; all proposed local project cost share contributions are not currently under the control of the potential Grantee but will be available for use based upon the project implementation schedule; proposed non-Federal project cost contributions include funding from another (non-Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation) Federal grant source that has already been awarded https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip ge

(e.g., financial agreement signed as of the date of this proposal); and, proposed local project cost share contribution has been / or will be used to pay for costs listed in the project budget that are not allowed to be reimbursed with these grant funds, such as design, planning, environmental, indirect, and other soft costs.

B. Military Installation or Civil Airport Noise Contour Validation: A letter from the Installation Commander, Guard or Reserve Commander (or Military Department Headquarters), validating that the Air Installation Compatible Use Zone is current or a letter from the Civil Airport Sponsor validating the Noise Exposure Map is current. This letter should also state that the installation or Guard/Reserve Commander and/or Civil Airport Sponsor is willing to support the community’s execution of the project, to include assisting the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation with any technical review of required National Environmental Policy Act environmental planning documents for the proposed project.

C. Compatible Land Use Background: The status and description of other studies, such as (but not limited to) civil airport noise compatibility plans, installation / community-driven compatible use studies, or establishment of a Noise Compatibility Program for civil airport locations. This should include a description of activities that have been undertaken by the community to make lands compatible within the established noise contours prepared in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 4165.57, Table 2, and 14 C.F.R. Part 150, Table 1 in Appendix A.

This should also include a description of the current land use around an installation or civil airport by identifying the percentage of undeveloped land within noise contours and percentage of those lands that are protected (e.g., zoning, conservation, etc.) as compatible in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 4165.57, Table 2 or 14 C.F.R. Part 150, Appendix A – Noise Exposure Maps, Table 1 for civil airport locations (see resources at https://oldcc.gov/our-programs/community-noise-mitigation).

D. Project Description: Narrative summary of the proposed activities to be undertaken with the combination of Community Noise Mitigation Program funds, local project cost share funds, and any other sources. The description must include:

i. An explanation of the overall strategy and approach to prioritizing noise mitigation activities within the noise contour footprint (65 decibels and greater) and how the specific project addresses lowering noise levels within covered facilities based on the severity of noise;

ii. A socioeconomic description of the entire noise contour footprint, including a map depicting the project area(s) in relationship to the installation or civil airport that includes labeled noise contours and identifies types of covered facilities;

iii. A list of entities involved in implementing the Community Noise Mitigation Program along with roles and responsibilities (e.g., state or local governments, etc.); and,

iv. A list of real property data for each covered facility proposed for noise mitigation, as part of this project, including type of covered facility, address, primary structure-built date, type of construction, and existing zoning (real property data does not count towards page limitation and may be provided as an attachment).

E. Project Information: A demonstration of the technical feasibility of the project to include pre-construction acoustical testing results and post-construction acoustical plan identifying Sound Transmission Class (STC) or Outdoor-to-Indoor Transmission Class (OITC) ratings for existing structures and the determined required Sound Transmission Class materials being recommended to attenuate each structure.

• Pre-Construction Acoustical Testing o Must include contractor statement of qualifications. One or more of these statements may be attached as appendices and do not count towards the total page count.

o Pre-construction acoustical testing must have been completed for ten percent (10%) of typical structures and/or rooms to demonstrate that the interior noise levels are above 45 decibels.

o For one-of-a-kind structures, it is likely that no two rooms are the same.

Therefore, applicants will do pre-construction acoustical testing in all variations of rooms. If identical rooms are present in these structures, then a minimum of two rooms should be tested.

• Post-Construction Acoustical Testing Plan o Proposers must develop a post-construction acoustical testing plan to demonstrate:

o Contractor statement of qualifications. One or more of these statements may be attached as appendices, and not count towards the total page count.

o How they will have met their sound attenuation goals. Not all structures must be tested, depending on the type of structures in the program boundary. The sampled structures must be the same structures they used for pre-construction acoustical testing.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued an Advisory Circular, “Guidelines for Sound Insulation of Structures Exposed to Aircraft Noise” which provides standards and procedures for the development and implementation of sound insulation programs intended to mitigate aircraft noise around airports. These guidelines include acoustic engineering principles, standardized acoustic testing methodology to identify structures that may be non-compatible with aviation noise, determining noise level reductions and establishing boundaries based on noise contours and other considerations and developing plans to conduct pre and post construction acoustical testing. This Advisory Circular is for use by airport operators or sponsors, airport consultants or contractors, and the Federal Aviation Administration. However, all potential applicants may use this Advisory Circular to develop proposals when seeking a grant from Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation under the Community Noise Mitigation Program.

F. Support Letters: Letters of support from all necessary stakeholders including, but not limited to, community development corporations, key elected officials, building and safety officials, other funders, etc. Letters of support do not count towards page count maximum.

G. Sources of Funds: An overview and commitment of all funding sources, including local cost share contribution source funding, that demonstrates a firm commitment and unconditioned availability (including any eligibility of Federal funds to be counted as the funding contribution) to complete the project, and acknowledgement that any cost overruns will be the obligation of the proposer. For projects requiring contributions from individual project participants (e.g., property owners), provide the mechanism for securing these funds.

