PKG00253428-instructions.pdf

Federal Agency Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

Funding Opportunity Title: Training for Improved Protection of Drinking Water Sources

Announcement Type: Request for Applications (RFA)

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.424

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OW-OGWDW-19-02

Dates:

Application Submission All applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov as explained further in Section IV. Applications must be submitted by September 13, 2019 at 11:59 P.M. EDT. Late applications will not be considered for funding.

Question Submission Questions about this RFA must be submitted in writing via e-mail and must be received by the Agency contact identified in Section VII, AGENCY CONTACTS, before September 13, 2019.

Written responses to questions will be posted on EPA’s website at:

https://www.epa.gov/uic/underground-injection-control-grants.

Please note that answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) are available at:

https://www.epa.gov/uic/underground-injection-control-grants; EPA strongly recommends interested applicants refer to the FAQs webpage prior to submitting a question.

Note to Applicants: Following EPA’s evaluation of applications, all applicants will be notified regarding their status. If you name subawardees/subgrantees and/or contractor(s) in your application to assist you with the proposed project, pay careful attention to the information in the CONTRACTS AND SUBAWARDS provision found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses.

Summary:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications from eligible applicants for training that will enhance communication and coordination between the EPA and the states1 to protect drinking water sources. The training should develop and expand the capability of state and tribal Underground Injection Control (UIC) programs (Classes I-VI) and state and tribal Source Water Protection (SWP) programs to protect drinking water sources. Funds awarded under this announcement may be used by recipients to promote non-federal participation in meetings that improve the ability to protect drinking water sources and to support the travel expenses of non-federal personnel to attend appropriate meetings.

The proposed activities support the Agency’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 – 2022, Goal 1: Core Mission, Objective 1.2: Provide for Clean and Safe Water. EPA’s Strategic Plan is available at: https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan. The statutory authority for this announcement

1 Throughout this RFA, reference is made to state UIC and SWP programs. It is assumed to also include tribes and territories.

https://www.epa.gov/uic/underground-injection-control-grants https://www.epa.gov/uic/underground-injection-control-grants https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan is Section 1442(c) of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Eligible applicants under this competition are states, local governments, territories, Indian tribes, and possessions of the U.S. (including the District of Columbia), public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, and public and private nonprofit institutions2. Individuals are not eligible to apply. For-profit organizations are not eligible to apply. Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in prohibited lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply.

The total amount of expected federal funding available under this announcement is approximately $900,000, depending on the Agency’s funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. It is anticipated that one award will be made under this announcement. It is anticipated that the award will be incrementally funded at approximately $300,000 per year and will have a three-year project period.

CONTENTS BY SECTION

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

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Background The EPA, together with states, tribes, and its many partners, protects public health by protecting current and future drinking water sources and ensuring the availability of high quality drinking water.

Two programs within the EPA that protect drinking water sources are the Underground Injection Control and Source Water Protection programs.

The EPA’s UIC program protects current and future underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) from endangerment by setting minimum requirements for siting, construction, operation

2 Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations. Note that 2 CFR Part 200 specifically excludes the following types of organizations from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation: (i) institutions of higher education; and (ii) state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments. While not considered to be a non-profit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, Institutions of Higher Education and state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR 200.70 are also eligible to apply. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

and closure of injection wells that emplace fluids underground for storage or disposal. The purpose of the UIC requirements is to protect USDWs by ensuring that injected fluids do not endanger sources of drinking water or otherwise adversely affect public health. Injection wells are directly regulated by either a state or tribal agency, or the EPA. The UIC program also provides information for owners and operators of injection wells and state regulators on how to safely operate injection wells to prevent contamination of underground sources of drinking water. The EPA’s SWP program promotes tools and strategies that can be used to help protect drinking water sources. The SWP program encourages partnerships among state and tribal agencies, local governments, utilities, non-governmental organizations, and citizen groups to carry out the source water protection actions.

