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Solid Waste and EPA-560-F-04-267
Emergency Response November 2004
(5105T) www.epa.gov/brownfields
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Table of Contents
Overview of EPA's Brownfields Job Training Grants 3
What are Brownfields? 3
Background 3
EPA's Brownfi elds Financial Assistance Program 4
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description 4
1.1. Applicant Eligibility 4
1.2. Authority for Brownfields Job Training Grants 5
1.3. Eligible Uses of EPAFunds 5
1.4. Prohibited Uses of EPABrownfields Job Training Grant Funds 6
Section II. Award Information 6
Section HI. Eligibility Information 7
3.1. Threshold Eligibility Criteria 7
Section IV. Application and Submission Information 7
4.1. Deadlines 7
4.2. General Proposal Requirements 7
4.3. Proposal Submission Schedule 8
4.4. Availability of Pre-Application Assistance 8
4.5. Overview of Evaluation of Proposals 9
Section V. Application Review Information 9
5.1. Ranking (Evaluation) Criteria 10
Section VI. Award Administration Information 10
Section VII. Agency Contacts 11
Section VIII. Job Training Proposal Guidelines 11
8.1. CoverPage 11
8.2. Threshold Criteria 12
8.3. Ranking Criteria 13
Appendix 1. EPA Regional and Headquarters Contacts 19
Appendix 2. Prohibitions on Use of Funds 21
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Overview of EPA's Brownfields Job
Training Grants
What are Brownfields?
These guidelines are provided pursuant to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 66.815.
The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act ("Brownfields Law" or "the Law,"
PL. 107-118) allows the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fund training to facilitate
assessment, remediation, or preparation of brownfield sites. Abrownfield site is "real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence
of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant," as defined in section 101(39) of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (CERCLA or
Superfund). The law further defines the term "brownfield site" to include a site that "is contaminated by a
controlled substance...; is contaminated by petroleum or a petroleum product excluded from the definition
of 'hazardous substance'...; or is mine-scarred land." Applicants for these brownfields j ob training grants
must be either eligible governmental entities as defined in CERCLA section 104(k)(l) or eligible nonprofit
organizations as defined in Public law 106-107, the Federal Financial Assistance Management
Improvement Act. Please note that State and certain Indian Tribal recipients of grants under CERCLA
section 128 are also eligible to apply for these job training grants.
Eligible applicants must ahopropose to serve a community that currently receives, or has received,
financial assistance from EPAfor brownfields assessment, revolving loan fund or cleanup competitive
grants. For a complete listing of existing EPA-funded brownfield grant areas, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/plocat.htm
One exception to the requirement above is that States and certain eligible Indian Tribes (see section 1.1
Applicant Eligibility below) currently receiving CERCLA section 128 funding may propose to serve any
community within their jurisdiction where the State or Indian Tribe is conducting site-specific brownfield
work (e.g., assessment or clean up activities) with State, Indian Tribal or Federal CERCLA section 128
funds.
Background
In the early 1990s, stakeholders expressed concerns to EPA that more than 600,000 properties that were
once used for industrial, manufacturing, or other commercial uses were lying abandoned or underused due
to the actual or perceived presence of contamination. Brownfield areas, particularly those in city centers,
were contributing to blight and j oblessness in surrounding communities. Unknown environmental liabilities
were preventing communities, developers, and investors from restoring these properties to productive use
and revitalizing impacted neighborhoods.
In 1994, EPAresponded to the brownfields problem with an approach that is locally based, encourages
strong public-private partnerships, and promotes innovative and creative ways to assess, clean up, and
redevelop brownfield sites. This approach empowers state, tribal, and local environmental and economic
development officials to oversee brownfield activities. It encourages implementing local solutions to local
problems. EPA also has provided funding to create local environmental j ob training programs to ensure
that the economic benefits derived from brownfields revitalization efforts remain in local neighborhoods.
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A critical part of EPA's efforts to encourage assessment and cleanup of brownfields is participation by
affected residents. In addition, EPA works to ensure that disadvantaged residents do not bear a
disproportionate burden of the effects of environmental contamination. To help residents take advantage of
j obs created by the assessment and cleanup of brownfields, EPAinitiated the Brownfields Job Training
Grants.
In 2002, the Brownfields Law authorized funding for a national Brownfields Job Training Grants Program.
This program incorporated many of the goals and objectives for job training grants as described above.
EPA's Brownfields Financial Assistance Program
EPA's Brownfields Program is an organized commitment to help communities revitalize brownfield
properties both environmentally and economically, mitigate potential health risks, and restore economic
vitality to areas where brownfields exist. Successful cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields are proof
that economic development and environmental protection can indeed coexist. As a part of the Brownfields
Economic Redevelopment Program, EPA has funded 82 j ob training grants totaling $13.1 million. As of
Summer 2004, more than 2,000 people had completed training; and more than 1,200 obtained employment
in the environmental field with an average hourly wage of $12.83.
Section I. Funding Opportunity
Description
EPAis requesting proposals for brownfields job training grants. This is a competitive grant program
managed in accordance with EPA Order 5700.5 "Policy for Competition in Assistance Agreements,"
conducted under a ranking system established under the Brownfields Law (PL. 107-118). The goals of the
Job Training Program are to prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field and facilitate
cleanup of brownfield sites contaminated with hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants and
petroleum.
