DOE-FOA-0003131 Q&A #1 12-22-23.pdf

DOE-EM CCBGP DE-FOA0003131

December 22, 2023

DOE-EM CCBGP FOA Q&A’s #1

Q1. Can you give me more information about how DOE is defining "disadvantaged" regarding the Community Capacity Building Grant Program? I don't think Los Alamos County in New Mexico would fall under this description but we are surrounded by Native American Pueblos.

A1. Any Federally Recognized Tribe automatically meets the definition of disadvantaged community. To identify other potential eligible communities, EM will consider multiple sources of information including but not limited to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, DOE’s Energy Justice Mapping Tool, and EPA EJ Screen

2.1. There are several communities surrounding Los Alamos County, such as Espanola and Rio Arriba County that qualify as disadvantaged.

Please note that DOE is hosting a webinar for additional FOA background and questions on January 8, 2024. The full details (including MS Teams link) are included on page 1 of the full FOA announcement.

Q2. I was inquiring about the grant for DE-FOA-0003131. I wasn't able to get all the information electronically.

A2. The full FOA can be accessed at the weblink below. Once you have accessed the FOA on Grants.gov, please click on the “Related Documents” tab and you can then open the full FOA announcement/zip folder which has the PDF included (see screen capture below).

https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/350241

Q3. I’m on grants.gov and interested in applying for this funding. The package will not allow me to create a workspace and has no package ID information; is this to be submitted some alternative way?

A3. As this FOA is a two-step process the first step is submission of a Concept Paper. Please see pages 14-17 of the full FOA announcement for instructions on submitting a Concept Paper and Expression of Interest (EOI) e-mail. As detailed in the FOA announcement, the EOI and Concept Paper shall be submitted via e-mail to: CCBGP-FOA@emcbc.doe.gov.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrants.gov%2Fsearch-results-detail%2F350241&data=05%7C02%7CKelly.Hammond%40emcbc.doe.gov%7Cb368081c59f1400963fa08dbfb32b8fd%7C42610bbc5b07459c9fe7b40cbaa91cf4%7C0%7C0%7C638379967511049941%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=N0%2F35cYw4WrR0W4ekj0MOJG9vNhDW7BGD0MXun7X0f4%3D&reserved=0 mailto:CCBGP-FOA@emcbc.doe.gov

DOE-EM CCBGP DE-FOA0003131

December 22, 2023

A workspace/package will only be created in Grants.gov for the second step of the FOA, if a full application is requested.

Q4. Section III.i, Disadvantaged Communities, identifies eligible jurisdictions. Part of Andrews County, Texas, is economically disadvantaged. A Contractor disposal facility is home to the Federal Waste Facility, which receives Class A, B and C radioactive waste from the EM cleanup program and could possibly take other EM waste in the future, if the community better understood the safety and regulatory requirements of the state-of-the-art disposal facility. Andrews County would greatly benefit from a community engagement and outreach program such as is outlined in the FOA. Would EM consider Andrews County as an eligible community, as it has disadvantaged citizens and receives EM waste, or would EM consider revising the FOA to include Andrews County, Texas?

A4. Waste Control Specialists in Andrews County is a commercial facility and not an EM cleanup site, so DOE-EM would not consider the community under this particular FOA.

Q5. Section III.i, Disadvantaged Communities, identifies potential eligible applicants but does not include Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), which are non-profit organizations. Would EM consider an FFRDC, as a “potential eligible applicant,” as it could be considered a STEM-related non-profit organization, or would EM consider revising the FOA to include FFRDCs, such that FFRDCs could partner with Contractor disposal facilities to respond to the FOA?

A5. This FOA is set-aside for disadvantaged communities, so awards will only be made to disadvantaged communities. However, a FFRDC may be able to participate in the program as a sub-recipient if a disadvantaged community would like to partner with the FFRDC to potentially optimize awarded funds.