The EPA works with states and tribes to implement the UIC and SWP programs. The goal of this solicitation is to improve the capacity of states and tribes, working with the EPA, to protect drinking water sources and public health. States and tribes administer their UIC programs as “co-regulators” with the EPA. Therefore, the training should enhance communication and coordination between the EPA and the states/tribes with primary enforcement responsibility (primacy) to protect drinking water sources. The training should also help ensure that state and tribal interests are effectively represented in the development of national UIC policies and programs that states and tribes administer. The EPA has approved primacy for UIC well classes I-V for 34 states and three territories; it shares responsibility in seven states and two Indian tribes (the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and the Navajo), and directly implements the UIC program for all well classes in nine states, two territories, the District of Columbia and remaining tribes (https://www.epa.gov/uic/primary-enforcement-authority-underground-injection-control-program).

The EPA directly implements the Class VI program for 49 states, all tribes, and territories, while North Dakota has Class VI primacy.

The SWP program helps protect sources of drinking water delivered by drinking water utilities and withdrawn by private wells. Sources of drinking water include groundwater, streams, rivers, springs or lakes. Although most water requires some treatment before use, protecting these sources of water is an important part of providing safe drinking water to the public. SWP usually requires the combined efforts of many partners at the federal, state, and local levels. The SDWA Amendments of 1996 required states to develop and implement source water assessment programs to analyze existing and potential threats to the quality of the public drinking water throughout the state. In addition, the American Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018 amends SDWA to expand source water protection-related eligibilities under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. This expanded eligibility illustrates Congress’ recognition of the important role source water protection plays in public health protection and a water system’s capacity to deliver safe and reliable drinking water. The SWP program is primarily implemented on a voluntary basis through partnership activities, as there is no federal mandate requiring state and local governments to maintain SWP programs. While the EPA and other federal, state, and local organizations have made considerable strides through a broad range of efforts, much work remains to be done. Substantial opportunities remain for leveraging EPA’s programs and partnerships with external organizations to comprehensively protect drinking water sources.

For more information on EPA’s UIC program, please go to: http://www.epa.gov/uic. For more information on EPA’s SWP program, please go to: http://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection.

B. Project Description The EPA is soliciting applications from eligible applicants to provide training to develop and expand https://www.epa.gov/uic/primary-enforcement-authority-underground-injection-control-program http://www.epa.gov/uic http://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection the capability of state and tribal UIC and SWP programs. In their applications, applicants should describe their proposed approach to providing training that will achieve these objectives. The project elements described below provide detail on roles and responsibilities that are important in improving the capability of states and tribes to protect drinking water sources and public health. The description below does not attempt to be comprehensive. Applicants are encouraged to identify additional project elements in their applications that may not be included in the announcement, and that may contribute to overall project success.

1. Provide leadership and support to states and tribes on emerging and/or high priority issues.

The successful applicant will provide leadership and support to states and tribes by assisting state and tribal officials who are responsible for implementing state and tribal UIC and SWP programs in identifying UIC and source water protection issues, prioritizing those issues, and developing strategies to address those issues. The successful applicant will monitor, coordinate, represent, and advance state and tribal environmental interests among states and tribes.

It is anticipated that the successful applicant will identify one or two emerging and/or high priority issues for both the UIC and SWP programs per year for each year of the three-year project period. The emerging and/or high priority issues should reflect input from state and tribal agencies involved in implementation of the UIC and SWP programs to inform national policy. Examples of emerging and/or high priority issues for the UIC program include, but are not limited to the items listed below.

• Class II disposal wells and induced seismicity.

• Class V wells such as aquifer storage and recovery wells.

• Class VI wells.

• UIC training module development.

• UIC Data Application utilization.

• Identification of challenges and tools to protect and promote protection of sources of drinking water.

Examples of SWP program emerging and/or high priority issues include, but are not limited to the items listed below.

• Fostering state actions to promote updating source water assessments and implementation plans.

• Coordinating efforts across states to utilize funding sources, such as Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) set-asides.

• Enlisting state drinking water program leadership to prioritize source water protection into state drinking water programs. In addition, coordinating efforts across Clean Water Act programs, including non-point sources.

• Assisting states in tracking and reporting their progress towards strategic targets.

The successful applicant will convene and facilitate discussions and workgroups that will encourage state and tribal participation in recommending strategies to address emerging and/or high priority UIC and SWP program issues. Discussions of these issues should include identifying the best management practices from among state and tribal agency officials, as well as policy and technical options, implementation approaches and impacts, and strategies for solutions in the context of the federal/state/tribal UIC and the SWP programs. The successful applicant should develop products that states and tribes can utilize and benefit from, such as an issue analysis and synthesis of best management policies and implementation approaches other states and tribes have successfully used to address the issue.

