EPA Region 7 Community Information Digest June 2022

U.S. EPA REGION 7

COMMUNITY
INFORMATION DIGEST

£EPA

June 2022

Welcome to the Watest EPA Region 7 Digest

EPA Region 7's Community Information Digest provides communities with the latest
news about funding and technical assistance opportunities, webinars, conferences,
and other activities related to human health and the environment.

SEFA I Office of Environmental Justice
in Action

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Please Note: Headings are linked to more detailed source information.

Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people
regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys:

1. The same degree of protection from environmental and health
hazards, and

2. Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy
environment In which to live, learn and work.

Still have questions? Contact vour Regional Staff.

Factsheet on the EPA's Office of
Environmental Justice

The Community Information Digest comes from the Communities Section located in
EPA Region 7's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Regional Administrator's
Office. This small but mighty group leads Environmental Justice, Environmental
Education, and Children's Environmental Health activities for the region.

Find us on Social Media;

Headlines

On May 18, the White House released a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Technical
Assistance Guide to help state, local, tribal, and territorial governments navigate,
access, and deploy infrastructure resources that will build a better America.

: -—— :—1—: : ; The Biden administration has identified over $700 million in dedicated funding

across more than 65 technical assistance programs. In addition to highlighting
federal government technical assistance, the White House Infrastructure implementation Team has engaged with
a range of external stakeholders including, philanthropic, labor, and nonprofit organizations to highlight available
nongovernmental resources and create a pipeline to assist communities in quickly and equitably accessing and
deploying federal infrastructure funding.

EPA Perspectives: Celebrating 25 Years of Protecting
Children's Health

At EPA, we understand that children are not little adults. Pound for pound,
children breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food than
adults. Children also have unique behaviors: they spend more time close
to the ground and more time outdoors than adults. And we all know that
babies and toddlers put nearly everything in their mouths. Read the EPA
Perspectives article

White House Releases Technical Assistance Guide to Help
Communities Unlock Resources from Bipartisan Infrastructure

Law

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 7 | pag6 1

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Biden-Harris Administration Makes $500 Million Available for Clean School Buses Through
EPA Until Aug. 19. 2022

President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Creates New EPA Program to Protect Children's Health, Reduce
Pollution, and Boost American Manufacturing. On May 20, 2022, the Biden-Harris administration, through EPA,
announced that $500 million is now available for school districts and other eligible school bus operators and contrac-
tors to begin replacing the nation's fleet of school buses with clean, American-made, zero-emission buses. This $500
million represents the first round of funding out of the unprecedented $5 billion investment for low- and zero-emission
school buses over the next five years, secured through President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

USDA and EDA Launch Resource Guide to Boost Economic Development in Rural
Communities

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural
Development just released a Joint Planning Resource Guide to help community organizations access USDA and
EDA resources to build strategies to boost economic development in rural America.

Initial Implementation Guidance on Application of Buv America Preference in Federal
Financial Assistance Programs for Infrastructure

The White House issued guidance to federal agencies on April 18, outlining obligations to procure materials
domestically for infrastructure projects. See EPA's Build America Buv America (BABA) website.

EPA Announces $48 Million WIFIA Loan to Expand Water Supplies in Oxnard. California

EPA Trash Free Waters Program releases May 2022 edition of The Flow of.. .Trash Free
Waters

EPA Announces $284 Million WIFIA Loan to Modernize Water Infrastructure in DeKalb
County. Georgia

Report Environmental Violations

Please contact EPA if you see what appears to be a possible violation of an environmental law or regulation. Environmental Justice
Hotline: toll-free at 1 -800-962-6215 or email at EJHotline@epa.aov
More information, visit: EPA Hotlines

Funding and Technical Assistance Opportunities

Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Climate Resilience 2022 Annual Awards Program Reguest for
Proposals - $46 Million
Due date: July 6, 2022

