FY22-FY23 P2 Grant RFA amended_recurring appropriation_021722.pdf

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

TITLE: FY 2022 and FY 2023 Pollution Prevention Grant Program

ACTION:

RFP NO:

CFDA:

DATE:

Request for Applications (RFA) Amendment No. 1

EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-001

66.708

February 17, 2022

SUMMARY: This notice amends the language provided under National Emphasis Area (NEA) #6 and updates the web links to the NAICS codes in Appendix A.

Accordingly, with this amendment, the page numbering has been updated as well.

Amended language to NEA #6 can be found on pages 10 and A-11 and reads: NEA #6: Supporting Pollution Prevention in Indian Country and for Alaska Native Villages: This NEA is available only to federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses in Indian country and Alaska Native Villages. Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses and their facilities in Indian country or in Alaska Native Villages to identify, develop and adopt P2 practices and do not need to support the previous five NEAs or any other specific industrial sector. Note: Technical assistance may also be provided to businesses operated by the federally-recognized tribe or intertribal consortium and/or to businesses located in Indian country or in Alaska Native Villages.

2 | P a g e

OVERVIEW

FEDERAL AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, EPA Regional Pollution Prevention Program Offices

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: FY 2022 – FY 2023 Pollution Prevention Grant Program

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Request for Applications (RFA). This is the initial announcement for this funding opportunity.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-001

ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER: 66.708

KEY DATES:

FEBRUARY 9, 2022 RFA OPENS

APRIL 11, 2022 RFA CLOSES – APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY 11:59 PM (EDT)

JUNE 30, 2022 ANTICIPATED NOTIFICATION OF FUNDING SELECTION

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 ANTICIPATED AWARD

APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE: EPA will receive applications electronically through Grants.gov. Applications will be electronically date and time stamped. Please refer to Section IV of this announcement for full information on the submission process. Applications must be submitted on time in order to be considered for funding.

SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a grant competition to fund two-year Pollution Prevention assistance agreements for projects that provide technical assistance (e.g., information, training, tools) to businesses1 to help them develop and adopt source reduction practices (also known as “pollution prevention” or “P2”). P2 means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise being released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. In keeping with the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, EPA is encouraging P2 because implementing these practices can result in reductions in pollutants, and the use of water, energy, and other raw materials, while also lowering business costs. States, state entities, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the U.S., federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia are eligible to apply.

FUNDING AND AWARDS: The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $9.38 million, issued over a two-year funding period or $4.69 million issued per year. Individual award ceilings are $800,000; issued over a two-year funding period or $400,000 per year. EPA will fund awards in the form of grants or cooperative agreements under the authority of Section 6605 of the PPA of 1990. See Section II of this announcement for more information.

1 For the purposes of this announcement, the term “businesses” may represent for-profit or not-for-profit entities.

https://www.grants.gov/

3 | P a g e

NOTE: Applicants are strongly encouraged to read this announcement in its entirety. It provides important information on the goals and priorities of the program, explains statutory program requirements and explains agency grant policies and procedures.

In addition to this RFA, EPA is publishing a second P2 grant RFA using funds authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The RFAs are identical except the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded grants will have no cost-share requirements (zero match required); will have a smaller award funding ceiling; and will not be eligible for inclusion in performance partnership grant agreements.

More information on this second P2 grant announcement may be found on EPA’s P2 Grant Program page.

Applicants are welcome to apply to one or both RFAs. However, applicants should clearly indicate that the work described in each application and workplan is either separate from or in addition to the work described in the application and workplan submitted under the other P2 grant announcement.

COVID-19 UPDATE:

EPA is providing flexibilities to applicants experiencing challenges related to COVID-19. Please see the Flexibilities Available to Organizations Impacted by COVID-19 clause in Section IV of EPA’s Solicitation Clauses.