The successful applicant will identify and invite appropriate participants for discussions and workgroups, including stakeholders and relevant experts. The primary participants of the discussions and workgroups will be state and tribal agency officials involved in implementation of drinking water protection programs (e.g., UIC and SWP programs) as well as other federal and non-federal stakeholders. Federal stakeholders may participate, but will constitute a small percentage of each discussion group and workgroup.

Activities may include preparing agendas, facilitating conference calls and meetings, and summarizing discussion of action items on emerging and/or high priority issues. A portion of the assistance funds may be used by the successful applicant to defray transportation and subsistence expenses for non-federal attendees to attend discussions/workgroups. The applicant is solely responsible for determining a methodology for selecting and funding reimbursement requests and providing a report on how participating non-federal attendees benefited from the discussions/workgroups. The EPA will not participate in the selection or approval of individuals who receive travel assistance.

2. Sponsor annual meetings for UIC and SWP programs.

It is anticipated that the successful applicant will sponsor (or cosponsor) an annual UIC meeting and an annual Source Water Protection meeting for state and tribal agency officials engaged in implementing protection of drinking water (including UIC and SWP programs). Meetings should also supply ample opportunities for interaction between the EPA and state and tribal co-regulators.

Opportunities for state and tribal co-regulator only sessions facilitated by the applicant, especially in situations where premature disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause misinterpretations or violate privacy interests, should be included. Applicants should, to the extent practicable, identify specific anticipated meetings in their application and indicate the expected target audience and the need for a face-to-face meeting.

The meetings should be held in locations that will allow for broad attendance of state and tribal co-regulators and other stakeholders as well as provide geographic diversity during the three-year project period. The applicant may choose to combine the annual meetings for UIC and source water protection issues, and/or combine them with other meetings, provided that the applicant can demonstrate that the appropriate audiences will still be served by doing so. The applicant should consider ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the annual meetings and encourage off-site participation through, for example, the use of webinars and video conferences.

A portion of the assistance funds may be used by the successful applicant to defray transportation and subsistence expenses for non-federal meeting attendees. The applicant is solely responsible for determining a methodology for selecting and funding reimbursement requests and providing a report on how participating non-federal attendees benefited from the annual meetings. The EPA will not participate in the selection or approval of individuals who receive travel assistance.

3. Support and encourage state and tribal participation in the UIC Data Application.

The UIC program collects and maintains a national dataset on injection wells and regulatory activities conducted by the federal, state, and tribal UIC programs. The data is used to increase public knowledge about the program’s protection of underground sources of drinking water and the effectiveness, management, and oversight of the National UIC program. Until 2018, the EPA collected the data through three mechanisms: the hardcopy Form 7520-1 through 7520-4, the electronic Inventory and Measures Reporting Site (IMRS), and the National UIC Database. In early 2018, the EPA modernized the data process with the UIC Data Application, a web-based application that collects and utilizes data. The successful applicant will facilitate discussions with state and tribal UIC programs to identify programs that may need technical assistance while transitioning from prior reporting mechanisms to the new UIC Data Application.

Activities may include, but are not limited to: supporting the primacy program as it adapts its data management systems to easily export data in the correct fields and formats, providing information to primacy programs about upcoming trainings and available user resources, providing opportunities for primacy programs to interact with the EPA regarding the UIC Data Application, and encouraging the use of existing data to promote data-driven public outreach and programmatic decision-making.

4. Disseminate and share information with states, tribes, and other stakeholders.

The successful applicant will stay abreast of relevant and timely issues and share this information with states, tribes, and other stakeholders. It is anticipated that information sharing (such as the items identified under Source Water high priority areas) may be accomplished by establishing multiple means of communication with and among states, tribes, and other stakeholders including, for example, face-to-face meetings, a dedicated website, e-mail contact lists, conference calls, and video conferences. Opportunities for collaborating with other organizations and meetings (e.g., the Source Water Collaborative, additional information is available at www.sourcewatercollaborative.org/) should be employed to the maximum extent possible. Types of information that may be of interest to the target audience of states, tribes, and other non-federal stakeholders include, but are not limited to, relevant technical and policy papers, UIC e-learning training modules, court decisions, and drafts/proposals of new federal or state policies/regulation that may have drinking water protection resource consequences for state UIC or SWP programs.

