hc 2015 rfp 032515.pdf

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

REGION I, NEW ENGLAND

2015 HEALTHY COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM

Announcement Type: Request for Initial Proposals Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-R1-HC-2015 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 66.110, Healthy Communities Grant

Program Action Dates: Initial Proposals due on April 30, 2015

Executive Summary: The Healthy Communities Grant Program is EPA New England’s main competitive grant program to work directly with communities to reduce environmental risks, protect and improve human health and improve the quality of life. The Healthy Communities Grant Program will achieve this through identifying and funding projects that:

Target resources to benefit communities at risk [areas at risk from climate change impacts, environmental justice areas of potential concern, sensitive populations (e.g. children, elderly, tribes, urban/rural residents, and others at increased risk), and Southeast New England coastal watersheds].

Assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks.

Increase collaboration through partnerships and community-based projects.

Build institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems.

Advance emergency preparedness and ecosystem resilience.

Achieve measurable environmental and human health benefits.

To qualify as eligible projects under the Healthy Communities Grant Program, proposed projects must: (1) be located in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas; and (2) identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas. Please see Section III for further information on eligibility requirements.

Target Investment Areas: Areas at Risk from Climate Change Impacts, Environmental Justice

Areas of Potential Concern, Sensitive Populations, and/or Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds

Target Program Areas: Capacity-Building on Environmental and Public Health Issues; Clean, Green and Healthy Schools; Community and Water Infrastructure Resilience; Healthy Indoor Environments; Healthy Outdoor Environments; and/or Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration

The Healthy Communities Grant Program anticipates awarding approximately 10-15 cooperative agreements in 2015. Proposals may be submitted for amounts up to $25,000 with the exception of projects identifying the Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Target Program Area which may request up to a maximum of $200,000. Projects identifying the Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Target Program Area must select the Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds Target Investment Area and are restricted from selecting additional Target Program Areas and/or Target Investment Areas as part of the proposal. Project periods may be for one or two years, starting no earlier than October 1, 2015.

This application guidance includes the following information:

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description Section II. Award Information Section III. Eligibility Information Section IV. Application and Submission Information Section V. Application Review Information Section VI. Award Administration Information Section VII. Agency Contact

SECTION I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Program Description The Healthy Communities Grant Program was launched in 2003 and integrates several EPA New England programs including Air Quality Outreach, Assistance & Pollution Prevention, Asthma, Children’s Environmental Health and Clean, Green and Healthy Schools Initiative, Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program (SNECWRP), Toxics, Urban Environmental Program, and Water Infrastructure (Stormwater, Wastewater, and Drinking Water). The goal of the program is to combine available resources and best identify competitive projects that will achieve measurable environmental and public health results in communities across New England. In order to streamline and simplify the application and competitive process, eligible applicants are invited to submit an Initial Proposal to EPA New England for funding consideration under this competitive grant program. Based on the quality of the eligible initial proposals as measured against the applicable criterion in Section V, finalists will be invited to submit full project proposals for further evaluation. The Healthy Communities Grant Program anticipates awarding approximately 10-15 cooperative agreements from these full project proposals in 2015.

The Healthy Communities Grant Program is EPA New England’s main grant program to work directly with communities to reduce environmental risks in order to protect and improve human health and the quality of life, advance resilience, and preserve/restore important ecosystems. The Healthy Communities Grant Program will achieve these goals through identifying and funding projects that:

• Target resources to benefit communities at risk [areas at risk from climate change impacts, environmental justice areas of potential concern, sensitive populations (e.g. children, elderly, tribes, urban/rural residents, and others at increased risk), and/or Southeast New England coastal watersheds].

• Assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks.

• Increase collaboration through partnerships and community-based projects.

• Build institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems.

• Advance emergency preparedness and ecosystem resilience.

• Reduce pollution at the source.

• Achieve measurable environmental and human health benefits.

The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment (air, water, and land) upon which life depends. EPA's purpose is to ensure that:

• All Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work.

• National efforts to reduce environmental risk are based on the best available scientific information.

• Federal laws protecting human health and the environment are enforced fairly and effectively.

• Environmental protection is an integral consideration in U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy.

• All parts of society (e.g., communities, individuals, business, state and local governments, tribal governments) have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks.

• Environmental protection contributes to making our communities and ecosystems diverse, sustainable and economically productive.