1.1. Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must be either eligible governmental entities as defined in CERCLA section 104(k)(l) or eligible
nonprofit organizations as defined in Public Law 106-107, the Federal Financial Assistance Management
Improvement Act.
Eligible governmental entities include a general purpose local unit of government; a land clearance authority
or other quasi-governmental entity that operates under the supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a
general purpose unit of government; a governmental entity created by a state legislature; a regional council
or group of general purpose units of local government; a redevelopment agency that is chartered or
otherwise sanctioned by a state; a state; an Indian Tribe (other than in Alaska), or an Alaskan Native
Regional Corporation and an Alaska Native Village Corporation as those terms are defined in the Alaska
Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 and following); and the Metlakatla Indian Community. EPA
welcomes and encourages proposals from coalitions of such entities, but a single eligible entity must be
identified as the legal recipient. Intertribal consortia, except consortia comprised of ineligible Alaskan tribes,
are eligible to apply as well.
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Eligible nonprofit organizations include any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization
that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest;
is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of
the organization. Workforce Investment Boards that meet these criteria may be eligible nonprofit
organizations. Public and nonprofit private educational institutions are eligible to apply. However, nonprofit
organizations described in Section 501 (c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities
as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply.
For-profit or proprietary training organizations or trade schools are not eligible to apply.
Evidence of current nonprofit status under Federal, state or tribal law must be provided at the time of
application.
Please also see section 1.3 "Eligible Uses of EPA Funds" and section 8.2.B "Threshold Criteria,
Applicant Eligibility," for related eligibility information that may affect your decision to apply
this year.
1.2. Authority for Brownfields Job Training Grants
Funding for National Brownfields Job Training Program grants is authorized under CERCLA section
104(k)(6), 42 U. S.C. section 9604(k)(6). This statute authorizes EPA to provide, or fund eligible entities or
nonprofit organizations to provide, training, research, and technical assistance to individuals and
organizations, as appropriate, to facilitate assessment, remediation, or preparation ofbrownfield sites. EPA
awards grants authorized by section 104(k) under a ranking system that includes factors relating to
institutional capacity; training program obj ectives and plans; budget, schedule and leveraging; community
involvement and partnerships; measures of success; ability to manage grants; and, community need.
1.3. Eligible Uses of EPA Funds
Project proposals must conform to the following guidelines:
• Grant funds may be used to train residents for the handling and removal of hazardous substances, which
includes training for j obs in sampling, analysis, and site remediation.
• Funds also may be used for the following: 1) training in the management of facilities at which hazardous
substances, pollutants, contaminants or petroleum contamination are located; 2) training for response
activities often associated with cleanups—for example, landscaping, demolition, and groundwater
extraction; and 3) development/refinement of existing curriculum for the training described in this
paragraph.
• Grant funds may be used for training participants in the use of techniques and methods for cleanup of
leaking underground storage tanks and other sites contaminated by petroleum products, asbestos
abatement, or lead abatement where these topics are a component of a more comprehensive hazardous
waste and substance management training course or environmental technology training course.
• Grant funds may be used to recruit j ob training participants from communities impacted by brownfields
and for outreach activities directed toward engaging prospective employers to be involved in the j ob
training program. These activities should be part of improving participation in hazardous waste and
substance management training for communities impacted by brownfields. Proposed training programs
must establish procedures to ensure that participants are recruited from the neighborhoods where
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the brownfield site(s) are located and graduates from their training programs are employed in
assessing and cleaning up environmentally contaminated sites.
Eligible applicants must ahopropose to serve a community that currently receives, or has received,
financial assistance from EPAfor brownfields assessment, revolving loan fund or cleanup competitive
grants. For a complete listing of existing EPA-funded brownfield grant areas, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/plocat.htm
One exception to the requirement above is that States and certain eligible Indian Tribes (see section 1.1
"Applicant Eligibility" above) currently receiving CERCLA section 128 funding may propose to serve any
community within their jurisdiction where the State or Indian Tribe is conducting site-specific brownfield
work (e.g., assessment or clean up activities) with State, Indian Tribal or Federal CERCLA section 128
funds.
1.4. Prohibited Uses of EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant
Funds
• Grant funds are intended for j ob training activities and may not be used for conducting site assessments
or actual cleanups outside the context of on-the-job training. Grant funds may notbe used for
conducting response activities often associated with cleanups—for example, landscaping, demolition, and
groundwater extraction— except within the context of on-the-j ob training assignments. Assessment,
cleanup, and associated activity costs must be funded through other means.
• Grant funds may notbe used for general or life skills education activities, such as remedial classes in math
and reading; job readiness training, such as developing resumes and acquiring interview skills; job
placement costs; GED costs; transportation costs, such as the costs of getting to and from class, or
stipends for students; web site development; vehicle or medical insurance; or, child care costs.
• Grant funds may notbe used for costs that are unallowable (e.g., lobbying, fund-raising) under OMB
Circulars A-21 (universities), A-87 (state, tribal, and local governments), or A-122 (nonprofit
organizations), as applicable.
• Grant funds may not be used to match any other federal funds unless there is specific statutory authority
for the match. CERCLA does not provide this authority. However, grant funds may be used to match
state or local funds if authorized by the relevant state statute or local ordinance.
• Under the Brownfields Law, grant funds may not be used for administrative costs. See Appendix 2
for details on this important prohibition.