5. Additional project elements. Describe any additional elements or tasks that are proposed as key features of the project and how they will be implemented.

Applications will be evaluated based on the criteria in Section V. The EPA anticipates funding one award for approximately $900,000, depending on the amount requested and the overall size and scope of the project. It is anticipated that the project period for this award will be three years and that the award will be incrementally funded at approximately $300,000 per year.

C. EPA’s Strategic Plan and Anticipated Environmental Results The activities to be funded under this announcement support the EPA’s FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.

Awards made under this announcement will support Goal 1- Core Mission: Deliver real results to provide Americans with clean air, land, and water, and ensure chemical safety, Objective 1.2 - Provide for Clean and Safe Water: Ensure waters are clean through improved water infrastructure and, in partnership with states and tribes, sustainably manage programs to support drinking water, aquatic ecosystems, and recreational, economic, and subsistence activities of the EPA Strategic Plan (available at: https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html).

All proposed activities must demonstrate the linkage to the Strategic Plan and include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project as well-defined outputs, and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that demonstrate how the project will http://www.sourcewatercollaborative.org/ https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan contribute to the overall protection of ground and surface water sources of drinking water. Additional information regarding the EPA’s Strategic Plan and discussion of environmental results can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements.

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

Examples of anticipated outputs from the assistance agreement to be awarded under this announcement include, but are not limited to the items listed below.

• Identification of one or two emerging and/or high priority issues for both UIC and SWP programs on an annual basis.

• Organization and facilitation of discussions and/or workgroups to identify best practices, develop products that analyze or synthesize those practices, and develop policy and technical options.

• Preparation of an annual meeting for both the UIC and SWP programs for state and tribal co-regulator agency officials and other stakeholders engaged in implementing protection of drinking water sources.

• Expansion of state and tribal participation in the federal/state UIC Data Application.

• Promotion of communication tools and/or venues such as webinars, websites, and conference calls.

Outcomes are the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes are used as a way to gauge a project’s performance. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature. Outcomes must be quantitative and may not necessarily be achieved within an assistance agreement funding period. Outcomes may be short-term (changes in learning, knowledge, attitude, skills), intermediate (changes in behavior, practice or decisions), or long-term (changes in condition of the natural resource).

Examples of anticipated outcomes from the assistance agreement to be awarded under this announcement include, but are not limited to the items listed below.

• Increased awareness and knowledge of practices that promote protection of drinking water sources and the resulting benefits to public health protection efforts.

• Improved capacity of states and tribes with primacy to implement UIC programs.

• Improved ability to identify well types, locations, and types of fluids being injected nationwide.

• Enhanced exchange of information regarding best practices and improved capacity of state and tribal agencies to strengthen SWP programs.

As part of the Project Narrative, an applicant will be required to describe how the project results will link the outcomes to the Agency’s Strategic Plan. In addition, applicants will have to describe their plan and approach for tracking and measuring their progress towards achieving expected outputs and outcomes. Additional information regarding EPA’s definition of environmental results in terms of “outputs” and “outcomes” can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements

Statutory Authority The statutory authority for this announcement is Section 1442(c) of the SDWA. This section of the SDWA authorizes the EPA to make grants to eligible entities for training of personnel of states and tribes that have primary enforcement responsibility or personnel who manage or operate public water systems to carry out the purposes of SDWA (other than by carrying out state programs of public water system supervision or underground water source protection (as defined in SDWA 1443(c))).

II. Award Information

A. Amount of Funding The total amount of funding expected to be available under this announcement is approximately $900,000, depending on the Agency’s funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. It is anticipated that one award will be made under this announcement. It is anticipated that the award will be incrementally funded at approximately $300,000 per year and will have a three-year project period.

In appropriate circumstances, the EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If the EPA decides to partially fund an application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the application, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.

The EPA reserves the right to make no awards under this announcement. In addition, the EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months after the original selection decisions.

