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Puget Sound Watershed Management Assistance
Puget Sound has been designated as an estuary of National Significance under section 320 of the Clean Water Act.
The goal of all 28 National Estuary Programs is to attain and maintain water quality in designated estuaries that would assure protection of public water supplies and the protection and propagation of a balanced, indigenous population of shellfish, fish and wildlife and allows recreational activities in and on the water.
The goal of the Puget Sound National Estuary Program, i.e., the Puget Sound Partnership, approved Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) (the 2020 Action Agenda) is to restore and maintain the Puget Sound Estuary"s estuarine environment, by 2020, so that it will support balanced indigenous populations of shellfish, fish and wildlife and support the extensive list of recognized uses of Puget Sound.
In the FFY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, Puget Sound restoration funds are provided to develop and implement programs that will help meet the Clean Water Act goal of improved water quality as well as improved air quality and minimization of the adverse impacts of rapid development in the Puget Sound Basin, including activities linked to nonpoint sources or habitat restoration work.
Programs and projects would promote the use of comprehensive watershed protection and management practices at the local level to achieve nonpoint source pollution reduction and protection and restoration of habitat and aquatic resources in watersheds that are subject to the pressures of development and growth.
By 2011, EPA Region 10, working with its key state, tribal and local partners have committed to attaining the following environmental outcomes for the Puget Sound Basin through 2011:
-1,000 acres of shellfish bed growing areas, currently impacted by degraded or declining water quality, show improved water quality and corresponding lifting of harvest restrictions;
-200 acres of prioritized contaminated sediments are remediated and upstream source controls are put in place;
-3,500 acres of tidally or seasonally influenced estuarine wetlands are restored and protected;
In addition, by 2011, we are committed to protecting and improving water quality and minimizing the adverse impacts of rapid development in the Puget Sound Basin.
These commitments include protecting the watersheds and waters of Puget Sound by protecting the fundamental watershed processes that provide and create aquatic habitats and by reducing the generation and release of toxic, nutrient and pathogen pollution.
Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2010: A priority for the 2020 Action Agenda and the priority for FFY 2010 under this CDFA is to provide assistance to units of local government, special purpose districts and tribal governments working to develop, demonstrate and use innovative land use management tools to manage and minimize the potential adverse effects of population and economic growth on their communities" water quality and aquatic habitat.
A second and equally important priority for FFY 2010 is to provide financial assistance to local government, special purpose district and tribal government efforts to implement the near-term priorities of the 2020 Action Agenda.
For example, under the state"s Shoreline Management Program, many local governments play a key role in implementing the Action Agenda.
These local governments will be updating their respective shoreline master programs to incorporate the directions of the Action Agenda and improve them based on the experiential knowledge that local governments have developed since these programs were last revised.
In this instance, this funding would be intended to help local governments develop an updated Shoreline Master Program that are fully integrated with their program or programs to manage the affected watersheds.
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.
Daniel I.
Steinborn, Puget Sound Financial Assistance Project Officer,
Ecosystems and Community Health Unit, Office of Ecosystems, Tribal and Public Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, ETPA-086, Seattle, WA 98101(206) 553-2728 or (1-800) 424-4EPA, Ext.
3-2728, E-mail: steinborn.daniel@epa.gov.
Program Accomplishments
Not Applicable.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Local and tribal governments are at various stages of developing and applying effective and robust water quality watershed programs.
Some need to improve their scientific understanding of their watersheds.
Others understand how their watersheds work and need assistance implementing a watershed plan.
Therefore, a wide range of activities will be eligible for funding under this program including, but not limited to activities that:(1) Develop, demonstrate, enhance and implement watershed protection and restoration plans, land use and transportation plans, basin plans, storm water controls and/or land development standards to maintain native vegetation and natural hydrology by protecting and restoring wetland, riparian, upland and near shore habitats and ecological processes.
(2) Promote watershed protection by enhancing local planning processes authorized by the state"s Coastal Zone Management Program such as the development of watershed land use designations, development of standards and other regulations or of incentive programs that protect and restore coastal watersheds.
(3) Refine and implement watershed land use plans based on watershed models that predict the hydrological impacts of alternative future land cover practices and on development scenarios and their projected impacts on aquatic resources.
