Department Of Environmental Conservation New York

The Department of Environmental Conservation New York, a U.S. state government entity and division of the State of New York, operates as a federal grant recipient (95% of its recent awards) and subrecipient, delivering environmental protection, conservation, and natural resource management services to civilian federal agencies across a multi-billion-dollar grant portfolio. The agency operates entirely under full-and-open federal grant competition with no set-aside designations.

DEC New York's grant work centers on environmental stewardship and regulatory program administration across five primary areas. The agency serves as the direct recipient for the Environmental Protection Agency's largest concentration of awards—185 EPA grants and 86 additional EPA Region 2 awards—funding water quality management planning, Clean Water State Revolving Fund capitalization, air quality monitoring, wetland protection, hazardous waste and brownfields remediation, and implementation of the Lake Champlain and Long Island Sound management plans. Representative EPA work includes a $216 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grant (CFDA 66.454, through 2028) to fund low-interest municipal water infrastructure financing statewide; a $5.6 million Lake Champlain Basin Program grant (CFDA 66.481, through 2029) for flood resiliency and watershed implementation; a $4.11 million Chesapeake Bay Program Implementation grant (CFDA 66.964, through 2028) supporting nutrient reduction best management practices; and a $253,955 Pollution Prevention Grants award (CFDA 66.708, through 2028) for green chemistry technical assistance to chemical manufacturers. The Department of Agriculture Forest Service constitutes the second major funding source, with 59 awards supporting forest health, urban and community forestry, fire capacity, and forest stewardship across non-federal lands. USDA awards include a $13.5 million Inflation Reduction Act Urban & Community Forestry grant (CFDA 10.727, through 2028) for Emerald Ash Borer management in disadvantaged communities; a $6.25 million Cooperative Forestry Assistance award (CFDA 10.664, through 2029) supporting state forest action plan implementation; and a $1.07 million Forest Legacy Program grant (CFDA 10.734, through 2030) for the Rensselaer Plateau Working Forest project acquiring 640 acres connecting state forests and parks. The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 funds wildlife management and restoration through 54 awards, including a $6.26 million Sport Fish Restoration formula grant (CFDA 15.605, through 2030) for marine fisheries management and habitat conservation, and a $3.32 million Wildlife Restoration grant (CFDA 15.611, through 2029) supporting archery range construction across the Wildlife Management Area system. Federal Emergency Management Agency awards (68 total) support dam safety, flood risk management, port security, and community floodplain assistance programs, including a $19.67 million Orphaned Well State Formula Grant (CFDA 15.018, through 2030) for oil and gas well plugging and remediation on state and private lands, and a $14.2 million National Dam Safety Program award (CFDA 97.041, through 2027) for high-hazard dam rehabilitation.

Customer concentration is diffuse across federal environmental and natural resource agencies: the Environmental Protection Agency and its regional offices account for approximately 38% of award count; the Department of Agriculture Forest Service, FEMA, and Department of the Interior each represent between 7% and 10% of recent awards. By potential value, the top five customers (Veterans Affairs, Air Force, Air National Guard, Department of Justice, and National Cemetery Administration) collectively represent 74% of combined potential value, though these are heavily skewed by small numbers of high-value awards; the actual operational focus flows to EPA's water and environmental programs, USDA Forest Service forestry initiatives, and FEMA disaster and preparedness programs. The agency faces 36 awards with ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months, representing a significant recompete exposure across water quality management, forestry, wildlife, and floodplain management programs.

DEC New York's subcontract footprint is limited—41 sub-awards (5% of the total)—and consists primarily of pass-through federal funding to other state agencies and regional organizations. Notable sub-award partners include the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (receiving disaster recovery and emergency management sub-awards), the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (supporting marine recreation data collection under NOAA programs), the Upper Susquehanna Coalition (implementing best management practices for Chesapeake Bay restoration), and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (supporting water quality management activities). The agency also issues subawards to the New York Natural Heritage Program for species data management and to universities and research institutions for forestry, invasive species, and wildlife research.

DEC New York's grant work reflects its statutory mission as New York's environmental stewardship agency: the portfolio is entirely composed of federal environmental grant programs (water quality, air quality, forestry, wildlife, hazardous waste, and disaster resilience), with no federal contract primes, illustrating the agency's role as a state regulatory and implementation entity rather than a federal services vendor. The organization operates from its Rensselaer headquarters and manages federal awards with performance locations spanning New York State and subordinate regional offices.