• The United States plays a leadership role in working with other nations to protect the global environment.

EPA New England takes these broad goals and applies them directly to service the needs of New England residents in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont and federally recognized tribes in New England. Within the broad landscape of these states and tribes, EPA New England recognizes that not all communities share the same environmental and public health conditions. For example, in urban and environmental justice communities throughout New England, residents are exposed to a multitude of environmental and public health hazards, ranging from lead paint to rats on vacant lots to asthma aggravated by poor air quality.

Another concern is the ability in New England to successfully manage large-scale water quality problems on a watershed basis when governance institutions are based on home rule and local control. All communities need to plan for and address the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events. Cumulative environmental impacts are difficult to assess and address because of limited data, independent planning across state and municipal jurisdictions, and limited capacity to implement integrated projects. Measures that would positively affect water quality considerations are challenged by the lack of common goals and an effective platform to measure program effectiveness and track improvements. Cumulatively, the effects of these hazards on urban residents and other sensitive populations such as children, the elderly and tribal populations are compounded by issues including environmental injustice, limited economic development opportunities, and social ills. Some suburban and rural communities also face significant risks from industrial, commercial, agricultural or transportation activities in or near their communities. These types of conditions result in disproportionate health risks to residents and stress on the quality of the air, water, and land.

To maximize effectiveness and resources, several EPA New England programs are working in partnership to improve environmental conditions for residents across New England. EPA New England’s Air Quality Outreach, Assistance & Pollution Prevention, Asthma, Children’s Environmental Health and Clean, Green and Healthy Schools Initiative, Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program (SNECWRP), Toxics, Urban Environmental Program, and Water Infrastructure Programs (Stormwater, Wastewater, and Drinking Water) are working together to competitively identify projects that will achieve measurable environmental and public health results in Target Investment Areas and Target Program Areas across New England (see Section I, C, Target Investment Areas & Target Program Areas for more details). These participating programs share a focus on preventing and reducing environmental and human health risks and/or advancing ecosystem resilience. Staff and leadership from each of these programs will jointly review and select projects for funding using the criteria listed in Section V of this announcement.

Please read the descriptions below to learn more about each participating program. More information on each participating program’s activities, projects, and accomplishments is available at www.epa.gov/region01.

http://www.epa.gov/region01

• Air Quality Outreach: The Air Quality Outreach program aims to increase public awareness of air quality issues so that people can take steps to protect their health and reduce their contribution to air pollution. For example, EPA works with state air agencies to provide real-time air pollution levels, as well as forecasts, to warn residents of poor air quality in their area. Also, specifically with respect to wood smoke pollution, EPA promotes measures individuals can take to reduce emissions from residential wood burning activities. These include encouraging the change-out of old wood burning appliances for newer, more efficient models and recommending tips that can be used for building cleaner burning fires.

• Assistance & Pollution Prevention: The Office of Assistance and Pollution Prevention assists communities, businesses, and governments to understand and comply with environmental regulations, to understand how to reduce and track pollution, and how to most effectively use limited resources to improve public health or the environment. Pollution prevention techniques aim to reduce the amount and/or toxicity of pollutants at the source (e.g., air emissions, liquid discharges, solid or hazardous waste).

• Asthma: The Asthma Program supports asthma interventions that improve self-management of the disease by increasing the number of people with asthma who take actions to reduce their exposures to environmental triggers and/or encourage the support and development of sustainable home intervention programs. EPA has identified children and low income individuals as disproportionately impacted by asthma and put an emphasis on reaching these populations, as well as assisting with the training of healthcare professionals on asthma trigger management and the effectiveness of comprehensive asthma management programs. Additionally, collaboration among stakeholders is encouraged if it provides a means to reduce the burden of asthma on a regional level.

• Children’s Environmental Health and Clean, Green and Healthy Schools Initiative:

Under the Healthy High-Performance Schools subtitle of Title IV of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of December 2007, the Clean, Green and Healthy Schools Initiative is integrated across all EPA programs to address children’s environmental health at K-12 schools and to improve school environmental health through EPA resources, including the EPA School Siting Guidelines and EPA State School Environmental Health Guidelines.

• Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program (SNECWRP):

SNECWRP is a new geographic program focused on building region-wide, large-scale partnerships to advance and implement a common vision, goals, strategies, tools, and priorities for coastal watersheds in southeast New England. The goal is broadly to protect and restore ecosystem function by integrating physical processes, water quality, and critical habitat. This integration (functioning habitat results from adequate water quality, water quality is improved by processing contributions of aquatic habitats) creates the conditions for ecosystem success. Key strategies for this program include restoring connectivity, rebuilding natural hydrology, reducing stormwater inputs, supporting the return of fish and wildlife, promoting fishable and swimmable uses of waterways, incorporating low-impact development, and integrating innovative technologies and policies into restoration projects.

Special attention is targeted to managing the impact of nutrients, which are a major source of ecological and water quality impairments.

• Toxics: The Toxics Program regulates and provides oversight over a variety of different toxic chemicals (e.g. Lead, Mercury, PCBs, etc.) regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

• Urban Environmental Program: The Urban Environmental Program has worked since 1995 to facilitate partnership development with communities, government and other stakeholders to address environmental and public health problems including lead poisoning, asthma and indoor air quality, ambient air quality, open space and green space, vacant lots, environmental justice, and urban rivers and wetlands in targeted New England urban areas across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

• Water Infrastructure Program (Stormwater, Wastewater, and Drinking Water): The Water

Programs works with regulated entities including municipalities, wastewater systems, and drinking water systems to protect the environment and public health. Through regulations, technical assistance, outreach, funding, and training, EPA’s Water Program works with federal, state and local partners to sustain the adequacy and integrity of water infrastructure in communities throughout New England. Particular emphasis has been placed on working with communities to assess vulnerabilities and adapt stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water infrastructure to ensure these critical services will be maintained, even in extreme weather events.

The Healthy Communities Grant Program consists of activities authorized under one or more of the following EPA grant authorities listed under Clean Air Act, Section 103(b)(3); Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3); Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442(a) and (c); Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001; Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10; Marine Protection, Research, & Sanctuaries Act, Section 203; Indian Environmental General Assistance Program Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, Section 311; and Fiscal Year 2015 Omnibus, Consolidation and Further Appropriations Act, Public Law 113-235.

The statutory authorities for this program restrict the use of assistance agreements to support the following activities: conducting or promoting the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, and elimination of water pollution.

Demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, and it is encouraged that the results of these projects will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained. 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 considered a demonstration project.

In addition, for this year, the Fiscal Year 2015 Omnibus, Consolidation and Further Appropriations Act, Public Law 113-235 authorizes implementation activities to support SNECWRP priorities.

Applicants interested in implementation projects to support SNECWP must identify both the “Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration” Target Program Area and the “Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds” Target Investment Area. Please note that projects identifying the Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Target Program Area must select the Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Target Investment Area and are restricted from selecting additional Target Program Areas and/or Target Investment Areas as part of the proposal.

Please see Section I, C, Target Program Areas, F for the types of projects that are eligible under the “Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds” Target Program Area.

To learn more about additional requirements for authorized activities, applicants are encouraged to attend a Healthy Communities Grant Program information session. Please see Section IV, F, Information Sessions for further details.

B. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated Outcomes/Outputs

Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan: Under the Healthy Communities Grant Program, applicants will propose innovative approaches and other actions that may differ depending on the proposed projects. Overall projects must address one or more of the Target Investment Areas (Areas at Risk from Climate Change Impacts, Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern, Sensitive Populations and/or Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds) and one or more of the Target Program Areas (Capacity-Building on Environmental and Public Health Issues; Clean, Green and Healthy Schools; Community and Water Infrastructure Resilience; Healthy Indoor Environments;

Healthy Outdoor Environments; and/or Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration).

Please see below and Section III for further information.

Awards under the Healthy Communities Grant Program directly support progress towards many areas of EPA’s 2014-2018 Strategic Plan depending on the project, including Goal 1, Addressing Climate Change and Improving Air Quality, Objective 1.1 (Address Climate Change), Objective 1.2 (Improve Air Quality), Goal 2, Protecting America’s Waters, Objective 2.1 (Protect Human Health), Objective 2.2 (Protect and Restore Watersheds and Aquatic Ecosystems), Goal 3, Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development, Objective 3.1 (Promote Sustainable and Livable Communities), Objective 3.2 (Preserve Land), Objective 3.4 (Strengthen Human Health and Environmental Protection in Indian Country, and Goal 4, Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution, Objective 4.1 (Ensure Chemical Safety), Objective 4.2 (Promote Pollution Prevention).