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Trust Services, Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience (TCR Branch), solicits
proposals from federally recognized tribes and authorized tribal organizations to receive awards to support: 1) tribal
climate resilience planning and strategy implementation, and 2) ocean and coastal management planning. The
Branch supports tribes as they prepare for climate change impacts on Tribal Treaty and Trust resources, economies,
regenerative agriculture and food sovereignty, conservation practices, infrastructure, and human health and safety.
The Branch's Annual Awards Program will provide funding for projects that support tribal climate resilience as tribes
incorporate science, including Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK), Indigenous languages, and
technical information. Description

America the Beautiful Challenge
Due date: July 21, 2022

The America the Beautiful Challenge coordinates funding from multiple federal agencies and private philanthropy into
one competitive grant program. It is a public-private grant program for locally led ecosystem restoration projects that
invest in watershed restoration, resilience, equitable access, workforce development, corridors and connectivity, and
collaborative conservation, consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative.

DOE Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program - $550 Million
Due date: TBD

This U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding is meant to assist states, local governments, and tribes to reduce
energy use, reduce fossil fuel emissions, and improve energy efficiency. The estimated program opening date is fourth
quarter 2022. Contact stateandlocal@ha.doe.aov with any questions.

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 7 | page 2

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Request for Proposals from Gooale.ora. Environmental Justice Data Projects Welcome on a

Rolling Basis

Due date: Sept. 16, 2022

The Environmental Justice Data Fund is an $8 million fund, created and seeded by Google.org, that aims to bolster
data efforts of frontline communities - communities historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by
climate change and environmental injustice - in the United States. Grants from the Fund will support projects that
use data to unlock resources; increase grantees' access to Justice40 benefits and federal infrastructure funding;
and advocate for new policies that empower communities to address past environmental harm and pave the way to
a more sustainable, climate-resilient future. The Fund will consider a broad range of approaches on the use of data
to advocate for environmental justice at the local and regional level. It will provide organizations with flexible project
funding to increase their organizational capacity to incorporate quality data work into their environmental impact
programming. The Fund anticipates that it will make one-time grants to approximately 60 to 100 organizations in 2022
through an open request for proposals (RFP), which will run on a rolling basis from April through September. Please
visit the EJDF webpaoe if you are interested in learning more or in submitting a proposal. If you have any questions,
please email: eidatafund@windwardfund.ora.

HHS Grants Available for Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure. Workforce, and

Data Systems

Due date: June 11, 2022

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published a notice that it expects to publish a Notice
of Funding Availability (NOFA) on May 13 to "Strengthen U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data
Systems." This funding is a first of its kind, non-categorical and cross-cutting programs, intended to help meet critical
infrastructure and workforce needs in the short term; and it should also make possible strategic investments that
will have lasting effects on public health agencies across the United States. To that end, it will support strategically
strengthening public health capacity and systems related to the workforce, foundational capabilities, data
modernization, physical infrastructure, and support from national public health partners. This program will also help to
address the historic underinvestment in communities that are economically or socially marginalized, rural communities,
and communities with people from racial and ethnic minority groups. This program also should support larger efforts
to rebalance these investments and serve communities and populations that deserve more and better public health
services. Workforce Resources for Organizations

DPI Drought Resiliency Grants Available Under Fiscal Year 2023 WaterSMART Drought
Response Program
Due date: June 15, 2022

The U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI's) WaterSMART Drought Response Program supports a proactive
approach to drought by providing financial assistance to develop and update comprehensive drought plans (Drought
Contingency Planning) and implement projects that will build long-term resilience to drought (Drought Resiliency
Projects). This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports Drought Resiliency Projects that will build long-term
resilience to drought and reduce the need for emergency response activities. Drought Response Program