CONTENTS BY SECTION

SECTION I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Programmatic Description

B. Statutory/Regulatory Authority Criteria

C. Pollution Prevention Definition

D. Practices that are not P2

E. Technical Assistance Approaches

F. Engaging Partners in Technical Assistance

G. P2 National Emphasis Areas and Program Priorities

H. Program Goals and Objectives

I. Measuring and Reporting Environmental Results: Output & Outcome Performance Measures

J. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

SECTION II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Funding Amounts

B. Partial Funding

C. Funding Agreement Types

SECTION III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants https://www.epa.gov/p2/grant-programs-pollution-prevention https://www.epa.gov/p2/grant-programs-pollution-prevention https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses

4 | P a g e

B. Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements

C. Requirements for Applicants Using Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) Agreements

D. No Required Tribal Cost Share Under a PPG

E. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

SECTION IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Application Submission Deadline

B. Prior to Applying through Grants.gov

C. Content and Forms for Application Submission:

D. Opportunity for Questions and Answers Regarding this Announcement

SECTION V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

SECTION VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notification

B. Submission Requirements

C. Administrative Requirements

SECTION VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

APPENDIX A NEAs With Applicable NAICS Codes.......................................................................... A-1

APPENDIX B Exampes of P2 Grant Proejcts...................................................................................... B-1

APPENDIX C Grants.gov Instructions and Limited Exception Procedures ...................................... C-1

APPENDIX D Sample Cover Page ....................................................................................................... D-1

APPENDIX E Table Formats for Reporting Grant Outcomes ........................................................... E-1

APPENDIX F Guidance for Developing Case Studies ......................................................................... F-1

APPENDIX G Itemized Budget Detail Guidance and Template Example ........................................ G-1

APPENDIX H Quality Assurance Guidance for Environmental Outcome Reporting of P2 Grant Projects ............................................................................................................................................................... H-1

5 | P a g e

SECTION I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Programmatic Description: Under the authority of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA), EPA is announcing a two-year competitive funding opportunity for awards to the fifty states, state entities,2 the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the U.S., federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia to provide technical assistance (e.g., information, training, tools) to businesses3 to encourage the development and implementation of source reduction practices (also known as “pollution prevention” or “P2”). Source reduction practices can help businesses save money by reducing their resource use, expenditures, waste and liability costs, while at the same time reducing their environmental footprint and helping to protect human health and the environment. The priorities for P2 technical assistance, or national emphasis areas (NEAs), are described in Section I.G. below. In addition, were feasible and appropriate, EPA strongly encourages applicants to emphasize P2 technical assistance that can address environmental justice for underserved communities and/or climate change impacts

Under this funding opportunity, EPA is emphasizing the importance of grantees documenting, reporting and sharing information on P2 best practices they identify and develop through their grant so that others can replicate those P2 practices and outcomes. Therefore, as described in Section VI.C.3 and Appendix E of this RFA, award recipients must document and report on P2 recommendations they provide to facilities4 as part of the technical assistance, and later, report on P2 actions adopted by those facilities and results achieved from their P2 implementation. Alternative reporting methods are described in Section VI.C.3.c if technical assistance is broadly provided to multiple facilities, such as providing P2 training courses, webinars, developing and distributing P2 outreach materials, tools or conducting roundtables. EPA is requiring grantees to develop P2 case studies on P2 practices that are new, not widely known or adopted, or where the grantee believes detailed information on the P2 practices could benefit other facilities or P2 technical assistance providers (see Appendix F). EPA expects that each grantee will develop at least one of these case studies during the grant period. Case studies submitted by grantees will be used to build and share a body of knowledge about P2 practices that could be implemented at other similar facilities. In addition to case studies, we also encourage other means to document and widely share P2 best practices and lessons learned through the technical assistance provided through these grants (e.g., outreach, training, videos). Awardee budgets and workplans may set aside funds from the potential two years of federal funding to allow time for a third-year to perform the required follow-up with business facilities for reporting on P2 actions implemented and developing case studies on the P2 practices adopted.

EPA anticipates the grants awarded under this announcement will provide beneficial P2 practices to businesses receiving technical assistance (information, training and tools) and will allow those businesses to reduce pollution from air, water and land affecting all communities and address pollution concerns that may disproportionately impact overburdened and vulnerable communities. EPA also views these grants as a critical component of the Justice40 initiative which is to provide a meaningful benefit to communities impacted by legacy pollution issues.

2 State entities refers to state agencies, state colleges or universities. Colleges or universities that are agencies or instrumentalities of a state government are eligible. Colleges and universities must be chartered, commissioned or publicly-owned/operated by the state in order to be eligible.

3 For the purposes of this announcement, the term “businesses” may represent for-profit or not-for-profit entities.

4 For purposes of this announcement, a facility represents a business. For grant reporting purposes, grant recipients will be required to report grant data at the facility level.

