Great Lakes Program (66.469)
Program
66.469 Great Lakes Program
Federal Agency
OFFICE OF WATER, GREAT LAKES NATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICE, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Authorization
Clean Water Act, Sections 104 and 118, 33 U.S.C.1254.
Program Number
66.469
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. The Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO), in concert with USEPA Regions 2, 3, and 5, leads a consortium of programs, agencies, and public and private institutions in attaining in specific objectives and actions that will reduce contaminants, restore habitat, and protect the living resources of the basin. Great Lakes Strategy 2002,developed by EPA in conjunction with other Federal, State, and Tribal agencies and available at http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/gls/index.html , guides the activities of these organizations towards the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement goal of restoring the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. Funding Priority: Funding priorities include: Contaminated Sediment Assessment and Remediation; Pollution Prevention and Reduction; Ecological (Habitat) Protection and Restoration; Invasive Species; Strategic and Emerging Issues; Contaminant Monitoring of Lake and tributary waters and biota, information management; and the development and implementation of Remedial Action Plans and Lakewide Management Plans. The FY04 President's Budget includes new Great Lakes funding - $15 million to address contaminated sediments in Areas of Concern pursuant to the Great Lakes Legacy Act.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements); Use of Property, Facilities, and Equipment; Provision of Specialized Services; Dissemination of Technical Information.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. Section 1254(b)(3), authorizes the awarding of assistance for programs established under the Clean Water Act. The Great Lakes National Program Manager is delegated authority to award assistance (for research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of pollution) affecting the Great Lakes Basin and/or in support of the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Such activities include surveillance and monitoring of Great Lakes water quality and land use activities. Grants and cooperative agreements are available to support recipients' allowable direct costs incident to approved activities plus allowable indirect costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Quality System Documentation is required for projects involving measurements or information that describe environmental processes, location, or conditions; ecological or health effects and consequences; or the performance of environmental technology.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
State water pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals for the purposes stated in Section 104 (a) (1) of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. Section 1254(a)(1).
Beneficiary Eligibility
State and local governments, interstate agencies, public and private nonprofit organizations, institutions, Indian tribes and individuals.
Credentials/Documentation
The eligibility of costs will be determined in accordance with U.S. EPA grant regulations set forth at 40 CFR Parts 30, 31 and 35. The provisions of OMB Circular No. A-87 for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments, OMB Circular No. A-21 for Educational Institutions, and of OMB Circular No. A-122 for Nonprofit Organizations apply.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Preapplication assistance is available from GLNPO. Proposals should be consistent with GLNPO's Funding Guidance or other requests for proposals which may be issued. GLNPO's Funding Guidance will be accessible on the Internet from GLNPO's home page (http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/) and an announcement will be mailed to organizations on GLNPO's mailing list. GLNPO's Funding Guidance requests brief project summaries of projects in designated categories. Applicants will be notified as to whether they should subsequently submit full Assistance Application Packages. Final funding decisions will be based upon the information in the full Assistance Application Packages. GLNPO publishes specific requests for proposals as needed throughout each year. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance if the State has selected the program for review. Intergovernmental review is required for all applications.
Application Procedure
As specified in applicable requests for proposals. Application kits may be requested from USEPA - Region 5, Acquisition and Assistance Branch (MC- 10J), 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604-3590. Application Packages should be submitted to the same address, with a copy to USEPA - GLNPO (G-17J), 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604-3590. The standard application forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 must be used for this program.
Award Procedure
Proposals are evaluated by GLNPO and other reviewers to determine the adequacy of the application under GLNPO objectives, including technical merit and relevance of the project. Administrative review is done by the Region 5 Assistance Branch. Funds are awarded by the Great Lakes National Program Office. GLNPO assistance is approved by the GLNPO Director and awarded by the Great Lakes National Program Manager.
Deadlines
Schedules are established by GLNPO in requests for proposals. The GLNPO Funding Guidance is generally issued in Fall of each year, with proposals due in mid-January or Feburary.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
See 40 CFR 31, Subpart F.