EPA Regions Announce $1.13 Million in Regional Source Reduction Assistance Grant

Opportunities

Due date: July 22, 2022

EPA is announcing a grant funding opportunity for EPA Regions 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 10 to advance innovative, cost-
effective, and replicable source reduction approaches that save energy and water, reduce pollution, and improve
human health and the environment. Source reduction, also known as pollution prevention (P2), means preventing
pollution at the source rather than managing waste after it is produced. EPA Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and
Nebraska) anticipates awarding approximately 1 to 4 grants, ranging from approximately $40,000 to $180,000, subject
to the availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. There is a total of
$1,135,000 in federal funds available across all participating EPA Regions. Applications require a cost share or match
of 5% of the federal funds requested. EPA is particularly interested in receiving applications for projects that are
designed to achieve measurable reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, result in reduced generation and use of
hazardous materials, address reducing use of natural resources such as energy or water, and support environmental
justice for underserved communities. An informational webinar on this funding program will be held on Monday, June
13, at 1:30 p.m. CDT. You can register for this webinar at https://usepa.zoomoov.eom/i/1603847538. If you have any
questions, please contact Lisa Dunning, Region 7 Interim Pollution Prevention Program Coordinator, at dunning.Iisa@
epa.gov.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fiscal Year 2022 Choice
Neighborhoods Planning Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity

Due date: July 28, 2022

Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants support the development of comprehensive plans to revitalize severely distressed
public housing and/or HUD-assisted housing and the surrounding neighborhood. Communities will develop a comprehensive
neighborhood revitalization strategy, or Transformation Plan, to achieve the program's three core goals: housing, people and

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 7 | page 3

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neighborhood. The Transformation Plan will become the guiding document to carry out subsequent implementation of the plan for
the target housing units, while simultaneously directing the transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and positive outcomes
for families. HUD Choice Neighborhoods

EPA Seeks Applications for Brownfields Job Training Grants
Due date: Aug. 2, 2022

EPA announced that approximately $12 million in funding for environmental job training grants is now available under
the Fiscal Year 2023 Brownfields Job Training Program. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 25 grants nationwide
at amounts up to $500,000 per award. "EPA's Brownfields Job Training Program boosts the environmental workforce
while helping to transform communities that need it the most," said Carlton Waterhouse, EPA deputy assistant
administrator, Office of Land and Emergency Management. "This grant cycle, we were able to increase the amount
of funding available so that organizations can apply for more resources as they work to create a skilled workforce in
communities where assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse activities are taking place."
The funding available during this grant cycle comes from the historic $1.5 billion investment from President Biden's
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This budget boost provides communities, states, and tribes with the opportunity to
apply for larger grants to build and enhance the environmental curriculum in job training programs to support job
creation and community revitalization at brownfield sites. Ultimately, this investment will help trained individuals access
jobs created through brownfield revitalization activities within their communities. EPA is committed to meeting and
exceeding the Biden-Harris administration's Justice40 goal that at least 40% of the benefits of certain government
programs flow to disadvantaged communities. The Brownfields program will strive to meet this commitment and
advance environmental justice and equity considerations into all aspects of our work.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Disaster Resilience Research Grants
Due date: Aug. 19, 2022

With this joint solicitation, the NSF and the U.S Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute for Standards and
Technology (NIST) call for proposals for research to advance fundamental understanding of disaster resilience in
support of improved, science-based planning, policy, decisions, design, codes and standards.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Announces Intent to Release $13 Million to Support
Community Geothermal Projects
Due date: Aug. 30, 2022

Geothermal district heating and cooling systems use geothermal energy to provide climate control to buildings,
including residences and businesses, through an underground distribution network. The intended Funding Opportunity
Announcement (FOA) will support community coalitions with community, workforce, design/analysis, and deployment
expertise to implement such systems.

Fiscal Year 2022 Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant
Due date: June 13, 2022

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) FY22 Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant provides technical
assistance to socially disadvantaged groups through cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers

WaterSMART Drought Response Program
Due date: June 15, 2022

U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Reclamation's Fiscal Year 2023 WaterSMART Drought Response
Program: Drought Resiliency Projects (15.514') in the West

Fiscal Year 2022 Energizing Insular Communities Grant Program

Due date: June 15, 2022

New DOI's Office of Insular Affairs Fiscal Year 2022 Energizing Insular Communities Grant Program provides grant
funding for sustainable energy strategies that mitigate climate change; reduce reliance and expenditures on imported
fuels; develop and utilize domestic energy sources; and improve the performance of energy infrastructure and overall
energy efficiency in the territories.