6 | P a g e

EPA will fund P2 awards in the form of grants or cooperative agreements under the authority of Section 6605 of the PPA of 1990, public law 101-508,42 USC 13104, 40 CFR 35.340 et. seq. and 35.660 et. seq.

Refer to https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-act-1990 for more information. See Section II.C for more information on types of grant agreements.

B. Statutory/Regulatory Authority Criteria: Pursuant to Section 6605(b) of the PPA and EPA's P2 regulations at 40 CFR 35.342 and 35.661, a P2 grant application must address at least one of the following:

1. Makes specific technical assistance available to businesses seeking information about source reduction opportunities, including funding for experts to provide on-site technical advice to businesses and to assist in the development of source reduction plans;

2. Targets assistance to businesses for whom lack of information is an impediment to source reduction; or

3. Provides training in source reduction techniques. Such training may be provided through local engineering schools or other appropriate means.

C. Pollution Prevention Definition: The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990, section 6603(5)(A), defines source reduction, also called pollution prevention or P2, as any practice which reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling of discarded material, treatment, or disposal;

and reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of those substances, pollutants, or contaminants. EPA has also interpreted P2 to include practices that may protect natural resources through conservation methods, or in-process recycling (i.e., process improvements to reuse materials within the same business/facility in the production process). Reducing the amount of pollution in the environment means producing less waste to control, treat, or dispose. Less pollution means fewer hazards posed to public health and the environment. P2 practices may involve but are not limited to:

making equipment or technology modifications to reduce the amount of chemicals used or released into the environment, using environmentally preferable materials to reduce or eliminate the use of raw materials or more hazardous chemicals, making process or procedure modifications to conserve energy or natural resources, reformulating or redesigning products to reduce or eliminate hazardous materials or pollutants, retooling/retrofitting (accessorizing) equipment or improving inventory control to reduce the likelihood of the release of pollutants. See Section I.E and Appendix B for examples of P2 approaches and technical assistance projects.

D. Practices that are not P2: As described in the PPA section 6603(5)(B) and 40 CFR 35.343 and 35.662, P2 does not involve practices which alter the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics or the volume of a pollutant, hazardous substance or contaminant through a process or activity which itself is not integral to and necessary for the production of a product or in providing a service. Technical assistance on practices that are not considered P2 cannot serve as the basis for P2 grant funding. These non-P2 practices include:

recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal activities, managing or processing of non-hazardous solid waste (e.g., paper, cardboard, glass, plastics), and the implementation of Lean manufacturing activities that do not involve reductions in the use/release of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, greenhouse gas releases or water use. If any of these activities represent more than a small and ancillary part of the proposed project, EPA will not consider the application for an award. For assistance with recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal and management or processing of non-hazardous solid waste activities, please refer to EPA’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle website.

https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-act-1990 https://www.epa.gov/recycle

7 | P a g e

E. Technical Assistance Approaches: All applications must describe how the P2 technical assistance will be provided. Approaches may include, but are not limited to:

1. P2 Best Practices – Promoting, identifying, developing, researching, and documenting P2 best practices or new P2 tools for businesses and disseminating the practices and outcomes for others to replicate.

2. On-site Technical Assistance – Conducting technical assistance on source reduction practices at businesses.

3. Off-site Technical Assistance – Providing information on P2 practices to businesses remotely, such as by phone, video conferencing, e-mail or through on-demand video instruction.

4. Safer Chemical Use – Helping businesses assess and redesign their operations, processes and supply-chain practices to replace harmful toxic chemicals with safer chemical alternatives and environmentally preferable products.

5. Training – Conducting introductory, intermediate and/or advanced P2 trainings on use of P2 tools, adopting P2 practices on preventing or reducing the release of hazardous materials or adopting environmental management system protocols.

6. Community-based P2 – Enhancing existing or creating new community-initiated or community-based projects on P2 to help businesses decrease their environmental footprints.

7. P2 Themed Roundtables, Collaborations and Meetings – Organizing business, regional, or community collaborations where P2 opportunities and solutions for businesses are identified, developed, enhanced, and shared.

8. Leadership or Certification Programs – Providing awards or certifications to businesses which recognize the adoption of P2 practices, provided these programs are driving the adoption of newly implemented P2 practices as a result of P2 technical assistance provided under the grant.

