£EPA
  United Stales
  Environmental Protection
  Agency
Plan  EJ  2014
Resources Tools
 Development
                         Plan EJ 2014 is EPA's roadmap for
                         integrating environmental justice into
                         its programs and policies.

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           &EPA
RESOURCES TOOLS DEVELOPMENT
          Implementation Plan
            September 2011


                Led by
   Office of Administration and Resources Management

        U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
           Washington, D.C. 20460

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&EPA
                                                 PLAN EJ 2014 AT A GLANCE

                                   Plan EJ 2014 is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s
                                   roadmap to integrating environmental justice into its programs and policies.
                                   The year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order
                                   12898 on environmental justice. Plan EJ 2014 seeks to:

                                         Protect the environment and health in overburdened communities.
                                      -  Empower communities to take action to improve their health and
                                         environment.
                                      •  Establish partnerships with local, state, tribal, and federal
                                         governments and organizations to achieve healthy and sustainable
                                         communities.
                                   As the EPA's overarching environmental justice strategy,  Plan EJ 2014 has
                                   three major sections: Cross-Agency Focus Areas, Tools Development
                                   Areas, and Program Initiatives.
                                   The Cross-Agency Focus Areas are:
                                         Incorporating Environmental Justice into Rulemaking.
                                         Considering Environmental Justice in Permitting.
                                      •  Advancing Environmental  Justice through Compliance and
                                         Enforcement.
                                      •  Supporting Community-Based Action Programs.
                                      •  Fostering Administration-Wide Action on Environmental Justice.

                                   The Tools Development Areas are:
                                         Science.
                                         Law.
                                         Information.
                                         Resources.

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v°/EPA
                         1.0   INTRODUaiON	3
                           1.1 Goals	3
                           1.2 Organizational Structure	4
                         2.0   IMPLEMENTATION	6
                           2.1 Strategies	6
                           2.2 Activities	6
                           2.3 Community Engagement and Stakeholder Outreach	9
                           2.4 Adjustments	9
                         3.0   DELIVERABLES	10
                           3.1 Schedule of Deliverables	10
                           3.2 Measures	10
                         4.0   REPORTING	11
                         APPENDIX A: ACRONYMS	12
                         APPENDIX B: TABLE OF DELIVERABLES AND MEASURES	178

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&EPA
 Goals At-A-G lance

To develop an efficient
and effective system for
delivering financial and
technical assistance to
communities to empower
them to improve their
health and environment.
1.0    INTRODUCTION

1.1 Goals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPAj's Office of
Administration and Resource Management (OARM)'s implementation plan
has two major components. The first component addresses the Agency's
mechanisms for providing grants and technical assistance to support
community-based action programs. The second component addresses
workforce diversity. The goals of each are discussed below.

Grants and Technical Assistance: OARM's goal is to have an efficient and
effective system for delivering financial and technical assistance to
communities to empower them to improve their health and environment.

This goal includes establishing a transparent, integrated One EPA approach
to organizing and implementing the Agency's community-based grants
programs, streamlining grants processes consistent with the EPA's fiduciary
responsibilities, and providing grants management training to
communities.  It also includes providing technical  assistance to
communities that find it difficult to manage grants, in order to build their
capacity and strengthen their ability to analyze and use technical
environmental information.

OARM's goal furthers the Administrator's priority of Expanding the
Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice
by establishing a new paradigm for the delivery of EPA assistance to
minority, low-income, tribal, and indigenous1 peoples to create healthy and
sustainable neighborhoods. It also responds to the cross-Agency focus area
under Plan EJ 2014 of Supporting Community-Based Action Programs by
building on the success of ongoing EPA grants and technical assistance
activities, such as the Community Action for a Renewed Environment
(CARE) Program. By aligning EPA's grants and technical assistance
programs with the needs of all communities to achieve healthy,
sustainable, green, and equitable development, OARM's vision advances
the Agency's mission of protecting human health  and the environment.

The purpose of this implementation plan is to realize OARM's vision over
the next three years by charting a course of action for grants and technical
assistance that will be accomplished  collaboratively with communities and
EPA's grants management workforce.
                              'when these terms are used in this document, they refer to entities and individuals in the United States
                              only.
    Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans

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&EPA
                              Workforce Diversity: OARM's goal is to achieve an inclusive work
                              environment by developing an efficient system for the outreach and
                              recruitment of potential employees.  Development of a diversity portal,
                              using social media tools, will be part of the system to attract qualified,
                              diverse applicants. OARM will also provide Agency-wide diversity training
                              for hiring officials.
                              This goal includes establishing an integrated One EPA approach to
                              consistently recruit and select, both internally and externally, from diverse
                              pools, the best-qualified candidates for all positions. The changing
                              demographics of America mean that the public served by EPA is also
                              changing. When EPA recruits and retains an inclusive workforce — one
                              that looks like the America it serves — and individual differences are
                              respected, appreciated, and valued, diversity becomes an organizational
                              strength that contributes to achieving results.

