Geographic Programs – Lake Champlain Basin Program

The goal of this program is to implement the Lake Champlain Basin Management Plan, Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin 2022 (Opportunities for Action), and to assist the states of New York and Vermont

The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin's water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources, in partnership with government agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, private organizations, local communities, and individuals.

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 Policy for Competition of Assistance Agreements. In accordance with Section 120 of the Clean Water Act, EPA may provide non-competitive funding to the states of Vermont and New York and to NEIWPCC for the implementation of the LCBP. In addition, EPA may choose to solicit applications from other state, interstate, and regional water pollution control agencies, and public or nonprofit agencies, institutions, and organizations that are eligible to receive competitive grants from EPA through this program.

Assistance under this program generally benefits State environmental, health, and agriculture agencies; interstate water pollution control agencies; public nonprofit institutions and organizations; sponsored organizations; Federal agencies; local agencies; intrastate agencies; public and private nonprofit institutions and organizations; private organizations; small businesses; and quasi-public nonprofit institutions.

As described in Section 120 of the CWA, funds may be used to implement elements of Opportunities for Action, implementation of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain Invasive Species Program as authorized by the Vessel Incident Discharge Act, and for the 2016 Total Maximum Daily Load for Phosphorus in Lake Champlain. Projects outside of the Lake Champlain Basin are not eligible for funding under this program. Grant awards must be made in consultation with the Lake Champlain Basin Steering Committee and support activities consistent with the goals of Opportunities for Action. 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).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.

Assistance agreements are generally made for a multi-year period at the discretion of EPA. Start dates for assistance agreements are variable and are established at the discretion of EPA. Generally however, it is intended that start dates closely follow award dates of the assistance agreement.

Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," applies to this assistance listing when proposed Federal financial assistance involves land use planning or implementation of restoration, remediation, or other 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 Reviews that are not subject to a State single point of contact review must provide directly to 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 assistance listing, 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 in the NOFO.

The Steering Committee recommends projects to EPA for funding as outlined in Section 120 of the Clean Water Act to its non-competitive recipients, the states of New York and Vermont, and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, based on the technical merit of the proposal and its relevance to Opportunities for Action. EPA approves applications after Steering Committee recommendation based on the technical merit of the application and its relevance to Opportunities for Action. Should EPA decide to competitively award a grant or cooperative agreement, the evaluation and selection criteria for any competitive award will be described in the NOFO.

Each federal assistance application and final work plan will be evaluated by EPA Region 1 or Region 2 to determine the adequacy of the application under the established EPA grants program requirements and guidelines, including, but not limited to, the requirements set forth in 2 CFR 1500. Technical merit and the relevance of the project to the priorities and objectives established in Opportunities for Action will also be considered. Each application will also be subject to an administrative review by the EPA Region 1 or 2 grants management office as appropriate to determine whether all administrative requirements have been met. The workplan is submitted to the EPA Region 1 and 2 Regional Administrators for approval prior to the award of any assistance agreement. Once a Regional Office approves the annual workplan, funds are awarded by the EPA Region 1 or 2 Regional Administrator or his/her delegate as appropriate. Grantees will receive an award package from the appropriate EPA Regional grants management office that must be accepted and signed by an authorized official of the recipient organization and returned to the grants management office within 30 days. Awards may be made on an advance or reimbursement basis. Awards that are not signed and returned by the deadline may be subject to cancellation. For any competitive awards under this assistance listing, EPA will review and evaluate applications submissions 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 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). For noncompetitive awards to Vermont, New York and NEIWPCC, contact the regional contacts listed below for application deadlines.

Notification of action on applications varies depending on the timing of funds release to the EPA Regional Offices from Headquarters. Interval from submission to notification may vary from two months to eight months.

No-cost extensions and amendments may be available subject to the approval of EPA. Approval of subsequent funding is dependent on satisfactory project progress, continued relevance of the project to EPA's priorities, availability of funds, and the Agency policy on the competitive grant process.

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.