Outcomes & Outputs: Outputs refer to measurable quantitative or qualitative activities, efforts, deliverables, or work products that the applicant proposes to undertake during the project period.

The anticipated outputs for Healthy Communities Grant Program cooperative agreements will vary from applicant to applicant, but will be identified as "Project Deliverables" in Attachment E of the full proposal. All applicants will be expected to clearly identify their outputs depending on the Target Program Area(s) selected by the applicant and achieve them during the proposed project period.

Grant recipients will be required to submit quarterly status reports about their progress towards achieving outputs once the project is implemented.

The anticipated outputs for Healthy Communities projects will vary depending on the scope of the project and linkage to one or more Target Program Area(s). Anticipated outputs for potential projects are organized by Target Program Area below and may include, but are not limited to:

Capacity-Building on Environment and Public Health Issues:

Number of families, individuals or stakeholders reached through education, outreach, demonstrations, training, surveys and/or studies related to the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention or elimination of pollution in soil, water and/or air.

Creation and implementation of effective education, outreach, demonstration, and/or training tools to reach target population.

Reduction in hazards, water use, energy consumption, and/or carbon dioxide/GHG emissions through pollution prevention efforts.

Pounds of organic waste diverted from municipal solid waste disposal.

Reduction in asthma rates due to better management of asthma triggers or reduction in exposure to pesticides or toxic substances.

Clean, Green and Healthy Schools:

Number of schools in underserved communities that received school environmental health information, participated in capacity-building exercises, and/or took action to become cleaner, greener, and healthier.

Number of school decision-makers who received school environmental health information and/or participated in capacity-building exercises.

Number of schools or school districts that have taken action to become cleaner, greener, and healthier.

Number of activities that improve indoor environments and reduce risk factors for asthma onset and/or exacerbations, including remediating water damage, improving HVAC systems, using materials and equipment that do not contain harmful chemicals (e.g., formaldehyde), and creating healthy outdoor play spaces to encourage physical exercise.

Number of activities that encourage training of educators, administrators, and all staff about asthmagens to which they may be exposed in their workplaces (e.g., sanitizers, cleaners, pest control products).

Community and Water Infrastructure Resilience:

Number of communities with completed vulnerability assessments that cover projected climate change impacts, including impacts to water infrastructure.

Development and adoption of a common vision for addressing restoration and protection issues.

Creation of public outreach campaign to provide information on climate change and need for local adaptation measures.

Number of communities with Resilience Plans that account for projected climate change impacts, including impacts to their water infrastructure.

Number of communities that have integrated climate change into their local plans, including ordinances and emergency preparedness.

Number of communities that have conducted emergency preparedness exercises to test the adequacy of local plans in addressing projected climate change impacts.

Healthy Indoor Environments:

Number of families, individuals, stakeholders, or geographic areas serviced by education, outreach or intervention to reduce indoor air toxics.

Identification of methods or techniques leading to a comprehensive healthy homes project which potentially reduces indoor toxins including, but not limited to, lead, pesticides, PCBs, dioxin, and/or mercury.

Number of families, individuals, stakeholders, or geographic areas serviced or participating in efforts to reduce exposure to indoor toxins including, but not limited to, lead and pesticides, mercury.

Pounds of material (municipal solid waste) being diverted, reused, recycled or composted in an indoor and the impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

Pounds of pesticides or other hazardous cleaning agents no longer used in target geographic area.

Reduction in asthma rates due to better management of asthma triggers or reduction in exposure to pesticides or toxic substances.

Number of communities working with businesses to reduce toxics use, particularly in flood-prone communities, in order to eliminate or reduce risks to human health and eliminate or reduce the risk of the release of toxics for hazardous substances into the environment.

Healthy Outdoor Environments:

Number of families, individuals or stakeholders reached through education, outreach, demonstrations, training, surveys and/or studies related to the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention or elimination of pollution in soil, water and/or air.

Creation of effective education, outreach, demonstration, and/or training tools to reach target population.

Number of wood smoke education kits distributed to communities.

Pounds of pesticides no longer used in target geographic area.

Reduction in the amount of pollutants coming from facilities or common practices due to outreach on accident prevention, facility management, compliance assistance, and pollution prevention-based sector and municipal-based approaches.

Pounds of organic waste diverted from municipal solid waste disposal.