F. Engaging Partners in Technical Assistance: Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop partnerships to strengthen their ability to provide technical assistance to businesses and facilitate the development, adoption and dissemination of P2 solutions. 5 Partnerships may include university-based technical assistance and cooperative extension programs, environmental assistance programs offered within a State, Tribe or community, nonprofit or for-profit organizations, businesses, communities with environmental justice concerns to ensure equity in participation, and others. Partnerships are also encouraged among trade organizations, federal programs, and with regional and national programs such as with EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) Compliance Assistance Centers, EPA's Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAPs), the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Industrial Assessment Centers, etc. Note: Engaging in partnerships to help carry out project tasks will not absolve applicants to comply with applicable agency guidance and regulatory provisions, including competitive procurement, if applicable.

5 If a partnership is formed with another federal government program, the cash or in-kind contribution from the federal entity may not be used by the applicant to meet the match requirement of the P2 assistance agreement. For more information on Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements, refer to Sections III.B-C. In addition, if partnerships will involve contracts and/or subawards, applicants are strongly advised to consult the applicable rules for using contracts and issuing subawards in federal assistance agreements. Applicants will find a discussion of the applicable rules in Section IV of the EPA Solicitation Clauses website at:

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses. For additional information, applicants may consult the P2 Grant Programs’ List of Frequent questions here.

https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-02/general_p2_grant_guidance.pdf

8 | P a g e

G. P2 National Emphasis Areas and Program Priorities: EPA’s P2 Program has adopted six (6) program priorities referred to as P2 National Emphasis Areas (NEAs), which are described below. Focusing technical assistance on these NEAs provides the opportunity for synergies among P2 grantees, businesses and other partners/stakeholders affiliated with similar sectors or communities. By encouraging this collaborative engagement, information, expertise, lessons learned, training, and tools can be more easily shared among grantees working in similar NEAs.

Under this grant competition, five of the P2 Program NEAs address industrial sectors and the sixth is available to federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia working in Indian country. EPA has posted fact sheets on each of the five industrial sector NEAs which help characterize some P2 opportunities which may exist within that sector. The fact sheets can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/p2/p2-national-emphasis-areas-neas.

Within the five industrial sector NEAs, where feasible and appropriate, EPA strongly encourages applicants to emphasize P2 technical assistance that can address environmental justice (EJ) concerns in underserved communities and/or climate change impacts, and applicants should describe in their application narrative how they will do this. To help applicants identify underserved communities and facilities that are in or adjacent to those communities within each industrial sector NEA, tools are suggested and described within Section IV.C.3.e.iii.

The EPA describes environmental justice (EJ) as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. Fair treatment means no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies. Meaningful involvement means people have an opportunity to participate in decisions about activities that may affect their environment and/or health; the public’s contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision; community concerns will be considered in the decision-making process; and decision makers will seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected.

For purposes of this announcement, the term “underserved community” refers to a community with environmental justice concerns and/or vulnerable populations, including low-income citizens, communities of color, and tribal and Indigenous peoples.

Climate change impacts may be addressed by providing P2 technical assistance to businesses to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and/or energy efficiency to benefit the environment and health of large, populous areas and/or regions.

Note: Applicants may refer to Appendix A for NAICS codes covered by the NEAs, and to Appendix

B for examples of possible P2 grant projects that can support an NEA. The project examples in Appendix B are provided for illustrative purposes only.6

6 North American Industry Classification System, or “NAICS” is the “standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.”

Refer to https://www.census.gov/naics.

https://www.epa.gov/p2/p2-national-emphasis-areas-neas https://www.epa.gov/p2/p2-national-emphasis-areas-neas https://www.census.gov/naics/

9 | P a g e

Applications must address at least one of the following NEAs to be eligible for award. Addressing more than one NEA or all NEAs will not give an applicant ranking preference in EPA’s selection process:

NEA #1: Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with food and beverage manufacturing and processing businesses normally associated with NAICS codes 311 and 3121 for the purpose of reducing toxic air emissions or water discharges, water or energy usage, hazardous materials generation and use. Technical assistance projects or activities associated with entities that are not included under NAICS codes 311 or 3121, such as restaurants, grocery stores and other retail establishments, do not qualify for this NEA.

NEA #2: Chemical Manufacturing, Processing and Formulation: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses normally associated with NAICS code 325 and associated subsectors (4-6 digit NAICS codes under 325). Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses within this NAICS code to identify, develop, and adopt P2 practices in the production of chemical products and formulations. Projects can also include working with businesses within this NAICS code to promote research, development, and marketing of green chemistry products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.