EPA Announces Reguest for Applications for $68M in Grant Funding to Support
Environmental Finance Centers: Selected Grantees Will Provide Technical Assistance to
Communities Across America
Due date: June 17, 2022



Back to Top

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 7 | page 4

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EPA's WIIN 2104: Grants to Improve Drinking Water Quality in Small. Underserved and
Disadvantaged Communities fSUDC) Grant Program
Due date: June 30, 2022

U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Reclamation's Fiscal Year 2023
WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants Funding in the West
Due date: July 28, 2022

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fiscal Year 2022 Choice
Neighborhoods Planning Grants Program
Due date: July 28, 2022

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency's
Fiscal Year 2022 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA Swift Current) for Louisiana. Mississippi.
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania (States Affected bv Hurricane Ida
Due date: Aug. 1, 2022

Provides pre-disaster funds to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures
insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

New EPA 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates Open
Due date: Aug. 19, 2022

Online application information

U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Discretionary
Grant Program

Due date: Summer 2022

Funded with $1 billion over the next five years, the program's funds can support planning, capital construction, and
technical assistance to restore community connectivity equitably and safely through the removal, retrofit, mitigation,
or replacement of eligible transportation infrastructure facilities that create barriers to mobility, access, or economic
development.

Water Environment Federation

Do you know a small utility in need of an autosampler? The Water Environment Federation is providing FREE
autosamplers to at least 225 small utilities, supporting wastewater surveillance efforts in cooperation with the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC).

AppIv online while supplies last

Combined Sewer Overflow

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Technical Assistance is available from EPA's Office of Wastewater Management
on monitoring/modeling; smart sewers and smart data; asset management; operation and maintenance; regulatory/
compliance questions; and small CSO community spreadsheet-based tools (CSO model, long-term control plan
review checklist, post-construction compliance monitoring checklist)

See fiver for more information

Environmental Finance Center Network

The Environmental Finance Center Network offers free help on training and technical assistance to small wastewater
and decentralized wastewater treatment works serving approximately 10,000 or fewer people.

Request assistance here

EPA Cybersecurity Assessments and Technical Assistance

Interested water and wastewater utilities can sign up for FREE, confidential cybersecurity assessments and technical
assistance services provided virtually.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 7 | page 5

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Technical Assistance for Clean Water Act (CWA) Integrated Planning until September 2022

Available to state NPDES permitting authorities reviewing a CWA integrated plan or municipalities in the process of
alternatives analysis. See website for more details. Learn more from EPA's Environmental Finance Center workshop
posted online: Getting Started: Integrated Planning Community Workshop for Small- to Medium-Sized Municipalities

U.S. Department of Energy's National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) States Collab-
orative

U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Coalition Network Technical Assistance

To assist with alternative fuels, fuel economy improvements, and emerging transportation technologies.

EPA's Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities Program
White House Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook

A roadmap to the funding available under the law and program-by-program information is now available, including the
downloadable guidebook data and EPA's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law page.

EPA Announces Additional $1.9 Billion in State Revolving Loan Funds for Water Infrastruc-
ture Upgrades

$1.9 billion in annual appropriations adds to $7.7 billion in SRF funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in
2022.

Explore 2022 Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) Using Interac-
tive Tool

EPA Selects Recipients for $21.7 Million in Technical Assistance Grants to Support Clean-
Safe Water for Rural Communities

Meetings, Conferences and Events

2022 is the year to take your community to the next level with unprecedented financial and technical resources. The
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included an unprecedented $1.5 billion investment in EPA's Brownfields program over
the next two years. Brownfields 2022 is the premier event to learn how you can access these grants and maximize
your economic, environmental, and social performance. This funding will transform communities into sustainable and
environmentally just places, enhance climate resiliency, and more. Join us and discover Brownfields in the Modern
Frontier! Preregister by August 15.