Section II. Award Information
EPA will award up to $200,000 per job training grant. If an applicant submits a proposal for amounts that
exceed $200,000, EPA will not consider those proposals. Depending on the availability of funds, EPA
expects to select approximately 10 Brownfields Job Training Grants by the end of April 2005. However,
EPAreserves the right to fund successful proposals at lower amounts depending on the availability of EPA
funds, applicant access to other sources of funds, quality of applicant proposals, and needs of the
community. EPAreserves the right to reject any or all proposals or applications and make no awards.
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Section III. Eligibility Information
3.1. Threshold Eligibility Criteria
In your proposal, you must clearly state your responses to these threshold eligibility criteria: a) location of
the proposed project; b) applicant eligibility; c) demonstration of non-duplication with other Federally
funded job training programs; and d) proposal request dollar amounts not to exceed $200,000. If your
responses fail to meet any threshold eligibility criterion, then your proposal will not be considered further.
However, EPA may seek clarification from an applicant regarding its responses to threshold criteria.
Please refer to the section below entitled "Job Training Proposal Guidelines" for a detailed discussion of
each of these threshold eligibility criteria.
Section IV. Application and Submission
Information
4.1. Deadlines
Proposals must be postmarked by the United States Postal Service (no private meters) or hand
delivered to the address below by January 14,2005. Failure to meet the deadline will result in the
proposal being eliminated from the competition.
4.2. General Proposal Requirements
All materials included in the proposal (including maps and other attachments) must be printed on letter-
sizedpaper (81A" by 11") and font sizes must be no smaller than 11 points. Proposals received by EPA
will be copied and distributed to appropriate reviewers; therefore, do not use binders nor color
printing. Proposals must not be more than 15 single-sided pages in length, not including the cover letter
and attachments. Only the first fifteen pages of a proposal (not including cover page) and
appropriate and relevant attachments will be photocopied for evaluation. Photos and graphics will
not be considered.
Proposals must be concise and well organized, and must provide the information requested in the
guidelines, including responses to each criterion. Factual information about your proposed proj ect and
community must be provided. Do not include discussions of broad principles that are not specific to the
proposed work or project covered by your proposal. Responses to criteria must include the criteria
number and title but need not restate the entire text of the criteria. Electronic copies of these guidelines
can be obtained from the EPABrownfields web site (www.epa.gov/brownfields) or by contacting your
Regional Brownfields Contact listed in Appendix 1.
Note: Applicants must clearly mark any information they consider to be proprietary, confidential
business information. If marked information is requested from EPA under the Freedom of
Information Act, EPA will follow the provisions of 40 CFRPart 2, Subpart B.
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Successful grant applicants must provide, in addition to the SF 424, a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number, which is now required when applying for federal grants or cooperative
agreements on or after October 1,2003. For more information, go to www.grants.gov.
4.3. Proposal Submission Schedule
Announcement of funding availability
Proposals due to EPA
Announcement of Grants
November 2004
January 14,2005
May 2005
Submit two copies of your proposal, including attachments, to: Mr. Don West, Environmental
Management Support, Inc., 8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD 20910, phone 301-
589-5318.
In addition, submit one copy of your proposal, including attachments, to your EPARegional Brownfields
Contact (listed in Appendix 1).
Proposals must be postmarked by the United States Postal Service (no private meters), or hand
delivered to the address below, by January 14, 2005.
Mail your proposal to:
Mr. Don West
Environmental Management Support, Inc.
8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 500
Silver Spring, MD 20910
OR
Overnight your proposal to:
Mr. Don West
Environmental Management Support, Inc.
8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 500
Silver Spring, MD 20910
phone 301-589-5318
Note: Overnight mail must include Mr. Don West's phone number in the address.
4.4. Availability of Pre-Application Assistance
EPARegional Brownfields staff may respond to individual questions regarding threshold eligibility
requirements, but will not provide assistance on applicant responses on ranking evaluation criteria. Agency
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personnel will not review draft proposals. Significant questions and answers will be posted on the EPA
website: www.EPA.gov/brownfields, under Job Training Grants. Parties wishing to submit additional
questions concerning threshold eligibility criteria may do so via the United States Postal Service by
addressing their comments to: Ms. MyraBlakely, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of
Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment, MC-5105T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
20460, or via email to blakely.myra@epa.gov Hand deliveries should be sent to Ms. Myra Blakely, U. S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment, Room 2406,1301
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460, phone 202-566-2777.
4.5. Overview of Evaluation of Proposals
National Brownfields Job Training Program grants are awarded to the highest ranking applicants, as
determined by EPA under a competitive ranking system. Evaluation panels consisting of EPARegional and
Headquarters staff and other federal agency representatives will evaluate the proposals and make
recommendations to EPA senior management.
The evaluation panels will assess how well the proposals meet the evaluation criteria outlined below. There
are two different types of criteria-threshold criteria and ranking criteria. Threshold and ranking criteria
are clearly identified in the guidelines. If an applicant fails to provide complete responses to the
threshold criteria outlined in the guidelines, the proposal will fail and will not be evaluated
further. However, EPARegions may seek clarification from an applicant regarding its responses to
threshold criteria. EPA will advise applicants that it determines to be ineligible within 30 days of EPA
decisions on threshold eligibility criteria.