NEA #3: Automotive Manufacturing and Maintenance: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses in the automotive industry, normally associated with NAICS codes 3361, 3362, 3363, and 8111 and associated subsectors. Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses within these NAICS codes to identify, develop and adopt P2 practices in manufacturing and maintenance of automobiles and automotive products.

NEA #4: Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing and Maintenance: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses in the aerospace industry, normally associated with NAICS codes 3364 and subsectors for manufacture and 488190 for maintenance. Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses within these NAICS codes to identify, develop and adopt P2 practices in any aspect of aerospace product and parts manufacturing and maintenance.

NEA #5: Metal Manufacturing and Fabrication: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses normally associated with NAICS codes 331 and 332, (primary metal manufacturing and/or fabricated metal manufacturing and subsectors). Primary metal manufacturing is associated with smelting and/or refining ferrous and nonferrous metals from ore, pig or scrap, using electrometallurgical and other process metallurgical techniques. Fabricated metal product manufacturing includes transforming metal into intermediate or end products, such as forging, stamping, bending, forming, and machining, used to shape individual pieces of metal; and other processes, such as electroplating, polishing, coating, welding and assembling. Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses within these NAICS codes to identify, develop and adopt P2 practices in any aspect of primary metal manufacturing and/or fabricated metal manufacturing and subsectors.

https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=311&year=2017&details=311 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=3121&year=2017&details=3121 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=325&year=2017&details=325 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=3361&year=2017&details=3361 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=3362&year=2017&details=3362 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=3363&year=2017&details=3363 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=8111&year=2017&details=8111 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=3364&year=2017&details=3364 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=488190&year=2017&details=488190 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=331&year=2017&details=331 https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=332&year=2017&details=332

10 | P a g e

NEA #6: Supporting Pollution Prevention in Indian Country and for Alaska Native Villages: This NEA is available only to federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses in Indian country and Alaska Native Villages. Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses and their facilities in Indian country or in Alaska Native Villages to identify, develop and adopt P2 practices and do not need to support the previous five NEAs or any other specific industrial sector. Note: Technical assistance may also be provided to businesses operated by the federally-recognized tribe or intertribal consortium and/or to businesses located in Indian country or in Alaska Native Villages

H. Program Goals and Objectives: Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7a1, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA must review the linkage of proposed assistance agreements with the Agency’s Strategic Plan. The activities funded under this announcement will support EPA’s Draft FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan (https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan), under Goal 7: Ensure Safety of Chemicals for People and the Environment, Objective 7.2: Promote Pollution Prevention. The Sam.gov Assistance Listing linked to this grant program is 66.708. The program anticipates that assistance agreements (grants and cooperative agreements) awarded under this announcement will achieve the agency’s goal and objective for P2 by addressing the required output and outcome performance measures provided directly below in Section I.I. Note: Application narratives must explain how the work proposed will support the EPA Strategic Plan goal and objective identified above.

I. Measuring and Reporting Environmental Results: Output & Outcome Performance Measures:

Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7a1, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA requires that grant applicants and recipients describe environmental outputs (e.g., activities, products) and outcomes (results achieved from the outputs, e.g., reduction in pounds of hazardous material used and of hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants released, reductions in gallons of water used) expected under the assistance agreements. Applicants must provide an estimate of expected outputs and outcomes, as well as a plan for reporting outputs and outcomes during the grant period.

1. Requirements for Estimating Outputs and Outcomes: Grant applicants must describe and estimate their expected outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, their expected outcomes as described in Section I.I.2. below. To estimate anticipated outcomes, applicants may refer to EPA’s P2 calculators;

click on “Calculators to Measure Outcomes” or use another identified means of their choosing.

2. Requirements for a Reporting Plan: Applicants must provide a comprehensive plan for gathering and reporting on the outputs and outcomes described below. Grant recipients will be expected to report on grant output and outcome measures for each grant project and report on outcome measures for each facility receiving P2 technical assistance, as described in Section VI.C.3, and Appendix E. Grantees are encouraged to report outputs and outcomes in table or spreadsheet form. For the convenience of the grantees, EPA is providing (2) two facility-level reporting templates in Appendix E for the reporting needed for the various types of P2 grant projects. Additionally, Excel spreadsheet templates are available from EPA’s P2 Program Grant Reporting page, and may be used for the required reporting.

