EPA-OLEM-OMDP-23-01 (FINAL).pdf

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE: ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY

ASSESSMENT INITIATIVE (EMRTAI)

ACTION: Request for Applications (RFA) - Initial Announcement

RFA NO: EPA-OLEM-OMDP-23-01

ASSISTANCE LISTING NO.: 66.511

DATES:

DATE ACTIVITY

July 31, 2023, by 11:59 p.m. ET Application Submission Deadline August 31, 2023 Approximate Date for EPA to Notify Applicants of Results October 30, 2023 Approximate Date of Award

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

II. AWARD INFORMATION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

SECTION I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background

The hard rock mining industry has played a significant role in the development of our country.

The industry has, and continues to be, an important contributor to both national and regional economies and is critical to our national defense. The benefits of mining to this country have been many but have come at a cost to the environment. As the country has matured there has been increasing recognition that environmental protection is as fundamental to a healthy economy and society as is development. The challenge is to simultaneously promote both economic growth and environmental protection. Currently, there are nearly 100 mining, or mining related sites on EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Identifying, prioritizing, and implementing necessary cleanup actions at hard rock mine sites across the country is expected to take many years. Much of the cleanup cost will likely be borne by the public. Over the past two Federal Executive administrations, a series of Executive Orders were passed that addressed the related topics of hard rock mining site cleanup, and the need for identification and ‘remining’ of Critical Minerals as defined by the Dept. of Interior, USGS.

The goal of the Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative (EMRATI or Initiative) is to assess, demonstrate or test the performance of environmental monitoring and remediation technologies that can identify and recover critical minerals from legacy hard rock mining sites or metal processing (smelting, refining, etc.) sites. The EMRTAI will help stimulate the monitoring and remediation technology sector, and support technology assessment and performance testing of technologies to advance EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. The Initiative will also assist public entities such as non-profit organizations, industries, businesses, states, individuals, and communities in making better informed decisions when selecting new or existing environmental technologies for use at contaminated sites. The successful applicant (i.e., recipient of the proposed cooperative agreement) will conduct technology assessments, demonstration or performance testing of monitoring and remediation technologies related to legacy hard rock mining or metal processing sites for up to 3 years under a financial assistance agreement from EPA. The recipient will design and operate the Initiative by carrying out its work consistent with an EPA reviewed and approved quality management plan (QMP) and conducting assessments, demonstrations or performance testing of environmental monitoring and remediation technologies for use at said sites. As a result, this Initiative will provide the public and stakeholders with objective, quality-assured technology assessment and performance testing data for developed technologies in the field of monitoring and site remediation. Examples of technology areas to be performance tested include but are not limited to: water monitoring and remediation; and solid media (soil and sediment) monitoring and remediation (metals recovery).

The recipient will be expected to gain the active participation of environmental technology customers convened into separate stakeholder groups. Stakeholders should be selected to represent the interests of technology developers, technology buyers, consulting engineers, academia, financial interests, industry associations, public interest groups, local governments, etc. The stakeholder groups should help the recipient develop priority technology categories for technology assessment and performance testing, assist in the development of testing and assessment protocols and plans, help review assessment reports and identify collaborations for assessment and testing of technologies. Technology vendors will voluntarily submit their technologies for assessment and testing and likely pay a portion of the assessment and testing costs through separate agreements with the recipient. Funds the recipient receives from vendors for assessment and testing will be considered program income.

EPA’s role in the cooperative agreement will be to provide technical and quality assurance support in concert with the recipient’s activities, as well as assist with program outreach and communication of data and results. Program products (reports and other documentation from the assessment and testing of technologies) can be used by vendors in marketing and selling their technologies, purchasers in making purchase decisions, and state regulators in permitting environmental technologies. The goal is for the Initiative to gain acceptance as an important means of assessing and testing new or existing commercially available monitoring and site remediation technologies related to legacy mining.