Proposals must be clear and concise and strictly follow each of the criteria. Sufficient detail must be
provided for the panel to evaluate the merits of each proposal and decide which proposals best support the
intent of the grant program. Vague descriptions, redundancy, and failure to propose a comprehensive
environmental training program covering all student needs may result in a lower ranking. Incomplete
proposal packages or packages inconsistent with the instructions will affect your score.
An EPAnational panel will score each eligible proposal on the basis of the ranking criteria summarized
below. Scores on each ranking criterion will be totaled to determine proposal rankings. EPA will not seek
clarification of responses to ranking criteria. The panel's recommended rankings of the proposals will be
considered by senior agency approval officials, who will make the final selection of proposals after
considering the recommendations of the review panel and other policy considerations listed in Section V
below. EPA will inform successful and unsuccessful applications within 60 days of final decisions.
Section V. Application Review Information
As discussed above, an EPAnational panel will score each eligible proposal on the basis of the ranking
criteria summarized below. Please refer to Section VJJI, entitled "Job Training Proposal Guidelines," for a
detailed discussion of these ranking criteria.
EPA senior agency approval officials will consider the recommended rankings of the review panel as well as
other policy considerations such as geographic distribution of funds between urban and non-urban areas and
among EPAs ten Regions, designation as a federal Empowerment Zone, Enterprise Community, or Renewal
Community; population; whether the applicant is a federally recognized Indian tribe; and, whether the
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proposed project may assist to address environmental justice concerns (such as the disproportionate impact
on, or presence of brownfields sites near, low-income and/or minority citizens). EPARegions may provide
an advisory score to the evaluation panel on an applicant's response to the "Ability to Manage Grants"
ranking criterion. This advisory score may take into account the Region's experience, if any, with the
applicant's performance on grants managed by the Region.
Although EPAhas decided not to require recipients to provide program funding through a specific matching
formula, EPA will take into account the extent to which recipients demonstrate the ability to "leverage" funds
when evaluating and ranking proposals.
5.1. Ranking (evaluation) Criteria
In your proposal, you must clearly state your responses to these ranking criteria, which are weighted in
importance by the number of points assigned to each in parentheses. (Please see Section VIII, entitled
"Job Training Proposal Guidelines, " for a detailed discussion of these ranking criteria.)
A. Institutional Capacity (a maximum of 15 points may be received for this criterion).
B. Training Program Obj ectives and Plans (a maximum of 20 may be received for this criterion).
C. Budget, Schedule, and Leveraging (a maximum of 15 points may be received for this criterion).
D. Community Involvement and Partnerships (a maximum of 15 points may be received for this criterion).
E. Measures of Success (a maximum of 10 points may be received for this criterion).
F. Ability to Manage Grants ( a maximum of 15 points may be received for this criterion).
G Community Need (a maximum of 10 points may be received for this criterion).
Section VI. Award Administration
Information
Funding will be awarded as a cooperative agreement. EPA anticipates substantial involvement with the
cooperative agreement recipient. EPA will ask the successful applicants to submit a final cooperative
agreement application package to their EPARegional office. This package will include an EPA-approved
final work plan that describes the work to be performed, including a final budget, and the required
certification forms. Cooperative agreements approved under this final selection step will include terms and
conditions. These terms and conditions will be binding on the grant recipient. Applicants will also be
required to submit progress reports in accordance with grant regulations found in 40 CFR 30.51 or 40 CFR
31.40. The EPARegional Brownfields Coordinators and Regional Grants Specialists will work closely with
the applicants to process and finalize the cooperative agreement package. Proposal funding is not
guaranteed at any stage of the proposal process until the Cooperative Agreement, including
workplan, is completed and the final award is made. EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals
and make no awards. EPAreserves the right to fund successful proposals at lower amounts depending on
the availability of EPAfunds, applicant access to other sources of funds, quality of applicant proposals, and
needs of the community.
Any disputes regarding proposals or applications submitted in response to these guidelines will be resolved
in accordance with 40 CFR 30.63 and Part 31, SubpartF.
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In accordance with Executive Order 123 72, EPA encourages applicants to contact their State
Intergovernmental Review Office early so that the required intergovernmental review process may begin
immediately upon selection by EPA. If the state does not have an Intergovernmental Review Office, the
successful applicant must provide notice of the proposed agreement directly to affected state, area-wide,
regional and local entities. Contact your Regional Brownfields Contact for assistance, if needed. (See
Appendix 1.)
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Please refer to Appendix 1. EPARegional and Headquarters Contacts of the proposal guidelines for
your EPA Regional Brownfields Contact.
Section VIM. Job Training Proposal
Guidelines
8.1. Cover Page
The cover page is intended to identify the brownfields j ob training and development pilot applicant and a
contact for communication with EPA. This should be one page and in the format of your choice.
A. Applicant Identification: Provide the name and full address of the entity applying for funds. This is the
agency or organization that will be receiving the grant and be accountable to EPA.
B. Location: City, county, and state or reservation, tribally owned lands, tribal fee lands, etc. of the
brownfields community(ies) that you propose to serve. Include the names, addresses, and phone
numbers of: the. may or, county executive, governor, tribal chair, etc., for the brownfields community that
you propose to serve.
C. Contacts: Please provide name, phone/fax numbers, e-mail address, and mailing address of the proj ect
director and head of organization responsible for the project proposal. These individuals may be
contacted if other information is needed.