Reduction in pollutants such as pesticides, animal feeding, operations runoff, and/or oils/grease.

Number of communities working with businesses to reduce toxics use, particularly in flood-prone communities, in order to eliminate or reduce risks to human health and eliminate or reduce the risk of the release of toxics for hazardous substances into the environment.

Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration:

Number of broad, regional-scale partnerships established among water quality, habitat, and natural resource agencies to implement large-scale projects and deliver tools to restore water quality or habitat (e.g., identifying headwater streams and nutrient sinks).

Number/creation of mechanisms for tech transfer and communicating lessons, models, and other information to house and promote effective regional-scale approaches.

Number of integrated strategies adopted and implemented.

Number of project design plans for regional wetlands, salt marsh, eelgrass, and other coastal watershed restoration.

Number of communities that implement stormwater finance mechanisms to fund stormwater projects.

Development and adoption of strategies to create markets and/or incentives for new and/or more efficient approaches in areas such as monitoring, septic system performance, or nutrient controls in stormwater.

Pounds of nutrients reduced from best management practices including nutrient technologies to reduce septic system, stormwater, etc.

Number of innovative technologies installed and tested for efficacy, including measurements of the improvements they offer over existing approaches.

Number of projects that monitor effectiveness of nutrient reduction technologies and number of projects that monitor the improvement of water quality or habitat.

Outcomes refer to the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from carrying out the activities or outputs of the project. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related or programmatic, should be quantitative, and may not necessarily be achievable during the project period. Short-term outcomes include, but are not limited to: increased learning, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and motivation, and must occur during the proposed project period. All of the awards under this announcement are expected to result in the general short term outcomes identified below.

The anticipated short-term outcomes listed below are expected to result in reducing environmental risks to protect and improve human health and the quality of life in order to create healthy communities and ecosystems related to many of the goals in EPA’s Strategic Plan. Anticipated short-term outcomes include, but are not limited to:

Increased resources to benefit communities at risk.

Increased access to information and tools that increase understanding and reduction of environmental and human health risks.

Increased public understanding of chemicals at risk in their community.

Increased collaboration and partnerships through community-based and/or watershed-based water quality projects.

Improved institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems.

Measurable improvements in public health conditions including, but not limited to:

improvement in quality of life for asthmatics, including increased number of symptom-free days; reduction in use of rescue medications; reduction in number of missed school/work days; reduction in number of emergency room visits, and/or hospital readmissions related to asthma; or other quantifiable measures including reductions in the number of lead poisoned children; decreased use of pesticides; increase in pounds of crops grown using integrated pest management.

Measurable improvements to environmental and/or ecosystem conditions and management including, but not limited to: number of pounds or metric tons of greenhouse gas eliminated;

expanded state and nonprofit organization monitoring capacity and collection and communication of watershed wide data, adoption of riparian and headwaters protection strategies; reduction in kilowatt hours of energy used; adoption of strategies to address nutrients such as adoption of fertilizer use ordinances or laws; increase in gallons of water conserved, increase in the number of pollution prevention assessments, lifecycle analyses, and/or lean manufacturing assessments conducted at businesses, institutions or local government facilities; adoption of pollution prevention activities at businesses and/or communities; increased strategies and resources for watershed-scale protection and/or restoration of key habitats and physical systems).

In addition, the projects may result in additional outcomes which will vary depending on the Target Program Area(s) identified by the applicant. Both the expected short-term outcomes identified above and any other expected outcomes must be defined in the Project Summary, Section D of the Full Proposal Narrative (see Attachment D), and outlined on the Project Schedule (see Attachment E).

C. Target Investment Areas & Target Program Areas In order to qualify as eligible projects under the Healthy Communities Grant Program, proposed projects must meet the following criteria: (1) Be located in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas described below; and (2) Identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas described below. To learn more about the outputs and outcomes expected, please see Section I, B, EPA Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated Outcomes/Outputs.

The Healthy Communities Grant Program seeks to fund projects that are in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas of: Areas at Risk from Climate Change Impacts, Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern, Sensitive Populations, and/or Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds in one or more of the EPA New England States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and/or Vermont. Every proposal must clearly identify and explain how the project will link to one or more of the Target Investment Areas listed and described below.