B. Scope of Work

EPA is soliciting applications from qualified entities that have an interest and experience in the scope of this Initiative, that is conducting assessments or tests of new or existing environmental monitoring and remediation technologies for identifying and recovering critical minerals (CMs) at contaminated legacy mining sites. Applicants must have the ability and knowledge to conduct assessment, testing and quality assurance support for new (SBIR Phase 2 and 3) and commercial environmental monitoring and remediation technologies. Ability and knowledge can be illustrated in a number of ways, including but not limited to having conducted the same or similar activities in the past as those described here. Familiarity with Federal cooperative agreement or grant operation and management would also be helpful for applicants to highlight.

Displaying and describing productivity under these or other Federal agreements would also benefit in the solicitation process.

Assessments or testing of new or existing technologies could include investigating/researching the performance capabilities of such technologies and publishing the findings for stakeholders, users and purchasers of innovative technologies allowing them to make informed decisions regarding acquisition and/or use of these environmental technologies. How the assessment or testing results/findings are published is described in Section I.E. of this announcement. This Initiative is similar in scope and activity to past EPA SITE and ETV Program cooperative agreements; however, this new Initiative is focused on environmental monitoring and remediation technologies for identifying and recovering CMs at contaminated legacy mining sites. Through operation of this Initiative, the cooperator will conduct technology assessment and performance testing of new or existing environmental technologies that will help non-profit organizations, industries, businesses, states, communities, and individuals make better-informed decisions when selecting environmental technologies for monitoring or recovering CMs at legacy mine sites. This includes establishing stakeholder groups to help develop priority technology categories for technology assessment and performance testing, assist in the development of testing and assessment protocols and plans, help review assessment reports and identify collaborations for assessment and testing of technologies. The recipient will operate the Initiative by carrying out its work consistent with its quality management plan (QMP), and as a result, provide the public with objective, quality-assured assessment of technologies across a broad spectrum of monitoring and remediation technology assessment categories including, but not limited to: water monitoring and remediation (chemical concentration monitors, sorbent media for contaminants in water, water treatment technologies that remediate or destroy contaminants such as UV and oxidation for removal of groundwater contaminants); and solid media (soil and sediment) monitoring and remediation (chemical concentration monitors, sorbent media for contaminants in soil and sediment such as granulated activated carbon [GAC] addition for sorbing metals or other contaminants, soil and sediment treatment technologies that remediate contaminants such as sorption of contaminants on granular activated carbon).

EPA will provide technical consultation and quality assurance support in concert with the recipient’s activities, as well as assist with program outreach and communication of technology assessment and performance testing data and results. It is foreseen from EPA’s experience with the retired verification program that products resulting from this Initiative (reports and other documentation from the assessment and testing of technologies) will be widely used by vendors in selling their technologies, purchasers in making purchase decisions, and state regulators in permitting environmental technologies.

Mandatory Objectives. The recipient will manage this Initiative. Activities and responsibilities of the recipient must include:

• Establishing a stakeholder group and technical panels to help in prioritizing technical monitoring and recovery needs (i.e., categories of technology to assess and/or test).

• Developing and submitting a Scientific Data Management Plan (SDMP, see Section I.F.

and IV.D.6) and a post-award Initiative Quality Management Plan (QMP) and operating the Initiative in accordance with their QMP.

• Providing outreach workshops;

• Preparing and developing technology testing protocols that include stakeholder needs.

• Developing performance metrics for assessing and testing new or existing technologies as well as sustainability metrics for evaluating long term and cross media impacts of the characterization or recovery technologies.

• Potentially managing subawards/contracts (as needed) with organizations for managing assessment, testing and data collection, and write progress and summary reports.

Applications may include (but are not limited to) proposed CM identification/monitoring and recovery projects that provide:

• Outreach on the Initiative’s activities and track outcomes for impacts;

• Technology and process evaluations or demonstrations;

• Technical assistance, outreach and/or training to model or accelerate solutions;

• Feasibility studies;

• Expanding acceptance of monitoring or reclamation technologies at mining sites through technology demonstration projects or training and technical assistance; or

• Demonstration, training, or technical assistance projects for developing or improving existing technologies for ‘alternative use.’

• Help make technology assessments more relevant to stakeholders through such activities as establishing relationships with other organizations that conduct technology assessment and performance testing similar to that undertaken by the Initiative.

Demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, where the results of the project will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not a demonstration. These activities relate generally to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing the state of knowledge. Grant proposals should emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem via a well-established method.

To the extent practicable, applications must embody innovation. Innovation for the purposes of this RFA is defined as the process of making changes; a new method, custom or device.

Innovation can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses. Applications must include a discussion on how the proposed work is innovative (see Section IV.E.b.vii). Reviewers will draw from the above-mentioned innovation definition in the review/evaluation process of applications (see Section V.

A).

EPA will not be a party to contracts between the recipient and the technology developers and vendors. The recipient may seek in-kind support for technology assessment and performance testing by establishing collaborations with interested parties, such as state and local governments, and trade organizations to help defray costs of the assessment and testing conducted.

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

Ineligible Information Collection Activities.

The scope of work may not include requests for EPA funding for a survey or other information collection of identical information from 10 or more parties. EPA funds may not be used for the design or administration of an information collection, and EPA personnel may not participate in such activities. Reasonable costs for analyzing independently collected information and publishing the results of such information collections may be allowable to the extent authorized in the EPA approved budget for this agreement.

C. Statutory Authority and Regulations

The authority for this Request for Applications (RFA) and resulting award is contained in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. § 9601;

Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1, Section 1442; the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1254, Section 104(b)(3); and the Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6981, Section 8001.

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

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

D. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

The activities to be funded under this solicitation support the FY 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan.

Awards made under this solicitation will support one or more of the following: Goal 6:

Safeguard and Revitalize Communities; Objective 6.1: Clean Up and Restore Land for Productive Uses and Healthy Communities; Objective 6.2: Reduce Waste and Prevent Environmental Contamination; Goal 5: Ensure Clean and Safe Water for All Communities;

Objective 5.2: Protect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds. Specifically, the activities to be funded under this announcement will be linked to EPA’s Strategic Plan consistent with EPA’s current priorities for preventing contamination and helping communities, including local governments, to achieve goals. Applicants must explain in their applications how their project will further one or more of these objectives.

View EPA’s Strategic Plan online at: https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.

E. Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes

Pursuant to EPA Order 5700.7 “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA requires that all grant applicants and recipients adequately address environmental outputs and outcomes. Outputs and outcomes differ both in their nature and in how they are measured.

Applicants must discuss environmental outputs and outcomes in the Project Narrative Application (see Appendix A).

Outputs. The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a specified period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period.

Outputs may include:

1. Technology assessment and performance testing documents and reports for environmental monitoring and remediation technologies for use at contaminated legacy mining sites. These documents include external, public documents and reports, peer-reviewed journal articles and other outreach materials targeted to specific audiences to achieve the objectives of the Initiative.

2. Generic assessment protocols, technology assessment and performance testing QA plans for environmental technologies.

3. Outreach to users of the outputs is a significant activity under the Initiative. It should be anticipated that several public presentations be made to stakeholders and user groups annually, relating to the activities conducted by the Initiative. Stakeholders and user groups include, but are not limited to, technology developers, technology buyers, consulting engineers, academia, industry associations, public interest groups, and local governments or tribes.

https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

Outcomes. The term “outcome” means the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be qualitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature. Applications must include a description of anticipated project outcomes resulting from the project outputs, even if the outcome to be achieved is beyond the assistance agreement funding period. Include the quantitative target associated with the outcome, as appropriate.

Outcomes from the Initiative’s efforts include:

1. Pollutant or emission reductions, resource conservation, increase in financial and economic competitiveness, greater regulatory compliance, increased technology use and acceptance, and scientific advancement. The recipient will be expected to track outcome impact incidents supported under the proposed cooperative agreement.

F. Supplementary Information/Special Requirements

It is EPA Policy to ensure that the results of EPA-funded extramural scientific research are accessible to the public to the greatest extent feasible consistent with applicable law; policies and Orders; the Agency’s mission; resource constraints; and U.S. national, homeland and economic security. This entails maximizing, at no charge, access by the public to peer-reviewed, scientific journal publications or associated author manuscripts, and their underlying digital data, created in whole or in part with EPA funds, while protecting personal privacy; recognizing proprietary interests, confidential business information and intellectual property rights; and avoiding significant negative impact on intellectual property rights, innovation and U.S. competitiveness.