D. Date Submitted: Date when the proposal is postmarked or sent to EPA via registered or tracked mail.
E. Proj ect Period: Proj ect period must not exceed two years.
F. Population: 1.) Provide the general population of your jurisdiction. 2.) If you are not a municipal form
of government, provide the population of the area addressed by this proposal. Tribes must provide the
number of tribal/non-tribal members affected.
G Other: Indicate whether you are a federally recognized tribe; federally designated Empowerment Zone/
Enterprise Community; or, federally designated Renewal Community.
H. Cooperative Partners: Provide names and phone numbers of individuals and organizations that have
agreed to participate in the implementation of the proj ect.
Please note that financial transactions with cooperative partners that involve EPA funding will be subj ect to
compliance with applicable EPA assistance regulations relating to procurement and subgrants. Successful
applicants may award subgrants that meet the requirements of 40 CFR 30.2(ff) or 40 CFR 31.3 Subgrant.
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Recipients may only award subgrants to eligible entities or nonprofit organizations as described in
applicant eligibility section above. The EPABrownfields program has determined that awarding
subgrants to for-profit organizations would be inconsistent with the Agency's purpose in awarding financial
assistance for Brownfields j ob training. Successful applicants must follow competitive procurement
procedures in 40 CFRParts 30 or 31, as applicable, when acquiring commercial goods and services. (To
access this Code of Federal Register information, please visit: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/
waisidx_03/40cfr30_03 .html).
8.2. Threshold Criteria
Clearly state your responses to these threshold criteria. If your responses fail to meet any threshold criterion,
then your proposal will not be considered further.
A. Location of the Proposed Proj ect
Identify the EPA-funded brownfields grant (assessment, RLF, or cleanup) in your project area.
If you are a State or certain eligible Indian Tribe (see section 1.1 "Applicant Eligibility" above) currently
receiving CERCLA section 128 funding, and you are proposing to serve a community where you are
conducting site-specific brownfields work with State, Indian Tribal or Federal CERCLA section 128
funds, then identify the community you propose to serve with your proj ect.
B. Applicant Eligibility
Describe how you are an eligible applicant for the j ob training grant. (See description of eligible
applicants in Section 1.1.) Applicants that received a Brownfields Job Training grant from EPAin Fiscal
Year 2003 (announced May 2003) or in Fiscal year 2004 (announced March 2004) are not eligible to
apply. Alist of brownfields job training grants awarded in Fiscal Year 2003 or in Fiscal year 2004 can
be found on the Brownfields website, http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/pilot.htmtfprevious.
Evidence of current nonprofit status under federal, state or tribal law must be provided at time of
application.
C. Demonstration that Proposal Does Not Duplicate Other Federally Funded Environmental Job
Training Programs
Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed training proj ect does not duplicate other federally
funded programs for environmental j ob training in their target community. For example, applicants must
demonstrate that the proposed training proj ect does not duplicate National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) hazardous waste management training programs in their target community.
NIEHS maintains a list of their worker training grantees on their web site, http://www.niehs.nih.gov/wetp
If you are listed on this website as a recipient, you must demonstrate how services under this proposed
proj ect will complement but not duplicate existing federal j ob training activities in your targeted service
area, i.e., different target audience, etc. You must undergo similar analyses for other federally funded j ob
training programs serving the area or community(ies) in your proposal.
D. Proposal Requested Dollar Amounts
EPA will award up to $200,000 per job training grant. Therefore, applicants must submit proposals for
EPA grant amounts equal to or less than $200,000. If an applicant submits a proposal for EPAamounts
over $200,000, EPA will not consider those proposals.
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8.3. Ranking Criteria
A. Institutional Capacity (a maximum of 15 points may be received for this criterion)
1. Describe your experience and the experience of your partners in providing employment and training
programs, and in providing environmental j ob training. Include in your description your success in
recruitment, training, and j ob placement as well as your instructors' experience with the curriculum
and target population. Include the names of your instructors as an attachment.
2. Briefly describe the proj ect management system that will support the coordination of activities,
troubleshooting, and problem-solving as necessary to recruit, screen, train, place, and track
participants.
3. Describe your experience in working with employers to provide employment for your programs'
participants. Identify at least three employers who have hired participants in your j ob training
programs. Provide these employers' names and phone numbers, since these employers will be
contacted by EPA during the proposal evaluation process. If your organization already has
experience working with environmental employers, provide specific examples, including names and
phone numbers of these employers. EPA will contact these employers during the proposal
evaluation process.
B. Training Program Obj ectives and Plans (a maximum of 20 points may be received for this criterion).
1. Describe the objectives of your proposed proj ect. Specify: 1) how many participants you expect to
train through this grant; 2) number of training cycles; how many hours per cycle; names of courses;
when and where you plan to conduct training classes; 3) your targeted placement rate at j obs that
bear a direct correlation to the training received.
2. Describe the criteria you will use to screen prospective trainees for entrance into your program.
Describe your plans for retaining your program trainees until they complete your program.
3. Discuss your partnerships with local community groups, labor unions with apprenticeship programs,
Workforce Investment Boards, and academic institutions, located in or near the brownfield
community. Describe the value that each of these partners will add to your program. Briefly
describe the prerequisite skills or knowledge (e.g., life skills training, pre-employment training, GED
preparation) to be provided by these partners.
4. Explain your currentjob development strategies. Describe current brownfield assessment and
cleanup activities ongoing in your target community. Describe your strategy to market to
environmental employers. If applicable, describe strategies to market to employers associated with
the ongoing assessment and cleanup activities listed above.