H. Project Budget: Provide a preliminary breakdown of sources and uses for the proposed project(s) including, but not limited to, cost of project administration, and activity soft and hard costs. Identify the uses of project funding, including a total project cost estimate, with major cost elements broken out for project administration, inspection, renovation/insulation activities, utilities, and contingency costs.

Soft planning costs (i.e., costs that are not direct renovation costs) required for the planning, design, pre- and post-acoustical testing, and execution of the proposed project may be funded by the local project cost share contribution funding. However, all costs must have been incurred after December 27, 2020, the date of enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-133).

I. Project Implementation Schedule: Provide a detailed project timeline that includes, at a minimum, any community engagement, procurement of contractors, development of project guidelines, project entitlements, environmental clearances, construction period, post-acoustical testing, and project completion. Include discussions of the project execution strategy as well as identification of milestones. The proposer must demonstrate that the proposed construction portion of the project can commence within twelve (12) months upon receipt of a grant, that the grant funds will be spent steadily and expeditiously once the project commences, and the project can be completed no later fifty-four (54) months following the grant award.

J. Environmental Compliance:

1. Provide a list and status of all environmental and construction permits, or approvals required for the proposed project, including an anticipated timeframe for issuance of each permit not yet obtained.

2. If awarded a grant, the Grantee will be required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act by preparing any required environmental analyses pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act implementing regulations at 40 C.F.R. 1500-1508, unless the environmental review was already completed. If already completed, this documentation must be of sufficient quality for the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to adopt or otherwise make use of for its determination under the applicable laws.

3. If awarded a grant, the Grantee may also be required to comply with other environmental laws with requirements that support but are independent of the

National Environmental Policy Act process, including but not limited to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Clean Air Act, and Environmental Justice executive orders. Records of consultations concluded in accordance with other requirements should be included with the National Environmental Policy Act documentation.

• The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation expects to consider the affects to potential historic properties via a program alternative pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act.

K. State and Local Planning: Based on state statute and project scope, projects may require review and approval by other entities. If applicable, proposers must identify whether the proposed projects will be subject to inclusion in state, regional, metropolitan, or local planning approval regimes, or a certification from relevant agencies (e.g., Metropolitan Planning Organization) that projects will be included in any required planning document. The proposer should demonstrate that conformance with applicable state, regional, and/or local planning requirements is attainable within twelve (12) months of grant award. Specific mention of long lead-time permits to include those requiring multi-agency consideration or approval must be presented in the proposal within the context of this twelve (12) month period.

L. Applicant Capacity: Include evidence of the intended Grantee or anticipated subrecipient’s capacity to manage Federal grants or method for securing sufficient administrative capacity for purposes of executing the noise mitigation project. For example, this could be a summary of past Federal funding received, the existence of project staff with federal grant management experience that will manage the project, etc.;

M. Submitting Official: Documentation that the Submitting Official is authorized by the proposer to submit a proposal and subsequently apply for assistance.

N. Attachments: In compliance with the overall application page limit.

Proposals must be complete upon submission. Proposals deemed to be incomplete will not be reviewed. To the extent practicable and subject to the page count restrictions of the proposal, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation encourages respondents to provide data and evidence of all project merits in a form that is publicly available or verifiable.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Each applicant is required to: be registered in SAM before submitting its grant application, provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application, and continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

If an applicant has not fully complied with this requirement, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and proceed to make a federal award to another applicant.

4. Submission Dates and Times The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will accept proposals through Grants.gov for the Community Noise Mitigation Program through 5 p.m. PDT on TBD, (the Proposal Deadline). After being screened to ensure completeness and eligibility, proposals will be scored by a Community Noise Mitigation Program Review Panel to establish an overall ranked listing.

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will then provide the list to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Energy, Installations, and Environment) for approval. Once approved, the listing will be provided to the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, to invite a formal grant application on or about TBD. To receive an award, an eligible proposer must submit both a successful proposal and an acceptable grant application.

5. Intergovernmental Review This program is covered under Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,” to foster intergovernmental partnership and strengthen Federalism by relying on State and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development. The Order allows each state to designate an entity to perform this function. The official list of those entities is available at:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf. Applicants located in states that provide a designated entity should contact the listed point of contact for their state for more information on complying with the state’s process under Executive Order 12372. States that do not provide a designated entity have chosen not to participate in the intergovernmental review process. Applicants located in states without a designated entity may submit the proposal directly via Grants.gov.

6. Funding Restrictions See Section C. for information on eligibility for the Community Noise Mitigation Program.

For civil airport locations with a military use or tenant, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may award funds, as the airport sponsor’s local match requirement, for grant requests submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration, in an amount not greater than twenty-five percent (25%) of the grant requested. In these situations, the Federal Aviation Administration will be viewed as the lead agency.

7. Other Submission Requirements The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will hold two pre-proposal webinars at 3 p.m. EDT on TBD and TBD to review the Notice of Funding Opportunity and answer questions from interested respondents. Details about participation in the pre-proposal webinars are available on OLDCC.gov at the Community Noise Mitigation Program link (https://oldcc.gov/our-programs/community-noise-mitigation).