EPA’s Policy for Increasing Access to Results of EPA-Funded Extramural Scientific Research may be accessed at: https://www.epa.gov/research/non-epa-researcher-requirements. Terms and conditions implementing this policy may be accessed at: https://www.epa.gov/research/non-epa-researcher-requirements.

Applications submitted under this announcement shall include a SDMP that addresses public access to EPA-funded scientific data. See the SDMP clause in IV.D.6 for details on the content of an SDMP. Applicants will also be asked to provide past performance information on whether journal publications or associated author manuscripts, and the associated underlying scientific data and metadata, under prior assistance agreements were made publicly accessible. These items will be evaluated prior to award.

Reasonable, necessary, and allocable costs for data management and public access as discussed in EPA’s Policy for Increasing Access to Results of EPA-Funded Extramural Scientific Research, may be included in extramural applications and detailed in the budget justification described in Section IV.

Agency policy and ethical considerations prevent EPA technical staff and managers from providing applicants with information that may create an unfair competitive advantage.

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Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise and/or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs. EPA employees cannot endorse any particular application.

Multiple Investigator applications may be submitted as: (1) a single Lead Principal Investigator (PI) application with Co-PI(s) or (2) a Multiple PI application (with a single Contact PI). If you choose to submit a Multiple PI application, you must follow the specific instructions provided in Sections IV. and V. of this RFA. For further information, please see the EPA Implementation Plan for Policy on Multiple Principal Investigators (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grants-guidance-and-policies).

Groups of two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a consortium and submit a single application for this assistance agreement. The application must identify which organization will be the recipient of the assistance agreement and which organizations(s) will be sub-awardees of the recipient.

This award may involve the collection of “Geospatial Information,” which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.

G. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated Into The Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to sections III, IV, V, and VI of this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses. These provisions are important for applying to this solicitation and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please contact the EPA point of contact listed in this solicitation (usually in Section VII) to obtain the provisions.

SECTION II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. What is the amount of available funding?

The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $3,000,000.

Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $3 million in EPA funds, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered.

The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this RFA.

The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made.

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Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months after the original selection decisions.

B. How many agreements will EPA award in this competition?

EPA anticipates award of one cooperative agreement resulting from this announcement. The award will be funded incrementally, on an annual basis over 3 years in amounts ranging from $50,000-$1,000,000 per award year. Applicants should plan for projects to begin on February 1, 2023. Up to approximately $500,000 of the estimated total can be set-aside specifically for awards to the following organizations:

• U.S. territories;

• Tribal governments;

• Tribal colleges and universities; or

• Eligible entities (see Section III.A) located in persistent poverty counties (see Section

II.A).

EPA may adjust the funding based on the quality of applications received, Agency priorities, and other relevant considerations.

C. Funding Type

Cooperative agreements provide for substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicant(s) in the performance of the work supported. Although the EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for these projects may include:

• close monitoring of the successful applicant’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant;

• collaboration during performance of the scope of work;

• in accordance with 2 CFR§200.317 and 2 CFR §200.318, review of proposed procurement;

• approving qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient); and

• review and comment on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

• EPA technical and development support, insofar as intellectual assistance in the cooperative agreement (we do not foresee the use of Federal equipment or facilities to support this effort).

• review of products developed under this Initiative.

• posting of technology assessment and/or performance testing reports on EPA’s CLU-In website (https://clu-in.org/) if the recipient’s Quality Management Plan has been followed.

https://clu-in.org/

• reviewing the Initiative’s Quality Management Plan and providing Quality Assurance support.

EPA does not have the authority to select employees or contractors employed by the recipient.

The final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient.

Applications may not identify EPA cooperators, specific interactions between EPA’s investigators and those of the prospective recipient for the cooperative agreement will be negotiated at the time of award.

D. Will applications be partially funded?

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund an application, it 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, and therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.

E. What is the project period for awards resulting from this solicitation?

The estimated start date for projects resulting from this solicitation is November 10, 2023. All project activities must be completed within the negotiated project performance period of three years.

SECTION III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Note: Additional provisions that apply to this section can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses.

A. Eligible Entities

In accordance with Assistance Listing 66.511, applications will be accepted from:

• U.S. Territories and possessions (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals),

• State (includes District of Columbia, public institutions of higher education and hospitals),

• Local (includes State-designated Indian Tribes, excludes institutions of higher education and hospitals),

• Public nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals),

• Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments,

• Private nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals).

Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 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 and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note that 2 CFR § 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR § 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR § 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible. Profit-making firms and individuals are also not eligible to apply.

Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status; such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611.

National laboratories funded by Federal Agencies (Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, “FFRDCs”) may not apply. FFRDC employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. They may participate in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant, but may not direct projects on behalf of the applicant organization. An award recipient may provide funds through its assistance agreement from the EPA to an FFRDC for research personnel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses directly related to the research. However, salaries for permanent FFRDC employees may not be provided through this mechanism. Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on an assistance agreement. Federal employees may not receive salaries or augment their Agency’s appropriations through awards made under this program unless authorized by law to receive such funding. The applicant institution may enter into an agreement with a Federal Agency to purchase or utilize unique supplies or services unavailable in the private sector to the extent authorized by law. Examples are purchase of satellite data, chemical reference standards, analyses, or use of instrumentation or other facilities not available elsewhere. A written justification for federal involvement must be included in the application. In addition, an appropriate form of assurance that documents the commitment, such as a letter of intent from the Federal Agency involved, should be included.

Potential applicants who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact: Benjamin Simes, Phone: 202-564-0527; email: simes.benjamin@epa.gov. prior to submitting their application.

mailto:simes.benjamin@epa.gov

B. Leveraging or Matching

No matching funds are required under this competition. Although cost sharing/matching is not required as a condition of eligibility under this competition, under Section V of this announcement EPA will evaluate applications based on a leveraging criterion.

Leveraging is generally when an applicant proposes to provide its own additional funds/resources or those from third party sources to support or complement the project they are awarded under the competition which are above and beyond the EPA grant funds awarded. Any leveraged funds/resources, and their source, must be identified in the proposal (See Section IV).

Leveraged funds and resources may take various forms as noted below.

1. Voluntary Cost Sharing/Matching Funds

Voluntary cost sharing is when an applicant voluntarily proposes to legally commit to provide costs or contributions to support the project when a cost share is not required. Applicants who propose to use a voluntary cost share must include the costs or contributions for the voluntary cost share in the project budget on the SF-424 and SF-424A. If an applicant proposes a voluntary cost share, the following apply:

• A voluntary cost share is subject to the applicable provisions of 2 CFR Part 200.306, Cost sharing or matching.

• 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 or cooperative agreement.

The recipient is legally obligated to meet any proposed voluntary cost share that is included in the approved project budget. If the proposed voluntary cost share does not materialize during the performance period of the grant or cooperative agreement, EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by 2 CFR Part 200.

2. Leveraged Resources

Leveraged resources or “leveraging” is when an applicant proposes to provide additional resources to support or complement the proposed project which are above and beyond the EPA grant funds they are requesting. These resources do not need to be eligible or allowable costs under the program. Additionally, these resources should only be described in the applicant’s project narrative and should not be included in the project budget on the SF-424 or SF-424A. If applicants propose to leverage funds, EPA expects them to secure the leveraged resources described in their applications. If the proposed leveraging does not materialize during the performance period of the grant or cooperative agreement, EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action authorized under 2 CFR Part 200.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

These are requirements that if not met by the time of application submission, will result in elimination of the application from consideration of funding. Only applications from eligible applicants (see Section III.A of this RFA) that meet all of these criteria will be evaluated against the ranking criteria in Section V of this RFA. If necessary, EPA may contact applicants to clarify threshold eligibility questions prior to making an eligibility determination.

All applications will be reviewed for eligibility and must meet the eligibility requirements described in Sections III.A., B., and C. to be considered eligible. 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.