5. Describe how you will ensure that the curriculum meets employers' needs. Describe how the
employer community (for example, local businesses, environmental contractors, brownfield site
owners) has been involved in the development of the proposed training. This involvement could
include curriculum development, advisory councils, apprenticeships, and mentoring. Letters of
support must be provided to document commitments. These organizations will be contacted by
EPA during the evaluation process.
6. Provide a course outline as an attachment and include a list of training tools and materials that will be
provided to trainees. List and describe certifications (e.g., OSHA health and safely training for
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hazardous waste workers, lead abatement, asbestos abatement) graduates will earn. Indicate
whether your organization or collaborative partners are approved to provide such certification, and
explain how any exam fees will be covered. See Eligible uses of EPA Funds section.
1. Describe any local incentives or other mechanisms for encouraging employment of local residents
(e.g., first source or local hire ordinances for contractors of public agencies, tax incentives for local
hire, wage subsidies, or other mechanisms).
8. Describe the proximity of residents from the identified community to the training facilities and their
means of access to these training facilities.
C. Budget, Schedule, and Leveraging (a maximum of 15 points may be received for this criterion).
1. Provide a comprehensive proposed budget for your training proj ect. Thi s should include cost
estimates for each of the proposed project activities to be conducted using EPA funds. Describe in
detail plans for managing the budget. EPA does not require that applicants include a match
or cost share, however evidence of leveraged funds is encouraged,
Although EPA grant funds may be used for outreach, curriculum development, personnel,
equipment, and supplies, emphasis should be placed on delivery of training. Please note that the
Brownfields law prohibits any part of a grant or loan awarded under CERCLA section 104(k) for
the payment of administrative costs. Thus, EPA proj ect funding in your budget must reflect eligible
programmatic costs. For example, personnel costs listed below must be programmatic costs, e.g.,
costs for instructors' salaries (See Appendix 2. Prohibitions on Use of Funds).
Note: Under OMB Circulars, EPA financial assistance cannot be used for fund-raising.
Therefore, any costs associated with fund-raising must not be included in the budget for your
proposal or charged, to your EPA cooperative agreement if your proposal, is successful. In
addition, you must make clear in any solicitation for funds, that your organization, and, not
EPA, is asking for funding. You cannot imply that EPA endorses any fund-raising activities in
connection with your project. You must also make clear to donors that any gift to the
recipient for use in connection with brownfields training, research, and/or technical, assistance
will go solely toward defray ing your expenses, not those of EPA.
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The following is a suggested budget format:
Project Funding
EPA Project Funding
Personnel (Program Management)
Fringe benefits
Progress or performance reporting
Travel
Contractual1
Supplies
Other (please be specific)
Total EPA Funds
Non-EPA Project Funding
Administrative Costs
Other (please be specific)
Total Non-EPA Funds
Instruction
Outreach
Other Tasks
Total
2. Budget Narrative. Abudget narrative must accompany the budget and explain each activity,
including how it relates to the obj ective of providing environmental training. Describe how each
activity and cost is relevant to the EPA funding authority by describing the programmatic nature or
function of each cost.
3. Leveraged Funds. There are no match or cost-sharing requirements. In evaluating and ranking
proposal s, however, EPA will take into account the extent to which recipients demonstrate the
ability to "leverage" funds. Demonstrate how you will leverage funding to develop an integrated
training program. Provide a detailed description that clearly explains how funds and other resources
provided by collaborative partners will complement EPA grant funds and support recruitment, job
readiness, and placement. Clearly define each partner's role in complementing and supporting your
training program. Distinguish between how EPA funds will be used and how funds or other
resources from the partners will be used (e.g., DOL-fmanced life-skills training). Letters of support
must be provided to document commitment from partners.
Describe how leveraged funds and other resources will support the project. For example, provide
details on howyou intend to fund life-sldlls training, pre-employmenttraining, counseling, child care,
academic enhancement, placement assistance, transportation assistance, and other activities not
funded by this grant.
1 Applicants must comply with the procurement procedures contained in 40 CFR 31.3 6, or for nonprofits,
with 40 CFR 30.40 through 30.48.
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D. Community Involvement and Partnerships (a maximum of 15 points may be received for this criterion).
1. Describe your partnership with the EPA brownfields grant recipient in your grant area. Address
how this partnership will foster future employment for j ob training graduates.
2. EPA believes that early community involvement in the development of the proposal and
throughout the project is necessary and critical to the success of a job training program.
Describe your efforts to involve the community in the development of this proposal. Provide the
names and phone numbers of neighborhood- and community-based organizations you are working
with. Letters of support must be provided to document commitments from the organizations. These
organizations will be contacted by EPA during the evaluation process.
3. Describe how the proposed proj ect addresses environmental justice considerations and addresses
i ssues faced by low-income, minority, or socio-economically di sadvantaged populations within your
target community.
4. EPA encourages partnership and communication between job training/ employment staff and state
or Indian tribal environmental program staff. Therefore, you must also provide with your application
a copy of a letter you sent to the appropriate state or tribal environmental program contact
referenced below. In this letter, you must inform the state or tribal environmental program contact of
your plans to apply to EPA for a brownfields job training grant and provide a brief description of the
brownfields community that you propose to serve with your application. The purpose of thi s letter
is to initiate and facilitate dialogue between the job training grant applicant and the state or tribal
environmental program contact about potential job placement opportunities in planned and/or
ongoing brownfields assessment and cleanup activities.
