Friday, October 14, 2016

FREE Brownfield Webinar to Assist in Preparing Assessment and Cleanup Proposals

To assist applicants with their proposals, EPA will host the EPA National Assessment and Cleanup Guideline Webinar; tentatively scheduled for the first week of November 2016.  Join the webinar via AdobeConnect athttp://epawebconferencing.acms.com/fy17/ and/or phone (1-866-299-3188/ Conference Code: 202 566 1817).

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Sign Up for #Brownfields Grant Writing Tip of the Day

Source: PPM Consultants, Inc.

Sign up to receive daily tips to help you make the most of your #brownfield grant application! PPM's tips will help you keep your timeline on track and make sure you don't forget any crucial details as you approach the December 20, 2016 proposal deadline.

Click <HERE> to sign up.

Announcing: Request for #Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup Grant Proposals: Deadline Dec. 20, 2016

Assessment Grants (funded over three years)

Community-wide or Site-Specific Applicants: Applicants may apply for up to $200,000 in hazardous substances funding or up to $200,000 in petroleum funding.

Community-wide Applicants: Applicants applying for both hazardous substances funding and petroleum funding may request a combined total up to $300,000; however the request for hazardous substances funding or petroleum funding cannot exceed $200,000 for any one individual type of grant funding. For example, an applicant may apply for $200,000 in hazardous substances funding and $100,000 in petroleum funding.

Assessment Coalition Applicants: Applicants may apply for up to $600,000 in hazardous substances funding and/or petroleum funding.

Cleanup Grants (funded over three years)

Applicants can apply for up to $200,000 per brownfield site and can submit up to three separate, site-specific cleanup proposals.

Note that a summary of changes to last year’s guidelines has been posted as well on EPA's website. The link is below.

Guidelines and Resources:

o   FY2017 Brownfields Assessment Grant Guidelines

o   FY2017 Brownfields Cleanup Grant Guidelines

o   FY2017 Summary of Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup Guideline Changes

o   FY2017 Assessment Guideline Checklist

o   FY2017 Cleanup Guideline Checklist

o   Frequently Asked Questions

o   Grants.gov Tip Sheet for Applicants

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities 2016-2017 Request for Letters of Interest - Due Oct. 12th

Communities across the United States are exploring smart growth and other environmentally sustainable approaches to revitalize their economies, create jobs, protect clean air and water, prepare for climate change-related impacts, and improve quality of life. However, when trying to implement these approaches, many communities run into barriers such as outdated zoning codes and other obstacles, lack of consensus around where and how to grow, and misconceptions about the cost and complexity of environmentally sustainable approaches. Moreover, many communities lack the technical expertise to implement smart growth strategies and the resources to educate local stakeholders about the environmental, economic, health, and quality of life benefits these approaches can bring.

The Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program provides quick, targeted technical assistance to selected communities using a variety of tools that have demonstrated results and widespread application. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivers the assistance using teams of experts who conduct workshops in the selected communities. The program is geared toward communities that are relatively new to environmentally sustainable approaches but have a basic understanding of smart growth principles and how they apply locally. Communities most appropriate for Building Blocks assistance can articulate their unique challenges and are trying to kick-start efforts to address a specific local issue.

Key Information

 Eligibility: The applicant can be a local, county, or tribal government, or a nonprofit organization that has the support of the local government on whose behalf they are applying.
 Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 12, 2016
 How to apply: Submit the fillable PDF letter of interest, along with a short letter of support signed by a mayor, city manager, elected official, or other representative of the community, to BuildingBlocks@epa.gov.

 Tools offered:
o Tool 1: Creating Equitable Development
o Tool 2: Planning for Infill Development
o Tool 3: Sustainable Strategies for Small Cities and Rural Areas
o Tool 4: Flood Resilience for Riverine and Coastal Communities
o Tool 5: Green and Complete Streets

 Timeframe: EPA expects to select 25 recipients by November 2016 and provide all technical assistance by July 2017.

MORE INFORMATION