                              OARM's Office of Diversity, Outreach, and Collaboration (ODOC), in
                              conjunction with in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources
                              (OHR) and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), will work with the EPA national
                              program offices and regions to broaden the standard outreach and
                              recruitment efforts to attract qualified applicants from identified groups
                              with low inclusion rates in EPA's workforce, in compliance with Equal
                              Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws.  OARM's workforce diversity goal
                              furthers the Administrator's priority of Expanding the Conversation on
                              Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice by establishing a
                              new paradigm for selecting and hiring potential employees.

                              1.2
                              Grants and Technical Assistance: As communicated by the Deputy
                              Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
                              the Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 5, to the Deputy Assistant
                              Administrators  and Deputy Regional Administrators on November 5, 2010,
                              the Agency will  implement the Resources Tools Development elements for
                              grants and technical assistance through the existing Grants Workgroup
                              formed under the Deputy Administrator's Community-Based Coordination
                              Project.

                              The Grants Workgroup is co-chaired by the Director, the Office of Grants
                              and Debarment (OGD), OARM; and the Director, Financial  Policy and
                              Planning Staff, the Office of Financial Management (OFM), the Office of the
                              Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). It includes the following seven Subgroups:
                              •  Healthy Communities Coordinated Grants Subgroup: Office of Air and
                                 Radiation (OAR) and Region 9 (Co-Chairs).
                              •  Technical Assistance Subgroup: Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ)
                                 (Chair).
                              •  Training Subgroup: OCFO (Chair).
                              •  Competition Subgroup: OGD (Chair).
                              •  Internal Policies Subgroup: OGD (Chair).
    Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans

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&EPA
                           •  Legal Issues Subgroup: OEJ and Office of General Counsel (OGC) (Co-
                              Chairs).
                           •  Timely Award Subgroup: OGD and Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
                              Response (OSWER) (Co-Chairs).
                           The Grants Workgroup has broad representation from EPA headquarters
                           and regional offices.

                           Workforce Diversity:  OARM's ODOC will be establishing a cross-Agency
                           task force, the Outreach and Recruitment Task Force, with representatives
                           from national program offices and regional offices to develop a national
                           strategy to attract a diverse pool of qualified applicants.
   Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans

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     &EPA
  Community Action for a Renewed
          Environment
         Grant Program
The Community Action for a Renewed
Environment (CARE) program is a
competitive grant program that provides
on-the-ground support and funding to
help revitalize and improve the health of
communities in sustainable ways.
Through CARE, various local
organizations, including non-profits,
businesses, schools and governments,
create partnerships that create and
implement consensus-based local
solutions to reduce releases of
pollutants and minimize people's
exposure to them. Through CARE,
community leaders develop expertise in
sustaining partnerships and addressing
environmental issues, providing a
strong basis for continued future action
as other environmental threats emerge
in the community. Since 2005, CARE
has provided over $14.5 million in
financial assistance to 80 communities
in 39 states and territories. CARE
offers two levels of financial assistance,
up to $100,000 for Level I and up to
$300,000 for Level 11 grants.
2.0   IMPLEMENTATION


2.1 Strategies

Grants and Technical Assistance: Under the framework of the Community-
Based Coordination Project, the Grants Workgroup has the following
charges:
•   Improve community access to information about available grants and
    application processes.

•   Design streamlined grants processes, grants bundling, and other
    approaches that ensure quality awards while reducing transaction costs
    to communities seeking assistance.

•   Design efficient and effective approaches to provide technical
    assistance to communities that find it difficult to manage grants.

•   Coordinate with related ongoing grants streamlining efforts.

To accomplish these charges, the workgroup has established seven
strategies:
•   Strategy 1: Increase Transparency and Efficiency in Providing
    Community-Based Grant Opportunities.

•   Strategy 2: Improve Delivery of Technical Assistance to Communities.

•   Strategy 3: Strengthen Grants Training for Communities.

•   Strategy 4: Improve Community Awareness of Grant Competition
    Process.