Target Investment Areas: Areas at Risk from Climate Change Impacts, Environmental

Justice Areas of Potential Concern, Sensitive Populations, and/or Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds

a. Areas at Risk from Climate Change Impacts: For purposes of this grant program, “Areas at Risk from Climate Change Impacts” include areas that are located within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 500 or 100 year flood zones and United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Hurricane Inundation Zones, or other areas that have been designated as having a risk of flooding through local, state or federal studies. Areas may also be designated as at risk from climate change impacts based on past impacts experienced during extreme weather events such as Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Irene or if it is an area with high levels of impervious cover, stormwater runoff, and/or has experienced contamination from bacteria, nutrients, and/or other pollutants of concern (e.g.

sediment, heavy metals, phosphorus, nitrogen, etc.) that is negatively impacting local water quality (e.g. rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands, etc.). To qualify under this Target Investment Area, applicants must demonstrate that their project will directly involve and/or benefit an area at risk from climate change impacts.

b. Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern: For the purposes of this grant program, “Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern” refers to communities, neighborhoods, geographic areas or tribes in New England that potentially have been disproportionately affected by environmental and/or public health burdens in a defined geographic area. EPA New England is committed to promoting and supporting Environmental Justice which is 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 that no group of people, including any racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic group, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies. “Meaningful Involvement” means that: (1) potentially affected community residents have an appropriate opportunity to participate in decisions about a proposed activity that will affect their environment and/or health; (2) the public's contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision; (3) the concerns of all participants involved will be considered in the decision-making process; and (4) the decision-makers seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected. To qualify under this Target Investment Area, applicants must provide a description of the characteristics of the population and challenges facing the community, neighborhood, or tribe benefitting from the proposed activity, an identification of the potential environmental and health burdens experienced, and an explanation of how the proposed project will address the identified burdens to demonstrate that their project will provide fair treatment and meaningful involvement to members of communities, neighborhoods, or tribes in New England that potentially have been disproportionately affected by environmental and health burdens.

c. Sensitive Populations: For the purposes of this grant program, “Sensitive Populations” refers to populations including children, elderly, tribes, and/or others at increased risk that may be more susceptible to the effects of pollution. EPA’s mission is to ensure that all Americans have a safe and healthy environment where we live, work, and play. However, health-based environmental standards are generally based on risks to healthy adult males, not sensitive populations. Children are more susceptible to the effects of pollution because pound-for-pound, they eat, drink and breathe more than adults and because their immune systems are not fully developed. Older Americans and those with chronic illness also face higher health risks due to their immune system vulnerability. Tribal members may be more susceptible to risks because of their subsistence fishing and hunting, poverty and exposure to many sources of environmental pollution. Other socioeconomic and cultural factors can also impact the environment and health of certain populations, such as urban areas with disproportionate asthma burdens. To qualify under this Target Investment Area, applicants must demonstrate that their project will directly involve and/or benefit the health of sensitive populations (e.g. children, elderly, tribes or others at increased risk) in EPA New England states.

d. Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds: For the purposes of this grant program, “Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds” refers to communities and resources within the coastal watersheds in Rhode Island and Massachusetts draining to the Rhode Island, Vineyard, and Nantucket Sounds from Westerly RI to Chatham MA, and including all the watersheds of Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay, and the islands of Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. The coastal watersheds of southeast New England share similar geography, geology, and environmental legacies that have resulted in extensive areas of degraded fish and wildlife habitat, as well as resources and water quality problems that cross geographical boundaries. These legacies include rivers hydrologically disconnected from the landscape by dams and restrictions, lost wetlands, and a combination of centuries-old urbanization and aged infrastructure -- features exacerbated by excess nutrient (nitrogen) pollution from wastewater, stormwater, and atmospheric deposition. In addition, the area’s singular “home rule” scale of local management has led to particular challenges in implementing and sustaining more effective, regionally-based protection and restoration. Although numerous watershed organizations, NGOs, and state and federal agencies fully recognize the value of more broadly based approaches to conservation and restoration, an efficient and collaborative mechanism to adopt and sustain such approaches has not yet been implemented. To qualify under this Target Investment Area, applicants must demonstrate that their project will directly involve and/or be located within the watersheds of the Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program (SNECWRP) that are currently experiencing or anticipating ecosystem impacts of climate change, nutrients, stormwater, and/or habitat loss. Please see http://www.epa.gov/region1/snecwrp/aboutregion.html for further detail, including a map of the geographic area.

