The United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research and
Development
Washington, DC 20460
EPA/600/F-96/002
April 1996
&EPA DOE/EPA/NSF/ONR
JOINT PROGRAM ON BIOREMEDIATION
Interagency Announcement
of
Opportunity
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Energy
National Science Foundation
Office of Naval Research
Jointly Announce
the Availability of
1996 Grants for Research
APPLICATION SUBMISSION CLOSING DATE: MAY 1, 1996
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DOE/EPA/NSF/ONR JOINT PROGRAM ON BIOREMEDIATION
Introduction
In the past the goal for cleanup of toxic and hazardous waste sites has been the complete
removal of the hazardous chemicals, and regulation has been based on that goal. For bioreme-
diation this meant complete mineralization of wastes to carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic
materials. It has become clear, however, that this goal is frequently unrealistic and unnecessary.
There are alternative endpoints that can protect ecosystems and human health. Since one of the
principal factors controlling biodegradation processes is bioavailability, research which examines
the bioavailability of contaminants in waste matrices, the potential for toxic effects of various
intermediate metabolites during biodegradation of wastes, and interactions between waste chemi-
cals and organisms in their environment is urgently needed. The overall goal of such research
should be to better understand the various factors that will impact the risk to ecosystem and
human health of waste chemicals and their degradation products during the process of bioreme-
diation so that the regulatory climate can be fine-tuned to take into consideration the possibility
of alternatives to complete mineralization. Such research ultimately could lead to the identifica-
tion, development, and field testing of bioremediation technologies.
Program Description
Research proposals are solicited that aim to further our understanding of the chemical,
physical, and biological processes influencing the bioavailability and release of chemicals in soil
under natural conditions, as well as the role of a chemical which when released from the soil and
assimilated by a living organism, results in an adverse effect. The objective of the research
should be to understand the commonality of processes and/or environmental effects involved in
contaminant release, movement, and assimilation in order to determine broadly applicable tech-
niques for measuring the potential impacts of contaminants in complex matrices.
The emphasis in proposed research projects should be on the behavior of mixtures of
chemicals. Interdisciplinary research is particularly encouraged. While studies on chemicals that
may affect ecosystem and human health are desired, toxicological studies are not eligible. Simi-
larly, studies involving pure cultures in the laboratory or bioreactors will not be reviewed. Labo-
ratory studies must demonstrate applicability to field studies. A number of well-instrumented,
characterized, and documented sites are available for field research. Some examples and contact
individuals are:
• Various Department of Energy sites
Contact: D. Jay Grimes, 301-903-4183
darrell.grimes@oer.doe.gov
• The U.S. Navy's Port Hueneme, CA, site
Contact: Ernest Lory, 805-982-1299
elory@nfesc.navy.mil
AA) Printed on Recycled Paper
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• McClelland Air Force Base, California
Contact: Kevin Wong, 916-643-0830, ext. 159
wong.kb@smal .mcclellan.af.mil
• San Diego Bay
Contact: Sandra Harrell, 619-553-5330
meso@nosc.mil
• Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan
Contact: Michael Barcelona, 313-763-9666
mikebar@engin.umich.edu
• Dover Air Force Base, Delaware
Contact: Charles Mikula, 302-677-6845
FAX: 302-677-6837
A more detailed statement of interagency interests and priorities in bioremediation re-
search can be found in the Environmental Biotechnology chapter of the recent National Science
and Technology Council (NSTC) report, Biotechnology for the 21st Century: New Horizons
[http://www.nalusda.gov/bic/bio21]. Applicants specifically interested in research at Department
of Energy sites should peruse the Natural and Accelerated Research (NABIR) Program Plan
(DOE/ER-0659T, access NABIR through http://www.er.doe.gov/production/oher/NABIR/
cover.html). The program elements, Biogeochemical Dynamics and Community Dynamics and
Microbial Ecology are those most closely aligned with this EPA/NSF/DOE/ONR Joint Program
on Bioremediation.
