11/06/19

No. 257 – Time to Wake Up: Colorado.  Watch it here. 

10/30/19

Time to Wake Up: Marathon Petroleum.  Watch it here

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse questioned Sean O’Donnell, nominee to be Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency, during the Senate EPW Committee nominations hearing.

10/29/19

Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Brian Schatz (D-HI) led a hearing of Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis entitled, “Dark Money and Barriers to Climate Action.” Watch it here.   

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was a witness in the House Oversight & Reform Environment Subcommittee Hearing: Trump’s Wrong Turn on Clean Cars: The Effects of Fuel Efficiency Rollbacks on the Climate, Car Companies, and California.

Funding And Other Opportunities

Please let us know if your RI-based entity submits an application for a federal grant.  If you send us a narrative/summary with grant details, we can submit letters of support. We will continue to send FYIs about grant opportunities as we see them.

Department of Energy  

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funding opportunities here. 

The DOE announced a $12 million funding opportunity for new projects to support research and development (R&D) and education and workforce development that will enable U.S. manufacturers to increase the recovery, recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing of plastics and other materials.  DOE’s Reducing EMbodied Energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Manufacturing Institute will fund approximately 12 to 18 exploratory and full R&D projects aligned with REMADE’s research focus areas, as well as four to eight education and workforce development projects.  Details here.  A letter of intent is due on Thursday, November 14, 2019, and full proposals are due on Wednesday, December 18, 2019.

The FY 2020 DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 2 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) have been issued and are available on the website: https://science.osti.gov/sbir/Funding-Opportunities.  The link includes information about upcoming webinars.

Environmental Protection Agency

Brownfields Grants

EPA released a Request for Applications – FY 2020 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant Guidelines. The deadline to submit an application is December 3, 2019 at 11:59 PM. 

Availability of EPA’s Draft Risk Evaluation for Methylene Chloride and Notice of its Public Peer Review Meetings 

EPA has submitted this evaluation for peer review through its Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC).  The 2-day peer review in-person meeting is scheduled for December 3-4, 2019.  You can find more information and register for the meeting here.  Comments on the draft risk evaluation are due on December 30, 2019.  However, if you would like for your comments to be considered by SACC in time for the meeting, please plan on submitting them by November 26, 2019.

Read the draft risk evaluation and other supporting documents here and submit comments here.

Environmental Education Grant Program

EPA announced the availability of up to $3 million in funding for locally-focused environmental education projects under the 2020 Environmental Education Grant Program. EPA will award three to four grants in each of the agency’s 10 regions. Applications must be submitted by Jan. 6, 2020, electronically through www.grants.gov by following the instructions in the RFA.  The full list of solicitation notices is available at www.grants.gov and at https://www.epa.gov/education/environmental-education-ee-grant-solicitation-notice.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

On October 4, 2019, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) published a notice of proposed rulemaking to revise regulations implementing sections 201 and 210 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. The agency states that the regulations implementing the Act have not been updated since the time of its enactment, and therefore do not take into consideration changes in the energy industry as it has grown and modernized. The proposed rule grants the sates various flexibilities with respect to energy rates, modifies electric utilities’ obligation to purchase from qualified facilities, and modifies the “one-mile rule” in addition to various other proposed changes. The Commission has stated that the proposed rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Written comments are due by December 3, 2019.

FEMA

Public Assistance Guide

FEMA Seeks Comment for Public Assistance Guide.  The fourth edition of the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide is scheduled for publication in January 2020.  FEMA is releasing the updated draft version for a 45-day public comment period. The draft guide and accompanying comments matrix is located on the FEMA website. FEMA will accept public comments submitted through Nov. 18.

Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants

The application period for FEMA’s Fiscal Year 2019 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grants under the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) programs is now open. Eligible applicants must apply for funding through the FEMA Mitigation eGrants system on the FEMA Grants Portal. All applications must be submitted no later than 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on January 31, 2020.

For FY19, a total of $410 million in funding is available through HMA’s two competitive grant programs, FMA and PDM.

  • For the FMA program, FEMA’s predetermined funding priorities include flood mitigation planning and efforts for repetitive as well as severe repetitive loss properties. In this application cycle, $160 million in funds are available. View the FY19 FMA Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and Fact Sheet for more information: www.fema.gov/flood-mitigation-assistance-grant-program.
  • The PDM program is designed to implement a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program with the goal of reducing overall risk to the population and structures from future hazard events. For FY19, FEMA has set aside $20 million of the $250 million in PDM funding for federally-recognized tribes. View the FY19 PDM NOFO and Fact Sheet for more information: www.fema.gov/pre-disaster-mitigation-grant-program.

FEMA’s two competitive mitigation grant programs provide states, tribes, and territories funding for eligible mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to build a culture of preparedness by reducing disaster losses and protecting life and property from future disaster damages.

The Fiscal Year 2019 hazard mitigation funding cycle represents a critical transition year for pre-disaster mitigation grants. One of the most substantive provisions of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 is Section 1234, which authorizes FEMA to develop a new pre-disaster mitigation program that is funded by a 6 percent set-aside from federal disaster assistance for each major disaster declaration. This new program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), will allow FEMA to support states and communities to undertake new and innovative infrastructure projects that reduce the risks they face from disasters. FEMA is already using the BRIC funding mechanism to advance its objective of increasing the nation’s resilience by making $250 million available for the FY19 PDM Program.

Federal Transit Administration

FTA announced a $19.2 million Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) program funding opportunity. The application period will close on November 18, 2019.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Find out about NFWF funding opportunities.

NOAA

All funding opportunities here.  

Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan.  Read the proposed rule  as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal.  You may also submit comments through regular mail to: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Please mark the outside of the envelope, “Comments on the Proposed Rule for Herring Amendment 8.”  Comments are due by November 25, 2019.

Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Projects

NOAA announced the availability of up to $4 million in Community-based Restoration Program funding for new coastal and marine habitat restoration projects in 2020. We are seeking proposals from non-federal partners for projects that will help recover threatened and endangered species and promote sustainable fisheries.

This funding opportunity requires a pre-proposal. The pre-proposals will help determine if proposed projects are well-suited for this specific funding competition and if a full proposal is warranted. Pre-proposals are due January 8, 2020. Applicants who are successful in the pre-proposal process will be eligible to submit full proposals, with a deadline in April 2020.  NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $75,000 or more than $3 million over a three-year award period. For more information, view the Fiscal Year 2020 Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants funding opportunity.

CZM Projects of Special Merit Competition – FY2020

Details here.  Closing date for applications is January 15, 2020. 

Sea Grant

Funding opportunities here. 

USDA

USDA released the FY 2020 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications.  Complete applications must be submitted on www.Grants.gov, by 11:59pm ET on December 13, 2019.

NRCS – RCPP

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced the launch of the updated Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Potential partners are encouraged to submit proposals that will improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability.

USDA is accepting proposals for RCPP through Dec. 3, 2019. For more information on applying, visit the RCPP webpage or view the Application for Program funding on grants.gov.  Rhode Island partners may contact Brunilda Velez at 401-822-8820 or brunilda.velez@usda.gov with questions.

NRCS-Conservation Practice Standards

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking public comments on 13 conservation practice standards. Per direction from the 2018 Farm Bill, NRCS will gather feedback on 94 practices over the coming months through posting on the Federal Register. Comments on these current 13 practice standards are due by Friday, November 22.