Every proposal must clearly identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas described below.

Target Program Areas: Capacity-Building on Environmental and Public Health Issues;

Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools; Community and Water Resource Resilience; Healthy Indoor Environments; Healthy Outdoor Environments; and/or Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration

a. Capacity Building on Environmental and Public Health Issues: Projects that focus on providing training, education, outreach, and/or engagement on the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention and/or elimination of one or more of the following environmental and public health issues: indoor/ambient air quality, lead, asthma, pesticides, chemical risks, recycling, energy efficiency and/or conservation, pollution prevention, food waste minimization or diversion, and/or renewable energy.

Project Examples:

Conduct an Environment, Energy, and Economy (E3) pilot project for source reduction or pollution prevention in a manufacturing or service sector.

Conduct a research project to support EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge by reducing, diverting, or minimizing wasted food in an organization utilizing the food recovery hierarchy (source reduction, feed the people, feed the animals, industrial uses, composting and landfill/incineration) for venues (conference centers, sporting venues), the hospitality sector (hotels, restaurants, malls, and/or the grocery sector.

Conduct an education and outreach campaign to increase food recovery rates in an urban area (i.e., Food Too Good to Waste).

Organize and coordinate an effective pollution prevention roundtable in the northeast that includes representatives from states or other entities that conducts outreach to sectors and targeted audiences to promote source reduction, pollution prevention, facility management, and compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.

Create and pilot outcome measurement tools such as calculators that help entities (businesses, schools, municipal, etc.) quantify their source and pollution prevention reductions.

http://www.epa.gov/region1/snecwrp/aboutregion.html

Conduct outreach and education activities that result in better outcomes, improved health, or lead to a reduction in the use of toxic chemicals in areas where children spend their time (home, daycare, and/or school) and reduce childhood exposure to harmful chemicals (e.g. pesticides, toxics cleaning agents, hazardous chemicals used to teach art, science or vocational classroom).

Develop and conduct an education campaign for target populations on multiple exposure pathways for environmental and public health hazards (e.g. activity-based, media-based, or place-based).

Conduct an education and outreach campaign in a low-income, diverse neighborhood on reducing chemical use or exposure (in homes, businesses, institutions, municipal facilities, etc.), vehicle idling, ambient air quality, and/or comprehensive asthma trigger reduction.

Educate stakeholders, such as nurses, outreach workers, and/or community leaders on environmental exposures and reduction actions and incorporate the learning into their work with clients.

Work with health based organizations to develop and support sustainable home intervention programs.

Conduct an inventory of chemical risks facing a vulnerable population (e.g. tribes, children, elderly, and/or others at increased risk) and communicate information on safety and risk reduction methods to key stakeholders including state and/or local preparedness officials.

Gather existing tools, strategies, and case studies on good flood preparedness techniques, as well as community-supported efforts to work with small businesses in reducing or eliminating hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants and improved preparedness for flood events in order to electronically share this information for further community and business adoption. Such small businesses could include but are not limited to the following sectors: automotive repair and refinishing, printing, dry cleaners, landscapers, metal platers, and refinishers, etc.

b. Clean, Green and Healthy Schools: Projects that focus on creating clean, green and healthy school environments by promoting EPA’s State School Environmental Health Guidelines, EPA’s Voluntary Guidelines for Selecting Safe School Location and/or implementing replicable programs across New England serving children’s environmental health at K-12 schools.

Project Examples:

Develop, improve upon existing, and/or promote site specific environmental health assessments, which can be used by schools to determine their environmental health baselines, identify issues of concern, and help schools prioritize which environmental health problems to address.

Conduct a “cleaning for health program”, promoting procurement of safer cleaners and disinfectants and developing cleaning policies and procedures for programs that are tenants of public schools and other spaces.

Develop cleaning policies and procedures for programs that are tenants of public schools and other spaces.

Reduce exposure to pesticides and pests by promoting the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies in these settings, e.g., strengthening the training and technical assistance components and advancing IPM techniques using EPA Tools for Schools action kits.

c. Community and Water Resource Resilience: Projects that advance the emergency preparedness and resilience of communities and water infrastructure: stormwater, wastewater and/or drinking water.

Design and conduct an educational and outreach campaign to increase awareness of climate change and encourage local action to adapt to projected climate change impacts.