B. Type of Funding It is anticipated that a cooperative agreement will be awarded under this announcement. When cooperative agreements are awarded, the EPA will have substantial involvement with the project work plans and budget. Although the EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for the project selected may include:

1. Close monitoring of the recipient’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant;

2. Collaboration during the performance of the scope of work;

3. In accordance with 2 CFR 200 Subpart D (200.317 through 200.326) as appropriate, review of proposed procurements;

4. Review of qualifications of key personnel (EPA does not have authority to select employees or contractors employed by the recipient); and

5. Review and comment on tasks/deliverables and reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants under this competition are states, local governments, territories, Indian tribes, and possessions of the U.S. (including the District of Columbia), public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, and public and private nonprofit institutions3. Individuals are not eligible to apply. For-profit organizations are not eligible to apply. Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply. EPA may ask applicants to demonstrate that they are eligible for funding under this announcement.

B. Cost Sharing/Match Requirements No cost share or match is required.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria These are requirements that if not met by the time of application package submission will result in the elimination of the application from consideration for funding. Only applications that meet all of these criteria will be evaluated against the ranking factors in Section V of the announcement.

Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

1. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements in Section III.A of this announcement at the time of application submission.

2. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected. Where a page limit is expressed in Section IV.C.2 with respect to the Project Narrative, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed. Section IV.C.2 establishes a 13-page, single-spaced Project Narrative page limit.

3. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV of this announcement. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this announcement to ensure that their application is timely submitted.

4. Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to the EPA’s mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov

3 Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations. Note that 2 CFR Part 200 specifically excludes the following types of organizations from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation: (i) institutions of higher education; and (ii) state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments. While not considered to be a non-profit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, Institutions of Higher Education and state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR 200.70 are also eligible to apply. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

http://www.grants.gov/ or relevant SAM.gov system issues and not the applicant. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application via e-mail with Suzanne Kelly at kelly.suzanne@epa.gov as soon as possible after the submission deadline - failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

5. If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the Grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials to Grants.gov, the applicant must contact OMS-ARM-OGDWaivers@epa.gov or the address listed below in writing (e.g., by hard copy, email) at least 15 calendar days prior to the submission deadline under this announcement to request approval to submit their application materials through an alternate method.

Mailing Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand USEPA Headquarters William Jefferson Clinton Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N. W.

Mail Code: 3903R Washington, DC 20460

Courier Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Rm #51278 Washington, DC 20004

In the request, the applicant must include the following information:

• Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

• Organization Name and Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS)

• Organization’s Contact Information (email address and phone number)

• Explanation of how they lack the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of 1) limited internet access or 2) no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials through Grants.gov.

mailto:kelly.suzanne@epa.gov http://grants.gov/ mailto:OMS-ARM-OGDWaivers@epa.gov

The EPA will only consider alternate submission exception requests based on the two reasons stated above and will timely respond to the request -- all other requests will be denied. If an alternate submission method is approved, the applicant will receive documentation of this approval and further instructions on how to apply under this announcement. Applicants will be required to submit the documentation of approval with any initial application submitted under the alternative method. In addition, any submittal through an alternative method must comply with all applicable requirements and deadlines in the announcement including the submission deadline and requirements regarding proposal content and page limits (although the documentation of approval of an alternate submission method will not count against any page limits).

If an exception is granted, it is valid for submissions to the EPA for the remainder of the entire calendar year in which the exception was approved and can be used to justify alternative submission methods for application submissions made through December 31 of the calendar year in which the exception was approved (e.g., if the exception was approved on March 1, 2018, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to the EPA through December 31, 2018).

Applicants need only request an exception once in a calendar year and all exceptions will expire on December 31 of that calendar year. Applicants must request a new exception from required electronic submission through Grants.gov for submissions for any succeeding calendar year. For example, if there is a competitive opportunity issued on December 1, 2018 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2019, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2019. Please note that the process described in this section is only for requesting alternate submission methods. All other inquiries about this announcement must be directed to the Agency Contact listed in Section VII of the announcement. Queries or requests submitted to the email address identified above for any reason other than to request an alternate submission method will not be acknowledged or answered.

All applications must be prepared and include the information as described in Section IV.C.

(Content of Application Package Submission).