(4) Develop, carry out and study the effectiveness of laws, ordinances and incentive programs to implement watershed programs such as systematic implementation of low-impact development in sensitive basins, land acquisition or transfer of development rights approaches and techniques.
Restrictions: All uses of these funds must be consistent with the goals and objectives of the 2020 Puget Sound Action Agenda.
Activities permitted under the Clean Water Act are not eligible for funding under this program.
Specifically, required activities under NPDES Phase I and II stormwater permits are not eligible for funding under this program.
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: http://geodata.epa.gov.
Grant recipients and sub-recipients are encouraged to adopt and enforce policies that ban text messaging while driving company-owned or -rented vehicles or government-owned vehicles, or while driving privately-owned vehicles when on official government business or when performing any work for or on behalf of the government.
Grant recipients and sub-recipients are encouraged to conduct initiatives of the type described in section 3(a) of the Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving Executive Order that was signed on October 1, 2009.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Units of local government, under Washington State law, and federally recognized Indian Tribes 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 located 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.
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.
Federal and state agencies, institutions of higher learning, 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, Marine Resource Committees organized pursuant to RCW 36.125 and nongovernmental entities are not eligible to directly receive financial assistance awards under this announcement.
Business enterprises and individuals or families will also not be eligible applicants.
However, EPA strongly encourages local and tribal governments to solicit participation from these types of entities as local collaborators.
All of these types of entities are eligible to apply for subawards or subcontracts from a successful award recipient.
For certain competitive funding opportunities under this CFDA description, 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 specific types of eligible applicants will be identified in the individual Requests for Proposals.
Beneficiary Eligibility
The ultimate beneficiary of the assistance offered under this program will be the general public that lives and works in the Puget Sound region.
Credentials/Documentation
No Credentials or documentation are required. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Aplication and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Regarding pre-application/pre-proposal assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this program description, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application/pre-proposal assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the competitive announcement.
For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed as "Information Contacts" or see Appendix IV of the Catalog.
Environmental impact information is not required for this program.
This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.
12372.
Application Procedures
OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. Applicants will be required to submit application materials as described in the Request For Proposals. The Request For Proposals will also specify the submission methods which generally include an electronic and hard copy submission option. The standard application forms as furnished by the EPA and required by OMB Circulars No. A-110 and A-102 must be used for this program. EPA requires final applications to be made on Standard Form 424. Requests for application kits must be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, Grants and Interagency Agreement Management Division, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Mail Code 3903R, Washington, DC 20460 or though the EPA Region 10 Grants Administration web site at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/omp.nsf/webpage/. Applicants may be able to use http://www.grants.gov to electronically apply for certain grant opportunities under this CFDA.
Award Procedures
For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications, proposals, and/or submissions in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements. EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals or applications and make no awards under any RFP issued under this program.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.
Authorization
Clean Water Act, Title III, Section 320, Public Law 94-117, 33 U.S.C 1330; Clean Water Act, Title III, Section 320, Public Law 106-457, 33 U.S.C 1330; Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, Public Law 111-8.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
From 120 to 180 days. The region expects that its review of the applications received in response to competitive solicitations will be completed within 120 to 150 days following the deadline for the submission of applications for each Request for Proposals issued under this program.
Appeals
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 requested by contacting the individual(s) listed as "Information Contacts." Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 40 CFR 30.63 or 40 CFR 31.70, as applicable.
Renewals
Not Applicable.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula.
Matching Requirements: The Puget Sound Watershed Management Assistance program has no statutory formula for allocating the funds. All of the grants will be for implementation projects under the Puget Sound Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP) under CWA Section 320(g)(2) and Section 320(g)(3)(ii). There is a statutory match of 50 percent of the total project costs for implementation project grants under CWA Section 320(g)(3)(ii)and CWA Section 320 allows for an aggregate match.
For the awards to be made under the competitions conducted under this program, the Puget Sound Management Conference, represented by the Puget Sound Partnership, has agreed to provide 67 percent of the 50 percent required non federal match for successful project proposals for the 2010-2011 biennium under a cooperative agreement with EPA. Accordingly, in order to meet the match requirement for the competitive solicitations issued under this program, EPA Region 10 will require that all selected recipients provide a match amount that is equal to 33 percent of the 50 percent required match. Thus, for each proposal funded under this program, the required 50 percent match will be met. The match may be cash or in-kind consistent with the regulation governing match requirements (40 CFR Section 31.24 or 40 CFR Section 30.23, as applicable). The example below illustrates how this will work.