Conduct a vulnerability assessment of community critical public service functions, including water infrastructure, as it relates to climate change impacts such as flooding.

Assess the adequacy of local plans (e.g. emergency hazard, debris management, ordinances) and develop recommendations to address the projected impacts of climate change.

Design and conduct a local emergency preparedness workshop and table top exercise to test out the communities’ response to projected extreme weather events.

Develop a community resilience plan, a risk assessment, cost estimates of mitigation, and action plan that addresses vulnerabilities to projected climate change impacts.

Develop a public outreach campaign to identify and share information of chemicals at risk in a community and prepare resilience plan to protect the citizens during extreme weather events and/or other climate change impacts.

Assess business preparedness and/or provide outreach to businesses (particularly small businesses) that use hazardous substances in order to raise awareness about preventing release of hazardous substances and hazardous waste during a flood event.

d. Healthy Indoor Environments: Projects that focus on reducing and/or preventing childhood lead poisoning, reducing asthma triggers, promoting integrated pest management; reducing childhood exposure to one or more toxins (PCBs, dioxin, mercury, lead, pesticides, etc.), promoting comprehensive healthy homes and/or other indoor environments.

Design and conduct an education and outreach campaign to increase recycling rates in an urban area.

Design and conduct an integrated pest management project which reduces pesticide exposures for elderly populations (e.g. nursing homes, community centers, etc.).

Design and conduct an education and outreach campaign to identify housing at risk for lead and provide in-home education to families to prevent childhood lead poisoning.

e. Healthy Outdoor Environments: Projects that focus on reducing and/or preventing exposure to toxics in the air, soil and/or water by addressing the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention and/or elimination of pollution in rivers and/or other natural resources.

Develop and provide community workshops to educate the community on the health risks of wood smoke exposure, including the creation of a wood smoke education kit for distribution to other communities.

Design and conduct an education and outreach campaign to address stormwater overflows and poor water quality. Use and promotion of green infrastructure opportunities to achieve pollution prevention is encouraged.

Develop and conduct a multilingual education campaign for urban residents on exposure to toxins in urban rivers or other natural resources and ways to prevent or eliminate those exposures.

Target reduction of combustion by-products, such as environmental tobacco smoke, wood smoke, and smoke from burning of trash and brush through education and awareness campaigns.

Create a stakeholder forum to identify and address environmental and/or public health risks in the community.

Assess business preparedness and/or provide outreach to businesses (particularly small businesses) that use hazardous substances in order to raise awareness about preventing release of hazardous substances and hazardous waste during a flood event.

f. Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration:

Large-scale projects that focus on regional, bi-state, or watershed approaches to integrate habitat, water quality, and physical processes; facilitate a vision to address complex problems across political boundaries, including next steps for project implementation and maintenance; organize effective and sustainable partnerships for action; accelerate reduction or prevention of nutrient impacts, and promote innovations and efficiencies through integrated ecosystem management. All projects should describe the potential for transferability to other areas located within the Southeast New England Coastal Watershed region. Specific appropriation language in FY15 authorizes implementation activities to support Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration priorities. Please note: Applicants that identify this Target Program Area are required to identify the “Southeast New England Coastal Watersheds” as a Target Investment Area for the proposed project. In addition, projects identifying this Target Program Area are restricted from selecting additional Target Program Areas and/or Target Investment Areas as part of the proposal.

Develop broad and sustainable partnerships, tools, and techniques to advance water quality and habitat restoration across the region.

Implement protection and restoration projects that contribute to water quality and resilience to climate change, including phases of strategic planning and prioritization of proposed projects, watershed assessment and targeting of most suitable sites, project design, and construction.

Develop and pilot market-based approaches to regional nutrient management and other environmental priorities; e.g., identifying data and reporting requirements to implement nutrient trading/credit schemes between treatment plants and other sources; developing regional markets for nutrient reducing technologies; implementing means to share equipment, databases, management tools, or approaches that increase efficiency through common approaches and resources across jurisdictional or program management boundaries.

Organize regional or multi-user administrative and financial policies to scale up, install, and operate nutrient-reducing stormwater and septic system technologies, including supporting opportunities to adopt innovative and comprehensive stormwater management approaches for BMP development, financing strategies, and efficiencies in O&M.

Consolidate and adopt management changes to enable integrated municipal planning for water infrastructure, including…