The threshold criteria are:

1. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV.B of this solicitation or else they will be rejected.

This includes all of the mandatory application materials. However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV.D with respect to the application, or parts thereof, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed. Applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in application format, including selecting a legible font type and size for use in the application.

2. In addition, initial applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this solicitation (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV of this solicitation. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this solicitation to ensure that their application is timely submitted. Please note that applicants experiencing technical issues with submitting through Grants.gov should follow the instructions provided in Section IV, which include both the requirement to contact Grants.gov and email a full application to EPA prior to the deadline.

3. Applications submitted outside of Grants.gov will be deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was due to EPA mishandling or technical problems associated with Grants.gov or SAM.gov. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a submission outside of Grants.gov.

4. Applications must address the mandatory objectives described in Section I.B, Scope of Work, of this announcement.

5. Ineligible activities: The application must be for eligible activities, see Section I.B for additional information on what is considered eligible activities. If an application is https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://sam.gov/content/home https://sam.gov/content/home https://www.grants.gov/ submitted that includes any ineligible 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.

6. The application must demonstrate a public purpose of support or stimulation (e.g., by proposing work which primarily benefits a federal program or provides a service for a federal agency).

7. Federal funds requested must not exceed $3,000,000 total for all years combined.

Applications exceeding the funding limits or project period term described herein will be rejected without review.

SECTION IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Clauses.

A. Requirements to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures

Applicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If your organization has no access to the internet or access is very limited, you may request an exception for the remainder of this calendar year by following the procedures outlined here. Please note that your request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods. Issues with submissions with respect to this opportunity only are addressed in Section C., Technical Issues with Submission below.

B. Submission Instructions

1. SAM.gov (System for Award Management) Registration Instructions

Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active SAM.gov registration. If you have never done business with the Federal Government, you will need to register your organization in SAM.gov. If you do not have a SAM.gov account, then you will create an account using login.gov to complete your SAM.gov registration.

SAM.gov registration is FREE. The process for entity registrations includes obtaining Unique Entity ID (UEI), a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned to an entity by SAM.gov, and requires assertions, representations and certifications, and other information about your organization. Please review the Entity Registration Checklist for details on this process.

If you have done business with the Federal Government previously, you can check your entity status using your government issued UEI to determine if your registration is active.

SAM.gov requires you renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active.

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Please note that SAM.gov registration is different than obtaining a UEI only. Obtaining an UEI only validates your organization's legal business name and address. Please review the Frequently Asked Question on the difference for additional details.

Organizations should ensure that their SAM.gov registration includes a current e- Business (EBiz) point of contact name and email address. The EBiz point of contact is critical for Grants.gov Registration and system functionality.

Contact the Federal Service Desk for help with your SAM.gov account, to resolve technical issues or chat with a help desk agent: (866) 606-8220. The Federal Service desk hours of operation are Monday - Friday 8am - 8pm ET.

2. Grants.gov Registration Instructions

Once your SAM.gov account is active, you must register in Grants.gov. Grants.gov will electronically receive your organization information, such as e-Business (EBiz) point of contact email address and UEI. Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active Grants.gov registration. Grants.gov registration is FREE. If you have never applied for a federal grant before, please review the Grants.gov Applicant Registration instructions. As part of the Grants.gov registration process, the EBiz point of contact is the only person that can affiliate and assign applicant roles to members of an organization. In addition, at least one person must be assigned as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Only person(s) with the AOR role can submit applications in Grants.gov. Please review the Intro to Grants.gov-Understanding User Roles and Learning Workspace - User Roles and Workspace Actions for details on this important process.

Please note that this process can take a month or more for new registrants. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the application submission deadline.

Contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov to resolve technical issues with Grants.gov. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545-5035. The Grants.gov Support Center is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, excluding federal holidays.