Who May Submit
Academic and not-for-profit institutions located in the U.S., and state or local govern-
ments are eligible to apply. Profit-making firms are eligible only under certain laws, and then
under restrictive conditions, including the absence of any profit from the project. Federal agen-
cies and federal employees are not eligible to participate in this program. Potential applicants
who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact EPA's Grants Operations Branch at (202)
260-9266. All potential applicants are encouraged to contact one of the agency representatives,
identified below, before submitting a formal proposal.
Awards
Proposals may request funding for projects with a duration not to exceed three years and
a total budget not to exceed $500,000. The EPA is the lead agency in this effort and although
proposals submitted in response to this Interagency Announcement will be sent to EPA, the
participating agencies will jointly manage the review and administration of the program. Final
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selection of awardees by the agencies will be determined by the review panel's recommendations
and programmatic considerations. Each award will be supported by a single agency. Overall
estimated amount of funding is $5 M, depending on the availability of funds and the program-
matic relevancy of recommended projects to the participating agencies. Each agency supporting
an award will act as the sole administrative unit for that award. Principal Investigators may be
requested to modify their budgets and work plans to comply with special requirements of the
particular agency supporting their award.
The Application
The EPA Application Kit for Assistance, which contains detailed instructions on how to
prepare your application, should be used. The application kit is available at most institutional
offices of sponsored research or may be obtained from EPA at:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance (8703)
401 M Street SW
Washington DC 20460
Phone: (202)260-3837
Fax: (202)260-2039
Each application must contain the following:
A. Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Forms 424 and 424A). These forms must
have original signature.
B. A detailed, itemized budget for each year of the proposed project.
C. A budget justification describing the basis for calculating the personnel, fringe benefits,
travel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and other costs identified in the itemized
budget.
D. An abstract containing the following information: The project title, the names and affiliations
of all investigators, and a summary of the objectives, expected results, and approach
described in the proposal. The abstract must not exceed one (1) 8.5 x 11 inch page of single-
spaced standard 12 point type with 1 inch margins.
E. A Description of the Project. This description must not exceed fifteen (15) pages; All pages
must be consecutively numbered, 8.5 x 11 inch, single-spaced standard 12 point type with 1
inch margins. The description must provide the following information (1-5):
1. Objectives: List objectives of the proposed research and/or the hypotheses being
tested during the project.
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2. Expected Results or Benefits: Describe the results you expect to achieve during
the project and the benefits of success.
3. Approach: Outline the methods, approaches, and techniques that you intend to
employ in meeting the objective stated above.
4. General Project Information: Discuss other information relevant to the potential
success of the project. This might include facilities, project schedules, proposed
management, interactions with other institutions, etc.
5. Quality Assurance: A brief narrative statement (not to exceed two consecutively
numbered, 8.5 x 11 inch pages of single-spaced standard 12 point type with 1 inch
margins) describing the quality assurance procedures proposed for the project (see
section of this RFA on quality assurance).
R Any important attachments; appendices, references, or other information may be included but
must not exceed five (5) pages. If site-specific agreements have been negotiated between the
applicant and the owner of a waste site, include this as an attachment.
G. The resumes of the principal investigator, and co-workers. Resumes must not exceed two
consecutively-numbered, 8.5 x 11 inch pages of single spaced standard 12 point type with 1
inch margins.
H. Standard Form (SF) 5700-48 Procurement System Certification (provided in Application
Kit).
I. Standard Form (SF) 5700-49 Debarment and Suspension Certification (provided in
Application Kit).
J. A list of key contacts (provided in Application Kit) including authorizing representative,
payee, administrative contact, and project manager.
K. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (provided in Application Kit).
L. Copy of State Clearing House Approval Notification (see Application Kit to determine if
applicable).
M. The applicant must include a blank self-addressed, stamped post card with the application.
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Quality Assurance
Data sets resulting from environmental research often are used by government officials
when establishing standards or when making other policy decisions. Explicit indicators of data
quality are essential for determining whether a particular data set is appropriate for use in a
specific context. To that end, grant-funded projects should address quality assurance. The
application must include a quality assurance narrative statement, not to exceed two pages, which
for each item listed below, either presents the required information or provides justification as to
why the item does not apply to the proposed research.
