£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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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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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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• 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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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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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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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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• 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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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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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
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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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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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