Match Example:
For an applicant requesting $600,000 in federal funds under a competition, the total match required would be $600,000. Under the competition, the applicant will be required to provide a match of $198,000, or 33 percent of the required 50 percent match. The remaining $402,000 ($600,000 - $198,000) of the required 50 percent match will be met at the aggregate level by the Puget Sound Partnership.
Contact the Puget Sound Partnership office or EPA Regional Office contact identified in this program description for more information.
This program does not have MOE requirements.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
The assistance will be awarded during Federal Fiscal Year 2010. Funds will be disbursed to assistance recipients in accordance with the terms specified in the assistance agreement. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Assistance will be disbursed in accordance with the terms specified in the assistance agreement. Typically, assistance recipients draw funds at either monthly or quarterly intervals based on their incurred costs.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
No program reports are required.
No cash reports are required.
Progress report requirements will be a part of each assistance agreement.
A schedule showing interim milestones and the outputs that will be completed by the end of the project period will also be included.
Typical progress reports will discuss the progress that the assistance recipient has made on towards achieving each major goal or objective identified in the approved statement of work.
The report would also discuss the progress that has been made towards each interim milestone.
Progress reports will also discuss any difficulties or problems that the assistance recipient has encountered and how those problems have been or are being resolved.
Other specific reporting requirements will be defined in the Assistance Agreement based on the statement of work described in the application.
Expenditure reports will typically be required at the same time intervals as progress reports.
The expenditure reports will document expenditures to date, including expenditures of any matching funds, in a manner that allows the user to confirm that matching requirements are being met and that all assistance payments (disbursements to the assistance recipient) are for costs that have been incurred in compliance with applicable cost principles.
No performance monitoring is required.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year.
Records
Financial records, including all documents to support entries on accounting records and to substantiate charges to each grant must be kept available to personnel authorized to examine EPA grant accounts. All records must be maintained until expiration of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. If questions still remain, such as those raised by an audit, related records should be retained until the matter is completely resolved.
Financial Information
Account Identification
68-0108-0-1-304.
Obigations
(Cooperative Agreements) FY 09 $13,000,000; FY 10 est $9,000,000; FY 11 est $0 - Region 10 expects to obligate approximately $13 millon in FFY 2009 funds in awards made in FFY 2010. Additional funds from the Agency"s FFY 2010 appropriation may be obligated to this program. These obligations from FFY 2010 may total up to approximately $9 million and would be made in awards completed in FFY 2010. All of these awards are in response to a competitive solicitation completed in FFY 2010. The Region is not planning additional solicitations under this program in FFY 2010. FY 2011 estimate is not available.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
The range for awards in Requests for Proposals issued under this CFDA listing to between $300,000 and $1,000,000. The average award would be approximately $700,000.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
For grants and cooperative agreements with local governments, tribal governments and special purpose districts, the procedures and requirements should be in conformance with 40 CFR Part 31 "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments", 40 CFR Part 35 "Environmental Program Grants-State, Interstate and Local Government Agencies", and OMB Circular Nos. A-87 "Cost Principles for State and Local Governments" and A-102 "Grants and Cooperative Agreements for States and Local Governments."
OMB Circular A-87 has been codified as 2 CFR Part 225. EPA"s requirements under OMB Circular A-102 are codified at 40 CFR Part 31.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
See Regional Agency Offices. Daniel I. Steinborn, Puget Sound Financial Assistance Project Officer,
Ecosystems and Community Health Unit, Office of Ecosystems, Tribal and Public Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, ETPA-086, Seattle, WA 98101(206) 553-2728 or (1-800) 424-4EPA, Ext. 3-2728, E-mail: steinborn.daniel@epa.gov.
Headquarters Office
Daniel Steinborn, Ecosystems and Community Health Unit, Office of Ecosystems, Tribal and Public Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, ETPA-086, Seattle, Washington 98101 Email: steinborn.daniel@epa.gov Phone: (206) 553-2728.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this CFDA description will be published in the announcement of the competitive funding opportunity (the Request for Proposals or RFP).
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