EPA will use this required reported information to determine if workplan requirements are being met and to build a repository of P2 practices that can be widely shared and replicated.7

7 Note: For purposes of grant reporting (e.g., counting, tracking, documenting, and sharing information), grant recipients will be required to report back output and outcome data at the facility-level (place of business).

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf?VersionId=nfYM.sisK2Ed_6e_uH7NY6iHbUdEmh1Q https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf?VersionId=nfYM.sisK2Ed_6e_uH7NY6iHbUdEmh1Q https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-tools-and-calculators https://www.epa.gov/p2/grant-reporting https://www.epa.gov/p2/grant-reporting

11 | P a g e

Grant recipients will be expected to follow up with all facilities that were provided P2 technical assistance over the course of the grant period to determine, as feasible, what P2 practices were adopted or implemented, and the benefits achieved from that implementation. Reporting on that follow-up will vary depending on the nature of the project (see Section VI.C.3 and Appendix E for specific requirements). Therefore, grant applicants must include in their project narrative a comprehensive reporting plan on how they intend to follow-up with the facilities they provided P2 technical assistance to determine what P2 actions that they have recommended have been implemented.

Listed below are the output and outcome elements that P2 grant recipients are required to report to EPA. See Section VI.C.3 for specific requirements according to the type of grant projects conducted.

Note: New output and outcome measures have been added to record and measure P2 project activity that help address environmental justice concerns in underserved communities. Also, applicants may consider tools that were developed to help identify facilities that are in or adjacent to underserved communities for each industrial sector NEA – please see Section IV.C.3.e for more information.

a. Required P2 Output Measures:

1. Number of facilities provided P2 technical assistance.

• EJ: Number of facilities in or adjacent to underserved communities provided P2 technical assistance.

2. Percentage of facilities provided P2 technical assistance that the grantee follows-up with (e.g., phone call, visit, letter, or email) to determine which P2 practices were implemented (should be 100%).

3. Percentage of facilities that implement at least one new P2 practice as a result of the technical assistance provided by the grantee.

• EJ: Percentage of facilities in or adjacent to underserved communities that implemented at least one new P2 practice as a result of the technical assistance provided by the grantee.

4. Number of case studies and other P2 documentation products describing specific P2 best practices identified, developed, or implemented through the grant.

5. Number of amplification activities (i.e., training, webinars, videos, other outreach) that widely share P2 practices and P2 documentation products.

Note: For each amplification activity, grantees will also be asked to report on:

topic(s) covered, number of facilities attending training or webinars, or receiving outreach materials, percentage of participants reporting increased understanding of topics covered.

EJ: Number of amplification activities that target underserved communities.

b. Optional P2 Output Measures: In addition to the required output measures listed above, grant recipients may report optional project outputs, such as:

• Number of stakeholder groups involved in the process.

• Number of stakeholder groups addressing environmental justice concerns and/or representing underserved communities.

12 | P a g e

• Number of technical assistance assessments or visits.

• Number of P2 recommendations made to facilities.

• Number of P2 recommendations implemented by facilities.

• Number of innovations and/or best practices developed.

• Number of workshops, trainings and courses conducted.

• Number of workshops, trainings and courses attended.

• Number of outreach materials developed (e.g., fact sheets, leaflets).

• Types of skills and abilities achieved by training participants.

• Number of people served by outreach.

• Number of outreach materials made available in multiple languages to assist linguistically-isolated communities nearby.

• Number of people in underserved communities served by outreach.

c. Required Outcome Measures:

1. Reduction in pounds of hazardous materials used and of hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants released at facilities as a result of implementing P2 actions.

• EJ: Reduction in pounds of hazardous materials used and of hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants released at facilities in or adjacent to underserved communities.

2. Reductions in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) resulting from implementing the P2 actions.

• EJ: Reductions in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) resulting from P2 actions implemented at facilities in or adjacent to underserved communities.

3. Reductions in gallons of water used at facilities resulting from implementing P2 actions.

• EJ: Reductions in gallons of water used at facilities in or adjacent to underserved communities.

4. The dollar savings associated with implementing P2 actions at facilities (e.g., reductions in costs from use or disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous materials, water use, energy use, and savings from reduced regulatory burden).

• EJ: The dollar savings associated with implementing P2 actions at facilities in or adjacent to underserved communities.

J. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation: Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, include, but are not limited to: those related to cost share/match for insular area applicants, confidential business information, contracts and subawards under grants, proposal assistance and communications, reporting and use of information concerning recipient integrity and performance, unique entity identifier/DUNS, SAM, disputes, and administrative capability can be found on EPA's Solicitation Clauses website. These and the other provisions are important for applying to this announcement and applicants must review them when preparing applications under this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in Section VII of this solicitation to obtain the provisions.

13 | P a g e

SECTION II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Funding Amounts: It is anticipated that EPA may award a total of approximately $9.38 million in federal P2 grant funding over a two-year funding period ($4.69 million in FY 2022 funds and approximately $4.69 million in FY 2023 funds based on anticipated FY 2022 funding which is not guaranteed and may change). EPA anticipates issuing up to 20 awards. Individual grant awards may potentially be in the range of $40,000-$800,000 for the two-year funding period (between $20,000- $400,000 incrementally funded per year). Future incremental funding will be contingent on satisfactory performance, funding availability and congressional appropriations. Awardees will be expected to provide funds to match the federal award, as described in Section III.B and III.D.

The awardee’s budget and workplan may allot time and set aside funds from the two-year award to allow time for a third year for the purpose of obtaining and reporting required information on the adoption of P2 practices by businesses to whom they provided technical assistance under the grant, as described in Section VI.C.3 of this RFA.

EPA expects to make awards for projects in each EPA region. In their application, applicants should identify what region their project will be performed in. For a list of EPA regions and states within each region refer to Section VII.

The number and dollar amount of P2 grants issued will depend upon the factors noted above including funding availability, Congressional appropriations, satisfactory performance, the quality of applications received and other applicable considerations. Funding is not guaranteed. EPA anticipates that final selections will be made 180 days after this announcement is published. EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and issue no awards or issue fewer awards than anticipated, under this solicitation. All awards will be consistent with applicable EPA regulations and grant policies. In addition, EPA reserves the right to issue additional awards under this announcement, if additional funding becomes available. Any additional awards will be made no later than six (6) months from the date of the original selections.

B. Partial Funding: 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 applicant or affect the basis upon which an application or a portion thereof, was evaluated or selected for an award, therefore maintaining the integrity of the competition and selection process.

C. Funding Agreement Types: Successful applicant(s) will be issued funds in the form of a grant or cooperative agreement under the authority of PPA Section 6605 to cover a two-year funding period8 as appropriate. A cooperative agreement is an assistance agreement that is used when there is substantial federal involvement with the recipient during the performance of an activity or project. EPA awards cooperative agreements for those projects in which it expects to have substantial interaction with the recipient throughout the recipient’s performance of the project. EPA will negotiate the precise terms and conditions of “substantial involvement” as part of the award process. Federal involvement may include close monitoring of the recipient’s performance; collaboration during the performance of the scope of work;

8 Awardee budgets and workplans may set aside funds from the potential two years of federal funding to allow time for a third-year to perform the required follow-up with facilities for reporting on P2 actions implemented and developing case studies on the P2 practices adopted.

14 | P a g e in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, as appropriate, review of proposed procurements, reviewing qualifications of key personnel, and/or review and comment on the content of printed or electronic publications prepared. 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.

SECTION III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants: Section 6605 of the PPA and applicable parts of 40 CFR Part 35, Subparts A and B

(40 CFR 35.340 et seq. and 35.660 et seq.) authorize EPA to award grants and/or cooperative agreements to the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the U.S. (40 CFR 35.345), any agency or instrumentality of a state, including colleges and universities of states, federally-recognized Indian tribes that meet the requirements as described in 40 CFR 35.663, and Intertribal Consortia that meet the requirements in 40 CFR 35.504.9 Colleges and universities must be chartered, commissioned or publicly-owned/operated by the state or the federally-recognized tribe in order to be eligible. Colleges and universities must include documentation within their applications, which may include, but is not limited to a: state constitutional reference, college/university charter, W-7 tax form that has confirmed the college or university to serve as an instrumentality of a state or a federally-recognized tribe. Note: Local governments, private universities, for-profit organizations, nonprofit organizations, private businesses, and individuals are not eligible to apply for funding under this announcement.

B. Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements: P2 grant recipients, as required under Section 6605(c) of the PPA, must provide at least a 50 percent match of the total allowable project cost. For example, EPA will provide half of the total allowable project cost and the recipient will provide the remaining half. To further illustrate, if the total project cost is $100,000, in order to meet the 50% cost share/match requirement, the applicant must be able to provide $50,000 in cash or in-kind contributions in order to be eligible to receive $50,000 in federal grant funds from EPA.

