Environmental Quality and Protection

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its cooperative government and nongovernmental conservation partners, mitigate hazards to protect public health and safety, restore watersheds for resources, recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, and

The BLM's AML Program has opportunities to work with partner organizations to assist with inventories, cultural and biological reviews, mitigation and closure work, as well as environmental remediation and restoration actions. BLM and its partners mitigate hazards to protect public health and safety and the environment, and restore watersheds for resources, recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, and return lands to productive uses. Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) sites may pose a threat to wildlife, biota, groundwater, surface water, soil as well as to risks to the health and safety of public land users. Programmatic Goals include; Reclaiming abandoned hardrock mine lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources; Reducing liabilities by eliminating or reducing human health and ecological risks posed by dangerous abandoned mines; Establishing partnerships, where possible, with States, local governments, Tribes, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups, and non-governmental organizations to pool resources and expertise to address abandoned mines; and Providing financial assistance, through agreements, to address human safety and environmental impacts associated with high risk abandoned mine sites. Inventory and mitigation measures are implemented through the BLM AML program, which addresses AML physical safety hazards and contamination posing risks to human health and/or the environment. The BLM estimates there are over 148,000 abandoned mine features located on BLM-administered lands. The AML program identifies and inventories abandoned hardrock mines, prioritizes those mines that pose a risk to public safety, human health, and the environment, and seeks funding to address those high risk mine features and sites. Specifically, the AML program addresses physical safety hazards through performing NEPA, including cultural and biological surveys, a variety of closure methods including fencing, signing, back-filling, installation of bat-friendly grates, etc., and addresses risks to human health and the environment through a variety of removal and remedial response actions using the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. BLM ensures its work to ensure risks caused by abandoned mines complies with all applicable soil, water, and air quality standards, and applicable Federal, State, Tribal, and local laws and regulations.

Partnership projects are limited to public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management located mostly in the Western United States and Alaska unless other specific legislative authority exists. Abandoned Mine Lands projects will support: inventory and site assessments; cultural and biological clearances, mitigation, remediation, and restoration activities; and maintenance and monitoring of actions taken. Funded projects will protect public health, safety and environmental resources by eliminating contamination and hazards and restoring natural resources. For more specific information please contact that headquarters office.

No specific restrictions for most projects, however, most projects are awarded for no more than a five year period and funded on a year-by-year basis and funds are expended during a particular fiscal year. No commitment will be made to fund projects beyond one year. New and continuing projects will be re-evaluated each year based on performance, merit, and funding availability. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Frequency of recipient of payments will be determined for each awarded assistance agreement at time of award.

For more information on local requirements, cooperative rangeland project proposals should be coordinated with Bureau of Land Management local State or District Office.

First Level Screening -Basic Eligibility. Applications will be screened by the Grants Management Officer to ensure that applications meet basic eligibility requirements. Must meet the requirements of the Notice of Funding Opportunity posted on www.grants.gov, screening may include, but is not limited to: Program and/or legislative authority requirements are met; Submission is timely; and complete and properly executed SF-424 application package documents. B. Applications must satisfy basic eligibility screening requirements to be considered for further review. Second Level Evaluation -- Merit Review Evaluation is stated in each Notice of Funding Opportunity noticed post on www.grants.gov Third Level Review Pre-Award Clearance and Approvals. BLM will also complete a business evaluation and determination of responsibility. During these evaluations the Grants Management Officer will evaluate variables such as: Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, financial stability, quality of management systems, past performance meeting prior award terms and conditions, reports and findings of audits performed, and applicant's ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory or other requirements.

All applications will be initially screened for eligibility and compliance with the requirements stated in the program Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement. Applications passing this screening process will be forwarded for review by the proposal evaluation criteria, and any additional review factors, as stated in the funding announcement. Final award selection review by BLM Leadership.

Award time varies depending on the type and complexity of the project. Most awards are anticipated within 120 days or less after the announcement closes. Further information will be available for each project at the time the funding opportunity announcement is posted on www.grants.gov and may be obtained by contacting the point of contact listed in the funding opportunity announcement.

Final award decisions are not subject to appeal; however, the Bureau of Land Management will provide all applicants with information on why their proposal was not selected for award.