•   Strategy 5: Revise Grant Policies that are Unduly Restrictive.

•   Strategy 6: Encourage OGC/Office of Regional Counsel (ORC)/Program
    Office Dialogue on Community-Based Grant Opportunities.

•   Strategy?: Improve timeliness of Brownfields Grant Awards.
                                    Workforce Diversity: The Outreach and Recruitment Task Force will have
                                    the following charge:
                                    •   Increase the diverse pool of qualified applicants.

                                    •   Operate under an integrated One EPA approach for recruitment and
                                       outreach.


                                    2.2 Activities

                                    Grants and Technical Assistance: To implement these seven strategies, the
                                    Grants Workgroup has identified a set of priority activities.  OGD is
                                    responsible for overseeing the workgroup's progress in completing these
                                    tasks.
        Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans

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&EPA
                              Strategy 1: Increase Transparency and Efficiency in Providing
                              Community-Based Grant Opportunities.
                              *   Activity 1.1:  Draft recommendations for improving community group
                                 access to EPA grant programs to be presented to Executive
                                 Management Committee (EMC) in March 2011.
                              •   Activity 1.2:  Solicit informal feedback from communities (e.g., CARE
                                 Program workshops).
                              •   Activity 1.3:  Conduct outreach to regions and National Program
                                 Managers (NPMs) via conference calls and sharing of drafts.
                              Strategy 2: Improve Delivery of Technical Assistance to Communities.
                              *   Activity 2.1:  Develop Technical Assistance Center approach.
                              •   Activity 2.2:  Preliminary draft options to be presented to the EMC in
                                 March 2011.
                              •   Activity 2.3:  Obtain senior management guidance on initial concepts
                                 before obtaining informal feedback from communities.
                              •   Activity 2.4:  Conduct outreach to regions and NPMs via conference
                                 calls and sharing of drafts.
                              Strategy 3: Strengthen Grants Training for Communities.
                              *   Activity 3.1:  Create umbrella, basic on-line grants training for
                                 communities, environmental justice-specific on-line training, and
                                 program-specific training (e.g., CARE, Urban Waters).
                              •   Activity 3.2:  Develop training modules by December 2011.
                              •   Activity 3.3:  Obtain informal community feedback as modules
                                 developed.
                              •   Activity 3.4:  Conduct outreach to EPA grants management community
                                 by providing opportunities for review of draft training scripts.
                              Strategy 4: Improve Community Awareness of Grant Competition
                              Process.
                              *   Activity 4.1:  Develop and implement appropriate grant competition
                                 tools (e.g., listservs, webinars). Tools will be in place by October 2011.
                              •   Activity 4.2:  Obtain informal community input through
                                 Regional/Headquarters websites.
                              •   Activity 4.3:  Work with regions and NPMs to develop and implement
                                 tools.
                              Strategy 5: Revise Grant Policies that are Unduly Restrictive.
                              *   Activity 5.1:  Revise Delegation 1-86 and indirect cost rate policies for
                                 environmental justice grants by the end of 2011. Temporarily revised
                                 delegation policies were issued in November 2010.
                              •   Activity 5.2:  Establish simplified Indirect Cost Rate (ICR) policy by
                                 October 2011.
                              •   Activity 5.3:  Obtain informal community feedback once draft ICR policy
                                 developed.
                              •   Activity 5.4:  Conduct outreach to regions and NPMs by providing
                                 opportunity to comment on draft policy issuance.
                              •   Activity 5.5:  Explore simplification of other policies.
    Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans

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&EPA
                             Strategy 6: Encourage Office of General Counsel/Office of Regional
                             Counsel/Program Office Dialogue on Community-Based Grant
                             Opportunities.
                             •   Activity 6.1:  Conduct periodic OGC/ORC/OEJ meetings and OGC
                                 guidance on scope of community-based grant authorities.
                                 OGC/ORC/OEJ calls were conducted on January 5, 2011, and February
                                 2, 2011.
                             •   Activity 6.2:  Obtain OGC legal_guidance on scope of grant authorities.
                             •   Activity 6.3:  Coordinate discussions with larger OGC effort on existing
                                 legal authorities.
                             Strategy 7: Improve timeliness ofBrownfields Grant Awards.
                             *   Activity 7.1:  Develop recommendations for consistent Brownfields
                                 award times by August 2011. Draft recommendations will be shared
                                 with the EPA's Grants Management Officers (GMOs) and OSWER. This
                                 is primarily an internal Agency process issue.