Webinars and Conference Calls

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) 2022 National Healthy
Homes Month (NHHM) Webinar Program: A Healthy Home @ Anv Age

Dates:

June 14, 2022, 2 to 3 p.m. EDT: Creating Lead-Safe and Healthy, Affordable Homes at Any Age (Part 1)

June 16, 2022, 2 to 3 p.m. EDT: Insights on How to Be Successful Once You Have a Grant (Part 2)

June 21, 2022, 2 to 3 p.m. EDT: Overcoming COVID and Other Major Grant Program Stressors - Now and in
the Future (Part 3)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 7 | page 6

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HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH) invites its current, former, and prospective
grantees, and its housing, health, and environmental stakeholders and partners, to participate in any or all five FREE
webinars, each of which will include a live Q&A segment. These webinars cover the importance and contributions
of OLHCHH's grant programs and the Office's technical assistance and regulatory support for HUD's housing
assistance programs. They will also highlight grantees' approaches to success and feature some of the challenges
grantees have dealt with - and solutions they developed - during the pandemic. In addition, our presenters will
provide their insights on implementing healthy homes concepts - and what they have learned in doing so. The theme
for 2022 NHHM is "A Healthy Home @ Any Age," which highlights how healthy homes principles are relevant to any
resident, at any age, in a home of any age. OLHCHH encourages agencies and organizations to consider applying
to become a grantee in the future, such as through the Office's 2022 notices of funding opportunity to be published in
the spring and summer at Grants.gov. OLHCHH partners with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's
Healthy Homes Partnership in holding these webinars.

Register here (links on Pages 3 and 41

U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Webinars: New Safe Streets and Roads for All

Dates:

June 13, 2022,1 p.m. EDT: How to Apply for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Opportunity: General
Overview (register here)

June 15, 2022,1 p.m. EDT: How to Apply for SS4A Opportunity: Focus on Action Plan Grants (register here)
June 23, 2022,1 p.m. EDT: How to Apply for SS4A Opportunity: Focus on Implementation Grants (register
here)

DOT's new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary grant program provides dedicated funding to support
regional, local, and tribal plans, projects and strategies that will prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

EPA's Intro to ECHO (Enforcement and Compliance History Online) Webinar: Behind the
Scenes

Date: June 14, 2022,1:30 p.m. EDT

Answering questions about environmental data such as:

•	From which EPA systems does ECHO retrieve data?

•	How frequently is the data updated and how do I make corrections?

•	How can I download ECHO data?

•	What are the ECHO web services?

Register here

EPA Tools & Resources Webinar: Understanding Environmental Justice Through Two EPA
tools - EJSCREEN and EnviroAtlas
Date: June 15, 2022, 3 to 4 p.m. EDT

Environmental justice (EJ) is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color,
national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws,
regulations and policies. It's vital that as a society we fix the problems created by decades of environmental injustice.
Understanding patterns of how different sectors of the population are impacted inequitably by environmental issues
is a necessary step toward a solution. This webinar will examine two of the tools EPA has developed to help users
understand and address EJ - EJSCREEN and EnviroAtlas. EJSCREEN is an EJ mapping and screening tool that
provides a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic indicators.
EnviroAtlas is a data-rich, web-based decision support tool that combines maps, analysis tools, downloadable data,
and informational resources. EJSCREEN and EnviroAtlas can be used together, and we will demonstrate how to use
EJSCREEN data in EnviroAtlas and vice versa, with a focus on EJ issues.

Register here

This digest is being provided by EPA Region 7 for informational purposes only. This digest
contains links to information, agencies, sites, and organizations outside of the EPA website.
EPA is not responsible for third-party links. EPA does not endorse third-party organizations

or agencies.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 7 | p3ge 7

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