You must include a copy of your dated and signed letter described above with the j ob training
application that you submit to EPAto demonstrate your efforts to partner with state and tribal
environmental program staff. Failure to provide your signed and dated letter will result in you not
receiving the maximum points for this criterion. If you are a State or certain eligible Indian tribe (see
section 1.1 Applicant Eligibility above) currently receiving CERCLA section 128 funding, you are
not required to include this letter.
For a list of state and Indian Tribal environmental program contacts, please visit:
h(tp://w ww. epa.gov/brownfields/sicnlcl. him
E. Measures of Success (a maximum of 10 points may be received for this criterion).
1. Define success in terms of your proj ect goals. Goals should be specific, measurable, realistic, and
within a specific time frame.
a. State your obj ectives and milestones for the end of each term listed: six months, one year, 18
months, and two years (final closeout report due). This description should include a narrative.
Provide a timetable showing start and completion dates for significant tasks.
b. Describe how your organization will ensure sustainable employment, including initial j ob
placement, retention and continuous employment. Describe j ob placement and tracking
strategies and identify the responsible entity and the source of funding (non-EPA) for this.
Describe job search support and resources available to participants, how these are accessed
and when they are available. Also describe how graduates will be tracked and the target time
frame for tracking (at least one year).
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c. Describe evaluation measures that will be used to identify program implementation issues, e.g.,
i ssues with the training and attrition. Describe how the compatibility of the curriculum to
employer needs will be assessed to determine whether training is meeting employers' needs.
d. List the reports or other deliverables you plan to provide to EPA as documentation of your
project's progress and success. Please note that EPA requires quarterly reports including key
measures (needed for statistical data collection) or other indicators of a successful job training
program.
e. Provide a strategy for continuation of training after original funding has been exhausted.
F. Ability to Manage Grants ( a maximum of 15 points may be received for this criterion).
1. Describe your ability to manage this grant and oversee the work, or describe the system(s) you have
in place to acquire the requisite expertise.
2. Describe prior experience in managing federal grants. You must identify and provide information
regarding the status of any adverse audit findings from an OMB Circular A-133 audit, an audit
conducted by a federal, state, tribal, or local government inspector general or similar organization,
or audits conducted by the U. S. General Accounting Office. You also must note whether you are,
or have previously been, required to comply with special "high risk" terms and conditions under
agency regulations implementing OMB Circular A-102.
3. Briefly detail original goals and planned project accomplishments, including, forjob training funding,
the number to be recruited, trained, and placed. Describe how you met or exceeded your
originally proposed goals and planned accomplishments by detailing the actual numbers of recruited,
trained and placed that you reported to EPA, and compare those with your originally proposed
goals and planned accomplishments. Briefly explain need for additional funding and explain how the
activities proposed today relate to the previous work plan.
If you are, or have been, a recipient of an EPABrownfields cooperative agreement(s), provide
information regarding your compliance with quarterly progress reports, brownfields reporting
measures, and annual financial status reporting.
Note: If you have not previously received Federal funds, you may provide a history of your past
performance with private funding, or funding awarded by state, tribal or local governments.
Applicants who have not performed projects with outside financing may provide information
regarding academic or community projects.
G. Community Need (a maximum of 10 points may be received for this criterion)
The purpose of this section is to provide evidence of need. Demonstrate the impact on the
targeted community.
I. Describe the target community you propose to serve under this proj ect. Include demographic
information and indicators, such as the poverty rate and the unemployment rate. Demonstrate the
impact that the presence of these indicators has on the targeted community. If referencing a site(s),
discuss how the presence of these indicators affects the whole community and not just the
immediate site impacts.
2. Describe the current brownfields challenges of your targeted community, including environmental,
economic, and social issues.
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3. Describe the demand for future employers to hire local residents to fill environmental jobs. Also
describe the skills potential employers will need. Also describe potential Brownfields activities that
indicate increased demand for skilled environmental workers.
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EPA Regional and
Headquarters Contacts
Regions
States
Address and Phone Number
EPARegion 1
Chris Lombard
CT,ME,MA,
NH,RI,VT
One Congress Street, Suite 1100 (Mailcode HIO)
Boston, MA 02114-2023
Phone (617) 918-1305 Fax (617) 918-1291
lombard.chris@epa.gov
EPA Region 2
Larry D'Andrea
NJ,NY,PR,VI
290 Broadway, ISthFloor, New York, NY 10007
Phone (212) 6374314 Fax (212) 6374360
dandrea.larry@epa.gov
EPA Region 3
JeffBarnett
DE,DC,MD,
PA,VA,WV
1650 Arch Street (3HS34), Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
Phone (215) 814-3246 Fax (215) 814-5518
barnett.jeff@epa.gov
EPA Region 4
Kathleen Curry
AL,FL,GA,KY,
MS,NC,SC,TN
Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street (SNFC, EPAMail Rm.)