                             The workgroup anticipates that it will complete all  of these priority
                             activities by the end of 2011.  It recommends that the Agency codify
                             workgroup accomplishments in a consolidated Grants Policy approved by
                             senior Agency management. No  additional Full Time Employee (FTE) will
                             be required to complete agreed-upon tasks. As described above, each
                             Subgroup under the Grants Workgroup will conduct appropriate
                             community and stakeholder outreach.

                             Workforce Diversity:  To meet its goals, the Outreach and Recruitment
                             Task Force has identified four priority activities.  OARM's ODOC is
                             responsible for overseeing the workgroup's progress in completing these
                             tasks.
                             *   Activity 1: Design an efficient Agency-wide outreach strategy by
                                 January 2012.
                             •   Activity 2: Develop effective  marketing materials and strategy by
                                 January.2012.
                             •   Activity 3: Develop a National Conference Toolkit by January 2012.
                             •   Activity 4: Develop a National Outreach Calendar by January 2012.

                             OARM will also provide Agency-wide diversity training for hiring officials.
    Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans

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SEPA
                            Grants and Technical Assistance: As noted in Section 2.2, the Grants
                            Workgroup is seeking informal feedback from communities in developing
                            revisions to policies, procedures, and organizational structures. More
                            formal community feedback (for example, feedback from the National
                            Environmental Justice Advisory Council [NEJAC]) may be required for
                            certain activities, including the development and selection of options under
                            Strategies 1 and 2. As workgroup activities proceed, OARM will consult
                            with OEJ to determine the need for formal community feedback.
                            Grants and Technical Assistance: OGD will carefully monitor and evaluate
                            the effect of revised policy and procedures in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. If the
                            Agency and communities are not realizing the desired outcomes, OGD and
                            the workgroup will make necessary adjustments in FY 2013 to reach the
                            desired outcomes.
   Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans

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v>EPA
                             • i            """i" i •
                            Grants and Technical Assistance: Appendix B contains a draft schedule of
                            deliverables along with associated performance measures.

                            Workforce Diversity:  OARM's ODOC is in the process of soliciting
                            proposals from contractors for diversity training. It is anticipated that the
                            Outreach and Recruitment Task Force will initiate all of these priority
                            activities by the end of 2011.

                            3,2
                            Grants and Technical Assistance: See Appendix B.
                            Workforce Diversity:  Measures will be developed in a collaborative
                            manner once the Task Force is convened.
   Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans                                                      10

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vvEPA
                           Grants and Technical Assistance: The Grants Workgroup will provide
                           quarterly progress updates as part of the Community-Based Coordination
                           Project.  OARM will submit an annual progress report at the end of each FY
                           as required by Plan EJ 2014.  For information, please contact Howard
                           Corcoran, 202-564-1903, Corcoran.Howard@epa.gov.
                           Workforce Diversity: Reporting will be developed in a collaborative
                           manner once the Outreach and Recruitment Task Force is convened. For
                           information, please contact Antoinette Powell-Dickson, 202-566-0738,
                           Powell-Dickson.Antoinette@epa.gov.
   Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans                                                     11

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v°/EPA
                            CARE
                            EEO
                            EMC
                            EPA
                            FY
                            GMO
                            ICR
                            NEJAC
                            NPM
                            OARM
                            OAR
                            OCFO
                            OCR
                            ODOC
                            OEJ
                            OFM
                            OHR
                            ORC
                            OGC
                            OGD
                            OSWER
                            RFP
Community Action for a Renewed Environment
Equal Employment Opportunity
Executive Management Committee
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fiscal Year
Grants Management Officers
Indirect Cost Rate
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
National Program Managers
Office of Administration and Resource Management
Office of Air and Radiation
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Office of Civil Rights
Office of Diversity, Outreach and Collaboration
Office of Environmental Justice
Office of Financial Management
Office of Human Resources
Office of Regional Counsel
Office of General Counsel
Office of Grants and Debarment
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Request for proposal
   Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation Plans
                                              12

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&EPA
       APPENDIX B: TABLE OF DELIVERABLES AND MEASURES
04 FY 04 FY Q1FY2013-
Strategy Number Q2FY2011 Q3FY2011 2011 Q1FY2012 Q2FY2012 Q3FY2012 2012 FY2014 Measures
Strategy 1: Increase
Transparency &
Efficiency in Providing
Community-Based
Grant Opportunities.


Strategy 2: Improve
Delivery of Technical
Assistance to
Communities.








Strategy 3:
Strengthen Grants
Training for
Communities.