Renewals
Contact the Great Lakes National Program Office for information.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
The minimum nonfederal matching requirement for GLNPO assistance is 5 percent of the entire project cost and may be provided in cash or by in-kind contributions and other non-cash support.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Generally 1-2 years.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Quarterly or semi-annual, interim, and final progress and financial status reports; program evaluation and other reports (such as equipment and invention reports) as required by the specific terms of the Agreement. Financial Status Reports must be submitted.
Audits
Grants are subject to inspections and audit by representatives of the Comptroller General of the United States and EPA or any authorized representative. Periodic audits should be made to determine if the recipient's systems of financial management and internal control meet terms and conditions of grants and other agreements. Grants are subject to the applicable provisions of 40 CFR Parts 30, 31, and 35, and OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations." In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities, that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more within the State's fiscal year shall have an audit made for that year. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," was published in the Federal Register on June 30, 1997. The Circular implements the Single Audit Act amendments of 1996. The Circular requires nonfederal entities that expend more than $300,000 in Federal award dollars, to have and audit conducted in accordance with Circular's provisions. With the revised Circular, the previous OMB Circular No. A-128 for single audits of State and local governments was rescinded and the single audit requirements for these entities were incorporated among the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133.
Records
Financial records, including all documents to support entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes to each grant, must be kept available to personnel authorized to examine EPA grant accounts. All records must be maintained for three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. If questions still remain, such as those raised as a result of audit, related records should be retained until the matter is completely resolved.
Program Accomplishments
EPA's Great Lakes Program has been leading Federal, State, Tribal, local, and industry Great Lakes protection and restoration efforts. Accomplishments include: atmospheric deposition monitoring and open lake monitoring in eachGreat Lake for toxicant and nutrient loadings and concentrations (using EPA's research vessels), trend and baseline data to support and target remedial efforts and measure environmental progress; monitoring of Lake Michigan air, water, sediments, and biota through the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study; Study of Lake Erie "dead zone"; facilitating access to Great Lakes information; contaminated sediment assessments and remediation demonstrations to assist clean-up in Great Lakes Areas of Concern; protection and restoration of important Great Lakes habitats; promoting toxics reduction through the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy; advancing prevention and control of invasive species, development and implementation of Lakewide Management Plans and Remedial Action Plans. Grants were awarded in each of these areas in 2002.
Financial Information
Account Identification
68-0108-0-1-304.
Obligations
(Grants and Cooperative Agreements) FY 02 $4,433,491; FY 03 est $6,000,000; and FY 04 est $14,000,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$5,000 to $660,000; average: $83,000. Estimates for Legacy Act projects are from $100,000 to $3,000,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Requests for proposals, examples, and other Great Lakes funding information is available from http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/. General regulations for EPA assistance programs are contained in 40 CFR Parts 30 through 47.
Related Programs
66.419, Water Pollution Control_State and Interstate Program Support; 66.454, Water Quality Management Planning; 66.460, Nonpoint Source Implementation Grants; 66.500, Environmental Protection_Consolidated Research.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
USEPA - Great Lakes National Program Office (G-17J), 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604-3590. Attention: Mike Russ. Telephone: 312-886-4013. E-mail: russ.michael@epa.gov.
Headquarters Office
Contact the Regional Office listed above.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Grants and cooperative agreements awarded to States and local governments and nonprofit organizations for Contaminated Sediment assessment and remediation, Pollution Prevention and Reduction, Ecological (Habitat) Protection and Restoration, Invasive Species, Indicator Development, Strategic and Emerging Issues, assessment pursuant to the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study, contaminant monitoring of Lake andtributary waters and biota, and information management projects. Individual project summaries are available from http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Proposals are approved by EPA's GLNPO; according to technical merit and relevance to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, Section 118 of the Clean Water Act, and the criteria established in the applicable request for proposals.