B. Application Submission Instructions The electronic submission of your application must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal assistance. For more information on the registration requirements that must be completed in order to submit an application through Grants.gov, go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” on the top of the page and then go to the “Get Registered” link on the page. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to designate an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and ask that individual to begin the registration process as soon as possible.

Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a Unique Entity Identifier (e.g. DUNS number) and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline.

Registration on grants.gov, SAM.gov, and DUNS number assignment is FREE.

Applicants need to ensure that the AOR who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS number) is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed in the application. Additionally, the DUNs number listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization’s SAM account. If not, the application, may be deemed ineligible.

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” on the top of the page and then “Apply for Grants” from the dropdown menu and then follow the instructions accordingly. Please note: To apply through Grants.gov, you must use Adobe Reader software and download the compatible Adobe Reader version. For more information about Adobe Reader, to verify compatibility, or to download the free software, please visit Adobe Reader Compatibility Information on Grants.gov.

You may also be able to access the application package for this announcement by searching for the opportunity on Grants.gov. Go to Grants.gov and then click on “Search Grants” at the top of the page and enter the Funding Opportunity Number, EPA-OW-OGWDW-19-02, or the CFDA number that applies to the announcement (CFDA 66.424), in the appropriate field and click the Search button.

Please Note: All applications must now be submitted through Grants.gov using the “Workspace” feature. Information on the Workspace feature can be found at the Grants.gov Workspace Overview Page.

Application Submission Deadline: Your organization’s authorized official representative (AOR) must submit your complete application electronically to the EPA through Grants.gov no later than September 13, 2019, at 11:59 PM EDT. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application process and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

Please submit all of the application materials described below using the Grants.gov application package that you accessed using the instructions above.

Application Materials The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:

Mandatory Documents:

• Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424).

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

• Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B).

• EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54.

• EPA Form 4700-4, Pre-Award Compliance Review Report.

• Project Narrative (Project Narrative Attachment Form) prepared as described in Section IV.C.2

Optional Documents:

• Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, if applicable (Use Other Attachments Form).

• Biographical Sketches: Submit biographical sketches of major project managers, support staff members, or other major project participants (see Section IV.C.2.C.4.b.) for the proposed project (Use Other Attachments Form).

• Letters of Support (Use Other Attachments Form).

• Full Resumes (Use Other Attachments Form).

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from the EPA (not from Grants.gov) within 15 days of the http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-readercompatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-readercompatibility.html application deadline, please contact Suzanne Kelly at 202-564-3887 or e-mail at kelly.suzanne@epa.gov. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

Technical Issues With Submission

1. Once the application package has been completed, the “Submit” button should be enabled. If the “Submit” button is not active, please call Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726.

Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545-5035. Applicants should save the completed application package with two different file names before providing it to the AOR to avoid having to re-create the package should submission problems be experienced or a revised application needs to be submitted.

2. Submitting the application. The application package must be transferred to Grants.gov by an AOR. The AOR should close all other software before attempting to submit the application package. Click the “submit” button of the application package. Your Internet browser will launch and a sign-in page will appear. Note: Minor problems are not uncommon with transfers to Grants.gov. It is essential to allow sufficient time to ensure that your application is submitted to Grants.gov BEFORE the due date identified in Section IV of the solicitation. The Grants.gov support desk operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except Federal Holidays.

A successful transfer will end with an on-screen acknowledgement. For documentation purposes, print or screen capture this acknowledgement. If a submission problem occurs, reboot the computer – turning the power off may be necessary – and reattempt the submission.

Note: Grants.gov issues a “case number” upon a request for assistance.

3. Transmission Difficulties. If transmission difficulties that result in a late transmission, no transmission, or rejection of the transmitted application are experienced, and following the above instructions do not resolve the problem so that the application is submitted to Grants.gov by the deadline date and time, follow the guidance below. The Agency will make a decision concerning acceptance of each late submission on a case-by-case basis. All emails, as described below, are to be sent to Suzanne Kelly at kelly.suzanne@epa.gov with the FON in the subject line. If you are unable to email, contact Suzanne Kelly at 202-564-3887. Be aware that the EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to transmit due to Grants.gov or relevant www.Sam.gov system issues or for unforeseen exigent circumstances, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access. Failure of an applicant to submit timely because they did not properly or timely register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify acceptance of a late submittal.