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Selection Criteria (Total Points: 100)

The proposed scoring criteria, with relative weights (the more responsive the proposal is to a need in these areas, the higher the score), are:

a) Prioritization of Community Noise Mitigation Zone (5 - 40 points) Scoring for this criteria will review information provided about: 1. Identification and documentation of covered facilities, 2. Prioritization of areas most significantly impacted by noise, and 3. Consideration of socioeconomic factors in the prioritization of a project approach due to equity considerations stemming from populations affected.

Projects that would score in more than one noise mitigation zone will be assigned the score associated with the contour where the preponderance of covered facilities likely to benefit from mitigation activities are located, and only one value may be assigned for criterion.

Scoring Factors:

i. Identification and Documentation of Covered Facilities:

Proposals must identify how many covered facilities are within an identified noise contour as well as characteristics of these covered facilities, as detailed in Section D., part iv. Of this Notice of Funding Opportunity. Proposals with more detail on the number of covered facilities in each noise contour as well as characteristics of each structure will receive a higher score. (0 - 10 points)

ii. Project Prioritization based on Noise:

Priority will be given to those covered facilities that are within higher decibel noise contours as identified by the most recently-approved Air Installation Compatible Use Zone Studies, National Environmental Policy Act documents, or Civil Airport Noise Exposure Maps.

1. First priority: Projects that are located within noise contours 75 decibels or greater. (30 points)

2. Second Priority: Projects that are located within noise contours 65 - 74 decibels. (20 points)

3. Third Priority: Covered facilities are located within one (1) mile of a military installation boundary or within one (1) mile of a location boundary at which military aircraft are stationed or are located within one (1) mile of an area impacted by military aviation noise. (5 points)

b) Project Readiness (0 - 30 points)

Proposals will be evaluated based on their evidence to commence within twelve (12) months for each of the following six (6) elements of readiness: 1) final design and planning, 2) development of any bid solicitation documentation, 3) Federal and state/local environmental planning, 4) status of owner/occupant participation agreements,

5) project budget, including status of local cost share contribution funding, and 6) local permitting actions (if necessary).

c) Noise Mitigation Strategy (0 - 20 points) Communities will be evaluated based upon the effectiveness of a proposed project for mitigating noise based upon their overall approach to prioritizing mitigation projects within the noise contour footprint (65 decibels and greater) and what past actions and/or strategies that they have taken to ensure compatibility of surrounding development with Department of Defense Instruction 4165.57 in Table 2, or compatible land use guidelines in Table 1, Appendix A of 14 C.F.R. Part 150. For example, whether a community adopted compatible zoning, has an established Sound Insulation Program (SIP), purchased/protected land parcels or developed building codes that ensure future development is not impacted by military fixed wing operations, etc.

d) Construction Acoustical Testing (0 - 10 points) Proposals will be evaluated based on the following information detailed about acoustical testing—both pre-construction acoustical testing results related to covered facilities represented in the proposal and a post-construction project completion acoustical testing plan.

Pre-Construction Acoustical Testing Results Proposals will be evaluated based on the following information detailed about pre-acoustical testing results related to covered facilities represented in the proposal.

i. Methodology summary

ii. Suggested treatments

iii. Calculated noise level reduction

Post-Construction Acoustical Testing Plan Proposals will be evaluated based on the following information detailed about the post-acoustical testing plan related to covered facilities represented in the proposal.

i. Who will conduct the post testing?

ii. Methodology summary

iii. Estimated noise level reduction

iv. Plan for additional attenuation if goals are not achieved

2. Review and Selection Process All proposals received by the Proposal Deadline will undergo pre-screening for completeness and responsiveness to the Final Notice of Funding Opportunity. Complete proposals will then be reviewed and scored by a Community Noise Mitigation Program Review Panel made up of staff from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Office of Secretary of Defense, Military Departments (i.e., U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy), and the Federal Aviation Administration. Scored proposals will be ranked based on total gross score to develop a final ranked list. One award per funding category (i.e., active duty, reserve component (guard or reserve installations) will be made.

The final ranked list will then be provided to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Energy, Installations and Environment) for approval. Once approved, the list will be provided to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation Director to invite a formal grant application consistent with the ranked proposals on or about TBD, and award funding for successfully submitted formal grant applications on or about TBD. In the event a respondent is unable to submit an application, or it is determined the invited respondent’s application materially differs from the proposal that was considered by the Review Panel, another respondent may be invited to submit an application based upon their competitive ranking. Proposers will need to accept the terms and conditions of these awards prior to or about TBD, so the funds can be obligated prior to close of business on TBD. Members of the Community Noise Mitigation Program Review Panel will be subject to a non-disclosure agreement until released from the non-disclosure agreement by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

3. Awards Greater Than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $250,000), is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is available in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.gov or at FAPIIS.gov (see 41 U.S. Code § 2313).

An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM.gov and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.gov.

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will consider any comments by the applicant, in…