• The intended use of the data and the associated acceptance criteria for data quality (i.e.,
precision, accuracy, completeness, and comparability).
• Project requirements for precision, accuracy, completeness, and comparability, and how these
will be determined.
• Procedures for selection of samples or sampling sites, and collection or preparation of
samples.
• Procedures for sample handling, identification, preservation, transportation, and storage.
• Description of measurement methods or test procedures, with a statement of performance
characteristics if methods are non-standard.
• Standard quality assurance/quality control procedures (e.g., American Society for Testing
Materials, American Public Health Association, etc.) to be followed. Non-standard
procedures must be documented.
• Data reduction and reporting procedures, including description of statistical analyses to be
used.
Proprietary Information
By submitting an application in response to this solicitation, the applicant grants EPA
permission to share the application with technical reviewers both within and outside of the
Agency. Applications containing proprietary or other types of confidential information will be
immediately returned to the applicant without review.
Evaluation of Proposals
All grant applications are initially reviewed to determine their legal and administrative
acceptability and responsiveness to this solicitation. Acceptable applications are then reviewed
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by a technical peer review group. This review is designed to evaluate and rank each proposal
according to its scientific merit. The review group is composed primarily of non-government
scientists and engineers who are experts in their respective disciplines. All reviewers are profi-
cient in the technical areas that they are reviewing. The reviewers use the following criteria in
their reviews:
• quality of the research plan (including theoretical and/or experimental design,
originality, and creativity);
• qualifications of the principal investigator and staff, including knowledge of relevant
subject areas;
• potential contribution of the research to advancing scientific knowledge in the
environmental area;
• potential to enhance training and information transfer in the topic areas;
• availability and adequacy of facilities and equipment;
• budget justification—justification for equipment will receive special attention; and
• responsiveness to solicitation objectives.
Funding decisions are the sole responsibility of the participating federal agencies. Proposals may
be recommended for funding by any of the participating agencies, at the agencies' option, not the
proposer's. Grants are awarded on the basis of technical merit, relevancy to the research priori-
ties outlined, program balance, and budget.
How to Apply
To be considered, the original and ten (10) copies of the fully developed research grant
application and five (5) additional copies of the abstract (fifteen in all), must be received (post-
marked if sent by U.S. Mail) by the National Center for Environmental Research and Quality
Assurance no later than 4:00 P.M. EST on the closing date: May 1,1996.
The application and abstracts must be prepared in accordance with instructions in the
Application Kit for Federal Assistance and this RFA. Informal, incomplete, or unsigned propos-
als will not be considered. Completed applications should be sent via regular or express mail to:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance (8703)
Sorting Code: 96-NCERQA-10
Room M2426
401M Street SW
Washington DC 20460
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Applications sent via express mail should have the following telephone number listed on the
express mail label: (202)260-3837
Sorting Code
In order to facilitate proper assignment and review of applications, applications must be
identified by printing the Sorting Code 96-NCERQA-10 in block 10 of the SF-424.
Contacts
Additional general information may be obtained by contacting:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance (8703)
401 M Street SW
Washington DC 20460
Phone: (202)260-3837
Fax: (202)260-2039
Applicants with technical questions may contact the appropriate individual identified below.
Dr. Robert E. Menzer:
menzer.robert@ epamail.epa.gov
fax (202) 260-0929, voice (202) 260-5779
Dr. Joann Roskoski: <
jroskosk@nsf.gov .
fax (703) 306-0367, voice (703) 306-1480 Ext.;6421
Dr. D. Jay Grimes:
darrell.grimes@oer.doe.gov
fax (301) 903-8519, voice (301) 903-4183
Dr. Anna Palmisano:
palmisan@onrhq.onr.navy.mil
fax (703) 696-1212 , voice (703) 696-4986
*U.S. Government Printing Office: 1996 - 751-820
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