a. If you are experiencing problems resulting in an inability to upload the application to Grants.gov, it is essential to call Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 before the application deadline. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545- 5035. Be sure to obtain a case number from Grants.gov. If the problems stem from unforeseen exigent circumstances unrelated to Grants.gov, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access, contact Suzanne Kelly at 202-564-3887.

b. Unsuccessful transfer of the application package: If a successful transfer of the application cannot be accomplished even with assistance from Grants.gov due to electronic submission system issues or unforeseen exigent circumstances, and you have already attempted to resolve the issue by contacting Grants.gov, send an email message to Suzanne Kelly at kelly.suzanne@epa.gov prior to the application deadline. The email message must document the problem and include the Grants.gov case number as well as the entire application in PDF format as an attachment.

c. Grants.gov rejection of the application package: If a notification is received from Grants.gov stating that the application has been rejected for reasons other than late submittal and it is too late to reapply, promptly send an email to Suzanne Kelly at kelly.suzanne@epa.gov with the FON in the subject line within one business day of the closing date of this solicitation. The email should include any materials provided by Grants.gov and attach the entire application in PDF format.

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

C. Content of Application Package Submission Applicants should read the following section very carefully and address all requirements.

All application packages must include the following documents:

1. Application Materials

a. Signed Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Application for Federal Assistance. Complete the form and have it signed. There are no attachments. Please be sure to include the organization fax number and email in Block 5 of the SF 424.

Please note that the organizational Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number must be included in the SF-424. Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or by visiting the website at https://www.dnb.com/.

b. Standard Form 424A (SF-424A), Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs.

Complete the form. The total amount of federal funding requested for the project period should be shown on line 5(e) and on line 6(k) of the SF-424A. If indirect costs are included, the amount of indirect costs should be entered on line 6(j). The indirect cost rate (a percentage), the base (e.g., personnel costs and fringe benefits), and the total indirect amount should also be indicated on line

22. If indirect costs are requested, a copy of the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement must be submitted as part of the application package. In Section B, Budget Categories row 1, column (e) should be filled out for federal funds, row 1 column (f) should be filled out for non-federal cost-share/match, and row 5 should be filled out for total project cost (federal funds, non-federal cost-share/match and project total).

c. Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B). Complete the form. There are no attachments.

d. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54. Complete the form. Attach additional forms as needed.

https://www.dnb.com/

e. EPA Form 4700–4, Pre-Award Compliance Review Report. Complete the form. There are no attachments.

f. Project Narrative (Project Narrative Attachment Form). See Section IV.C.2 (Project Narrative) for details on specific information that must be included. When developing the Project Narrative, applicants should refer to Section I.B of the announcement which provides the description and objectives for the project.

g. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if indirect costs are included in your proposed project budget). Complete this form if indirect costs are included in the proposed project budget. You must submit a copy of your organization’s Indirect Cost Rate Agreement as part of the application package if your proposed project budget includes indirect costs.

h. Biographical Sketches. Submit a biographical sketch of each major project manager, support staff member, or other major project participant (see Section IV.C.2.C.4.b).

i. Letters of Support. Applicants may provide up to 15 letters of support from potential recipients of technical assistance to demonstrate that the applicant’s proposed approach is responsive to the potential recipients’ needs.

j. Full Resumes. Full resumes may be included (see Section IV.C.2.C.4.b).

2. Project Narrative NOTE: The Project Narrative must include sections A-C below. The Project Narrative, Sections A-C below, is limited to no more than thirteen (13) typewritten, single-spaced 8.5x11-inch pages (a page is one side of a piece of paper). Pages should be consecutively numbered for ease of reading. It is recommended that applicants use a standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins.

While these guidelines establish the minimum type size recommended, applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in selection of an appropriate font for use in the proposal. Additional pages beyond the 13-page single-spaced limit will not be considered. The Project Narrative will be reviewed up to the equivalent of the 13-page single-spaced limit; excess pages will not be reviewed. Supporting materials, such as biographical sketches, letters of support, and full resumes as described below, are not included within the page limit.

The application’s Project Narrative must be typewritten and must include the information listed below.

If a particular item is not applicable, clearly state this in the Project Narrative.

A. Cover Page…