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone (404) 562-8660 Fax (404) 562-8628
curry.kathleen@epa.gov
EPA Region 5
Linda Morgan
MN,OH,WI
77 West Jackson Boulevard (SE-4J), Chicago, IL 60604-3507
Phone (312) 8864747 Fax (312) 886- 6741
morgan.linda@epa.gov
EPA Region 6
Camisha Scott
AR,LA,NM,
OK,TX
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200 (6SF-PB), Dallas, TX 75202-273 3
Phone (214) 665-6752 Fax (214) 665-6660
scott.camisha@epa.gov
EPARegion 7
Nancy Schelle
IA,KS,MO,NE
901N. 5th Street (SUPR/STAR), Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone (913) 551-7940 Fax (913) 551-8688
schelle. nancy @epa. gov
EPA Region 8
Dan Heffernan
CO,MT,ND,
SD,UT,WY
999 18th Street, Suite 300 (EPR-B), Denver, CO 80202-2466
Phone (303) 312-7074 Fax (303) 312-6067
heffernan.dan@epa.gov
EPA Region 9
Bobbie Kahan
Wallace Woo
AZ,CA,ffl,
NV,AS,GU
75 Hawthorne Street (SFD 1-1), SanFrancisco, CA 94105
Phone (415) 972-3143, (415) 972-3270 Fax (415) 947-3528
kahan.bobbie@epa.gov, woo.wallace@epa.gov
EPA Region 10
Laura Caparroso
AK,ID,OR,WA
1200 Sixth Avenue (ECL-112), Seattle, WA98101
Phone (206) 553-6378 Fax (206) 553-0124
caparroso.laura@epa.gov
EPAHeadquarters
Myra Blakely
U.S. Postal Service mailing address:
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (MC 5105-T)
Washington, DC 20005
Overnight Delivery mailing address:
EPA West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, Room 2402
Washington, DC 20004
Phone (202) 566-2777 Fax (202) 566-2757
blakely.myra@epa.gov
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Prohibitions on Use of Funds
The Brownfields Law prohibits the use of any "part of a grant or loan" awarded
under section 104(k) of CERCLAfor:
1. A penalty or fine.
2. A federal cost-share requirement (for example, a cost share required by
other federal funds).
3. A response cost at a brownfield site for which the recipient of the grant or loan is potentially liable under
CERCLA section 107.
4. A cost of compliance with any federal law, excluding the cost of compliance with laws applicable to the
cleanup.
5. The payment of an administrative cost.
In implementing the administrative cost prohibition, EPAhas made a distinction between prohibited
administrative costs and eligible programmatic costs.
A. Administrative Costs. Prohibited administrative costs are direct costs including those in the form of
salaries, benefits, contractual costs, supplies, and data processing charges incurred to comply with most
provisions of the "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants" contained in 40 C.F.R. Part 30 or
40 C.F.R. Part 31. Direct costs for grant administration are ineligible even if the grantee or subgrantee is
required to carry out the activity under the grant agreement. Prohibited admini strative costs are al so all
indirect costs under OMB Circulars A-21 (Educational Institutions), A-87 (Governments), and A-122
(Nonprofit Organizations), and Subpart 31.2 (Commercial Organizations) of the Federal Acquisition
Regulation.
Ineligible grant administration costs include expenses for:
• Preparation of applications for Brownfields grants and sub-grants,
• Record retention required under 40 CFR 30.53 and 40 CFR 31.42,
• Record-keeping associated with supplies and equipment purchases required under 40 CFR 30.33,
30.34, and 30.35 and 40 CFR 31.32 and 31.33,
• Preparing revisions and changes in the budgets, scopes of work, program plans and other activities
required under 40 CFR 30.25 and 40 CFR 31.30,
• Maintaining and operating financial management systems required under 40 CFR 30.20 and 40
CFR 31.20,
• Preparing payment requests and handling payments under 40 CFR 3 0.22 and 40 CFR 31.21,
• Nonfederal audits required under 40 CFR 30.26,40 CFR 31.26, and OMB Circular A-l33, and,
• Close out under 40 CFR 30.71 and 40 CFR 31.50.
B. Programmatic Costs. EPAhas determined that the administrative cost prohibition does not apply to
"programmatic" costs, i.e., costs for activities that are integral to achieving the purpose of the grant,
even if the Agency considered the costs to be "administrative" under the prior Brownfields Program.
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1. The prohibition does not apply to direct costs of training. For example, costs for instructors'
salaries, program management salaries (to the extent that such costs are included in the scope of
work for the brownfields j ob training grant), training materials (e.g. textbooks, equipment, and
classroom supplies), necessary travel and transportation expenses and, medical tests required to
qualify for hazardous substances related work are programmatic, not administrative.
2. Direct costs, as defined in the applicable OMB Cost Principle Circular, for the following
programmatic activities are not subject to the administrative cost prohibition. These costs, however,
must be allowable under the scope of work for the grant. Costs incurred for complying with
procurement provisions of 40 CFRPart 30 and Part 31 are considered eligible programmatic costs
only if the procurement contract is for services or products that are direct costs for training as
described above. Costs for performance and financial reporting required under 40 CFR 30.51 and
30.52, and 40 CFR 31.40 and 31.41 are eligible programmatic costs. Performance and financial
reporting are essential programmatic tools for both the recipient and EPA to ensure that grants are
carried out in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
3. If your organization intends to provide noncompetiti ve subgrants to other nonprofit or governmental
organizations, discuss the process you will follow to ensure that these agreements meet the
standards for financial assistance contained in OMB Circular A-133, Section 210.
For further information on these prohibitions, call your Regional Brownfields Contact li sted in Appendix 1.
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