Federal Award: $50,000

+ Cost share/match requirement: $50,000 Total Project Cost = $100,000

The match requirement may be applied at the time of award or at specified intervals during the approved project period. Cost sharing and matching contributions may include, but are not limited to: Cash; in-kind goods and services (e.g., volunteered time, photocopying and printing services), third-party contributions consistent with 2 CFR 200.306, university faculty time or effort which can be offered as a cash contribution as long as the cost sharing occurs during the assistance agreement project period and while the faculty member is under a continuing contract with the university, etc. Applicants must document in their budgets the type of match applied and how it will be used. The EPA grant project officer in the region will monitor the grant recipient’s compliance with their match/cost share requirement. If the match requirement is not met or is not properly applied at specified intervals during the approved project period, 9 Under this grant program, federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia are not required to have “treatment in a manner similar to a state” (TAS) authorization in order to apply or receive grant funding. The requirements as noted in the code of federal regulations (CFR) and in the preamble to 40 CFR Part 35 provide that the grant program shall have the authority and discretion to evaluate based on the evaluation criteria the extent to which federally-recognized tribes or intertribal consortia have the capacity to successfully execute the proposed grant activities.

15 | P a g e federal funding will cease and the recipient may be subject to an enforcement action, whereby, EPA may disallow costs.10

Please note that tribes using a Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) agreement are not required to provide cost sharing and matching funds (see Section III.D below).

C. Requirements for Applicants Using Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) Agreements: Funds for a grant awarded under this solicitation may be included in a PPG. Applicants should indicate in their application submission if they anticipate incorporating the proposed project, if selected for funding, into an already existing PPG or if they intend to create a new PPG that would include the project proposed under this solicitation. The PPG should be in place before the time of grant award or created concurrently with the award of the grant funds. The proposed project under this grant solicitation must have a project period that is within the PPG project period. It cannot be longer than the PPG project period. A PPG enables entities to combine funds from more than one environmental program grant into a single grant with a single budget.

Under this competition, state and interstate agency applications must first be selected under the competitive grant process described in this solicitation and, in accordance with 40 CFR 35.138, the work-plan commitments that would have been included in the work-plan must be included in the PPG work-plan.

After the funds have been included in the PPG, the recipient does not need to account for these funds in accordance with the funds’ original program source. Similarly, tribal and intertribal consortia applications must first be selected under this competitive grant process in accordance with 40 CFR 35.535. If a proposed PPG work-plan differs significantly from the work-plan approved for funding under this competition, the Regional Administrator must consult the National Program Office (see 40 CFR 35.535). The purpose of this consultation requirement is to address the issue of ensuring that a project which is awarded funding under this competition is implemented as proposed once combined with other grant programs in a PPG. For further information, see the final rules on Environmental Program Grants for state and interstate agencies at 40 CFR Part 35, Subpart A and tribes and intertribal consortia at 40 CFR Part 35, Subpart B. EPA policy issuance on PPGs may be found on EPA’s website for states and federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia.

D. No Required Tribal Cost Share Under a PPG: If a tribe or intertribal consortium includes the funds for a grant awarded under this solicitation in an approved Performance Partnership Grant (PPG), there is no cost-share requirement. Where the applicant’s stated purpose is to include a grant awarded under this solicitation in a PPG, the applicant should prepare a budget and proposed work-plan based upon the assumption that the EPA will approve the budget and work plan without cost share included. If the applicant ultimately does not or cannot include a grant awarded under this solicitation as part of an approved PPG, or subsequently chooses to withdraw the competitively awarded grant from their PPG, the tribe or intertribal consortium must then meet the applicable cost share/match requirements identified above in Section III.B and negotiate a new work-plan and budget with the EPA project officer based on the same total project cost and work initially proposed. Since the new budget will be based upon the initially proposed total project cost and the applicable cost share/match requirement will be increased, the federal award amount will be reduced accordingly. The purpose of this is to ensure that all work-plan activities for a competitively awarded project will be performed as initially proposed and in accordance with the adjusted budget reflecting the applicable cost share/match requirement and federal award amount.

10 For additional information on cost share or matching requirements, refer to 2 CFR 200.306.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-35/subpart-A/s…