Strategy 4:
Improve Community
Awareness of Grant
Competition Process.



Brief EMC on
draft options
for improving
grant delivery
system.


Brief EMC on
preliminary
draft options.









Complete
development
of draft
umbrella and
environmental
justice on-line
training.

Seek input
from EPA
grants
community
via
regional/HQ
websites.
Refine
reform
options
based on
EMC and
community
feedback.
Refine
reform
options
based on
EMC and
community
feedback.





Obtain
community
&EPA
feedback;
initiate
program-
specific
trainings.
Evaluate
community
feedback;
Obtain EPA
feedback.


Finalize
reform
options.




Finalize
reform
options.









Evaluate
feedback;
continue
to develop
program-
specific
training.

Evaluate
feedback;
finalize
competitio
n tools.


Begin
implementation





Begin drafting
of grant or
contract
RFP(s).








Complete all
training.






Roll-out
competition
tools to
communities.



Continue
implementation





Issue RFP(s).











Roll-out
training to
communities.





Promote use of
tools.





Continue
implementation





RFP period
closes.










Provide
training.






Promote use of
tools.





Continue
implement
ation.




Evaluate
application
s an make
selections
for service
provider(s)






Provide
training.






Evaluation
of
effectiven
ess of
tools.


Conduct
evaluation
and make
necessary
adjustments.


Monitor
service
provider(s),
conduct
evaluation,
and make
necessary
adjustments.




Conduct
evaluation of
training and
make
necessary
adjustments.


Tools
adjusted
based on
results of
evaluation.


Reduction in
regional workload;
Increase in
community grant
applications.


Compliance with
performance
measures in
grant/contract
workplan(s);
Degree of
utilization by
regions and
Communities;
Geographic
distribution of
outreach activities.
Community
satisfaction as
measured by
customer
feedback.



Number of, and
participation in,
webinars;
Increase in
applications from
new organizations
(OEJ).
          Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation plans

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&EPA
01 FY2013-
Strategy Number Q2FY2011 Q3FY2011 Q4FY2011 Q1FY2012 Q2FY2012 Q3FY2012 Q4FY2012 FY2014 Measures
Strategy 5:

Revise grant policies that
are unduly restrictive.


Strategy 5:
Revise grant policies that
are unduly restrictive.


Strategy 6: Encourage
OEJ-OGC/ORC-Program
Office Dialogue on
Community-Based Grant
Issues.


Strategy 6:
Encourage OEJ-
OGC/ORC -Program
Office Dialogue on
Community-Based Grant
Issues.


Strategy 7: Improve
Timeliness of Brownfields
Grant Awards.


Inform

programs of
temporary
revised
version of
Delegation 1-
86.

Draft policy to
simplify
indirect cost
rules; solicit
feedback on
changes to
other policies.
Hold kick-off
meeting to
clarify roles
and
responsibilitie
s for eligibility
reviews.
Schedule for
issuance of
OGC
guidance on
the scope of
existing grant
authorities to
be
determined.
Develop draft
approach.







Issue draft
revision to
inrlirppt
1 1 IUI 1 GIA
cost
policies and
other
identified
policies.
Second
quarterly
meeting.








Consult
with HO/
Regional
Program &
Cnrpntc:
\JI Ol llo
Offices.





Issue final
revised
indirect
cost rate
policy/other
revised
policies.
Quarterly
meeting.








Finalize
strategy
and begin
trt
TO
implement.


Issue final
revised
version of
Delegation 1-
86.



Implement.


Quarterly
meeting.








Implement.









Continue to
implement.


Quarterly
meeting.








Continue to
implement.









Continue to
implement.


Quarterly
meeting.








Continue to
implement.









Continue to
implement.


Quarterly
meeting.








Continue to
implement.


Assess need
for additional
changes to
delegation
and make
adjustments
as
necessary.

Conduct
evaluation
and make
necessary
adjustments.

Conduct
evaluation
and make
necessary
adjustments.







Conduct
evaluation
and make
necessary
adjustments.


Increase in
number of
single-statute
awards.

Number of
communities
that take
advantage of
simplified
indirect cost
rates.
Increase in
timeliness of
Program
Office/
OGC/ORC
eligibility
reviews.
Reduction in
number of
legally
ineligible
grant
applications.


Reduction in
award times
across grants
(-\ffjppc
U 1 1 ll/GO.
        Plan EJ 2014: Appendix, Implementation plans

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For more information on Plan EJ 2014, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of
     Environmental Justice website at: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/plan-ej7

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