3. Application Submission Process

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click the red "Apply" button at the top of the view grant opportunity page associated with this opportunity.

https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0051214&sys_kb_id=dd40f4ef1b9641d0937fa64ce54bcb7a&spa=1 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLxg5Tu3qHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLxg5Tu3qHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsPRj4ILn7Y https://gditshared.servicenowservices.com/hhs_grants mailto:support@grants.gov

The electronic submission of your application to this funding opportunity must be made by an official representative of your organization who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal financial assistance. If the submit button is grayed out, it may be because you do not have the appropriate role to submit in your organization. Contact your organization's EBiz point of contact or contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov

Applicants need to ensure that the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose UEI is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed on the application. Additionally, the UEI listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization's SAM.gov account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.

4. Application Submission Deadline

Your organization's AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than July 31, 2023, 11:59 PM ET. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically.

Please note that successful submission of your application through Grants.gov does not necessarily mean your application is eligible for award. Any application submitted after the application deadline time and date deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered.

C. Technical Issues with Submission

If applicants experience technical issues during the submission of an application that they are unable to resolve, follow these procedures before the application deadline date:

1. Contact Grants.gov Support Center before the application deadline date.

2. Document the Grants.gov ticket/case number.

3. Send an email with EPA-OLEM-OMDP-23-01 in the subject line to Benjamin Simes, Simes.Benjamin@epa.gov before the application deadline time and date and must include the following:

a. Grants.gov ticket/case number(s)

b. Description of the issue

c. The entire application package in PDF format.

Without this information, EPA may not be able to consider applications submitted outside of Grants.gov. Any application submitted after the application deadline time and date deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered.

https://gditshared.servicenowservices.com/hhs_grants mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:Simes.Benjamin@epa.gov

Please note that successful submission through Grants.gov or email does not necessarily mean your application is eligible for award.

EPA will make decisions concerning acceptance of each application submitted outside of Grants.gov on a case-by-case basis. EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to submit through Grants.gov due to Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues or for unforeseen exigent circumstances, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access.

Failure of an applicant to submit prior to the application submission deadline date because they did not properly or timely register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify acceptance of an application outside of Grants.gov.

D. Application Materials

The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:

Mandatory Documents:

1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

2. Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A)

3. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54

4. EPA Form 4700-4 Pre-award Compliance Review Report

5. Project Attachment Form. This includes the Narrative Proposal (see formal detailed in

Appendix A: Optional Template for Narrative Proposal) and Project Milestones (see format detailed in Appendix B). The Narrative Proposal and Budget Table and Description should be combined into one PDF file. The Narrative Proposal should not exceed 11 pages (including the cover sheet) and the Budget Table and Description should not exceed 4 pages. Pages in excess of the identified limits will not be considered.

6. Applications submitted in response to this solicitation must include a Scientific Data Management Plan (SDMP) that addresses public access to EPA-funded scientific data by including the information below:

(1) If the proposed environmental monitoring and remediation technology assessment and performance testing described in the application is expected to result in the generation of scientific data, the application must include a SDMP of up to two single-spaced pages (this is in addition to any application page limits described in Section IV of this solicitation that apply to other parts of the application package) describing plans for providing long-term preservation of, and public access to, the scientific data and accompanying metadata created and/or collected under the award (including data generated under subawards and contracts) funded in whole or in part by EPA. The SDMP should indicate that the recipient will make accessible, at a minimum, scientific data and associated metadata underlying their scientific journal publications funded in whole or in part by EPA. SDMPs should reflect relevant standards and community best practices for data and metadata and make use of community-accepted repositories whenever practicable. The contents of the SDMP https://www.sam.gov/SAM/

(or absence thereof) will be considered as part of the application review process for selected applicants as described in Section V and must be deemed acceptable for the applicant to receive an award. The SDMP should include the following elements (Note: If any of the items listed below do not apply, please explain why):

i. Types of scientific data and metadata expected to be generated and/or collected under the award.

ii. The location where the data will be publicly accessible.

iii. The standards to be used for data/metadata format and content.

iv. Policies for accessing and sharing data including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, security, intellectual property and other rights or requirements consistent with applicable laws, regulations, rules and policies.

v. Plans for digital data storage, archiving and long-term preservation that address the relative value of long-term preservation and access along with the associated costs and administrative burden.

vi. Description of how data accessibility and preservation will enable validation of published results or how such results could…