Geographic Programs - Puget Sound Action Agenda: Technical Investigations and Implementation Assistance Program

Puget Sound has been designated as one of 28 estuaries of National Significance under section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The goal of the National Estuary Program (NEP) is to attain and maintain water quality in designated estuaries that will assure

The SILs, in coordination with the Puget Sound Partnership, the EPA, the Riparian Lead, and other relevant parties, provide the following roles: (1) Award and manage subawards to support the implementation of the Action Agenda with a focus on Implementation Strategies, and maintain Strategic Initiative Advisory Teams (SIATs) to advise in investment-related decision-making; (2) Serve as Implementation Strategy Leads for Vital Signs related to the Strategic Initiative and form technical (e.g., Interdisciplinary Teams) and/or policy workgroups to develop, refine, adaptively manage and operationalize Implementation Strategies; (3) Participate in Puget Sound Partnership and National Estuary Program Management Conference processes and work groups; and (4) Proactively coordinate with Local Integrating Organizations and tribal partners to accomplish SIL work. In addition a base grant provides support to the Puget Sound Partnership in its role as a backbone organization for maintaining the leadership functions and coordination of the Puget Sound NEP, including: (1) providing program level financial oversight and demonstrating sound fiscal practices; (2) researching funding opportunities; (3) providing program match for local and tribal capacity grants; (4) administering the Partnership's Boards and partners in the update of the Action Agenda; (5) supporting direct public engagement; (6) coordinating and implementing a strategic science program to support Puget Sound ecosystem recovery; (7) conducting ecosystem assessment and monitoring; and (8) coordinating reporting on outputs and outcomes. The main deliverables include an updated CCMP/Action Agenda for Puget Sound for 2026-2030 and identifying and convening the network of partners to implement and monitor that plan. Sub-recipient activities include: (1) supporting ten Local Integrating Organizations to help coordinate planning and implementation activities at county and watershed scales; (2) supporting implementation science; (3) advising on social approaches; and (4) focusing monitoring on local coastal areas across the seven counties in north Puget Sound including the island and Strait of Juan De Fuca counties.

apply under this program. Public and private institutions of higher education located in the United States are eligible to apply under this program. Units of local government organized under Washington State law and located within the Greater Puget Sound basin are eligible to apply. Also eligible to apply are special purpose districts, as defined by Washington State law at R.C.W. 36.93.020, including but not limited to, irrigation districts, and water and sewer districts that are in or govern land and water resources within the greater Puget Sound basin. Conservation districts located in or governing land and water resources within the greater Puget Sound Basin are also eligible to apply for assistance under this program. Watershed planning units formed under RCW 90.82.040 and RCW 90.82.060, local management boards organized under RCW 90.88.030, salmon recovery lead entities organized pursuant to RCW 77.85.050, regional fisheries enhancement groups organized pursuant to RCW 77.95.060 and Marine Resource Committees organized pursuant to RCW 36.125.010 and RCW 36.125.020 are eligible to apply if they are located within or their jurisdictions include waters and/or lands within the Greater Puget Sound basin. Intrastate organizations such as associations of cities, counties or conservation districts in the Greater Puget Sound basin are also eligible to apply. Nonprofit nongovernmental entities are also eligible to apply. Federally recognized Indian Tribes located within the greater Puget Sound basin and any consortium of these eligible tribes are also eligible to apply. The greater Puget Sound basin is defined as all watersheds draining to the U.S. waters of Puget Sound, southern Georgia Basin, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For profit business entities, private individuals and families are not eligible to apply. However, all these types of entities could partner with an eligible applicant as a sub-awardee. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy.

The direct beneficiaries would be the entities receiving the assistance. Due to the fact that the program is designed and intended to assist in the restoration and protection of the Puget Sound estuary, the ultimate beneficiaries will be the residents of the greater Puget Sound region.

The EPA Puget Sound funds are for the development and implementation of programs that will improve water quality, air quality, and minimize the adverse impacts of rapid development in the Puget Sound Basin, including activities linked to habitat restoration projects or controlling sources of nonpoint pollution. The assistance can be used to fund technical studies and investigations, as well as protection and restoration activities necessary to achieve environmental outputs and/or outcomes identified in the Puget Sound Action Agenda. The Action Agenda implementation work can either be funded directly or through a Strategic Initiative Lead, which could then fund subawards for Action Agenda implementation activities. Funding may also be used to develop and carry out Implementation Strategies that map out steps to achieve progress and outcomes for a particular ecosystem target, management issue, or geographic area. Assistance can be used to finance work identified in the Puget Sound Partnership's Biennial Science Work Plan and can be used to manage, monitor, oversee, or participate in the implementation of the 2022-2026 Action Agenda, or the 2026-2030 Action Agenda once approved. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA (https://www.epa.gov/geospatial).Additional information on use restrictions, if any, for this program, will be provided in each Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) published on the EPA Region 10 website and on Grants.gov. This program makes Federal awards on a discretionary basis. A discretionary award means an award in which the Federal awarding agency, in keeping with specific statutory authority that enables the agency to exercise judgement ("discretion"), selects the recipient and/or the amount of Federal funding awarded through a competitive process or based on merit of proposals. A discretionary award may be selected on a non-competitive basis, as appropriate. For further information, please contact the regional office (see contact below).

New funding was available for FY2023 and FY2024 and will be for FY2025, depending on congressional appropriations. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds have been awarded from FY2022-2026.

This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," when proposed Federal financial assistance involves planning, design, and construction of facilities and other infrastructure or implementation of restoration projects requiring construction. EPA financial assistance programs and activities subject to intergovernmental review that are subject to review under State single point of contact procedures are identified at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-financial-assistance-programs-subject-executive-order-12372-and-section-204. Applicants for programs or activities subject to Intergovernmental Review that are not subject to State single point of contact review must provide directly affected State, areawide, regional, and local entities at least 60 days to review their application following notification by EPA that the application has been selected for funding as provided by 40 CFR 29.8(a) and (c). Regarding pre-application assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this program description, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the NOFO. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed as "Agency Contact(s)" in the NOFO.

The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the NOFO.

For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the NOFO. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements.

For competitive awards, deadlines will be specified in the competitive announcement.

The Region expects that its review of the applications received in response to competitive solicitations will be completed within 120 to 150 calendar days following the deadline for the submission of applications for each NOFO under this program.

Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Copies of these procedures may also be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures. Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable.