Gulf of Mexico Program (66.475)

Program

66.475 Gulf of Mexico Program

Federal Agency

Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Office: Office of Water

Authorization

Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3), 33 U.S.C 1254.

Program Number

66.475

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

(1) To assist States, Indian Tribes, interstate agencies, and other public or nonprofit organizations in developing, implementing, and demonstrating innovative approaches relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution; and (2) To expand and strengthen cooperative efforts to restore and protect the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the region. Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2009: Projects that will deliver significant results to achieve the environmental outcomes of improved health of the Gulf of Mexico by addressing water quality with an emphasis on the following: healthy beaches and shellfish beds; habitat conservation and restoration; increased awareness/stewardship of the Gulf of Mexico; ecosystems integration and assessment; reduced nutrient inputs to sustain productive Gulf aquatic ecosystems; and coastal community resilience. Projects must actively involve stakeholders and focus on short-term support and implementation of the actions and activities in the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Governors' Action Plan II for Healthy and Resilient Coasts.

Types of Assistance

Cooperative Agreements

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. Assistance will be targeted to States, Tribes, interstate agencies, and other public or nonprofit organizations that commit to specific activities. Eligible activities should be of a relatively short time frame (6 months to 3 years) and all projects should achieve and demonstrate results. Assistance agreements are available to support recipients' allowable direct costs incident to approved surveys, studies, investigations, research, and demonstrations plus allowable indirect costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: http://geodata.epa.gov.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Funds are available to State and local governments, interstate agencies, Tribes, colleges and universities, and other public or nonprofit organizations. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this CFDA description, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy.

Beneficiary Eligibility

State and local governments, interstate agencies, Tribes, colleges and universities, individuals, and other public or nonprofit organizations.

Credentials/Documentation

Compliance with 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 and with Program Funding Guidance. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments, OMB Circular No. A-122 for nonprofit organizations, and OMB No. A-21 for educational institutions. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Regarding pre-application/pre-proposal assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this program description, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application/pre-proposal assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the competitive announcement. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed as "Information Contacts" or see Appendix IV of the Catalog.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. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. 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.

Application Procedure

OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. Applicants should follow the proposal format and instructions provided in the Funding Announcement.The proposal should be transmitted electronically to the email address and by the date and time published in the Funding Announcement.Applicants may be able to use http://www.grants.gov to electronically apply for certain grant opportunities under this CFDA.

Award Procedure

For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications, proposals, and/or submissions in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Approximately 90-120 days following the application deadline as addressed in the competitive funding announcement.

Appeals

Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Copies of these procedures may also be requested by contacting the individual(s) listed as "Information Contacts." Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 40 CFR 30.63 or 40 CFR 31.70, as applicable.

Renewals

Contact the Gulf of Mexico Program Office for information.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has no statutory formula.

This program has no matching requirements.

This program does not have MOE requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

The terms of the assistance shall be determined at time of award. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Other. The method of fund disbursement will be determined at the time of award.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

EPA includes reporting requirements for grants and cooperative agreements in the terms and conditions of the agreements. Specific reporting requirements are also identified in the Grant Regulations at 40 CFR Part 30 and 40 CFR Part 31, as applicable. Program reports are required under this program. Cash reports are required under this program. Progress reports are required under this program. Expenditure reports are required under this program. Performance monitoring is required under this program.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend $500,000 or more in a year in Federal awards shall have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 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 until expiration of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. If questions still remain, such as those raised as a result of an audit, related records should be retained until the matter is completely resolved.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: In FY 08, 31 proposals were received in response to a competition to support projects to accomplish short-term actions toward implementation of the 11 actions and 73 activities in the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Governors' Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts, and 13 assistance agreements were awarded. Accomplishments include: development of a Public Awareness Campaign for the Gulf of Mexico; implementation of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard in the Gulf of Mexico to support development of the Priority Habitat Information System; implementation of a Spatial Catalog to Characterize and Identify Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico; Enhancing Local Capacity to Reach Underserved and Underrepresented Populations; validation and testing of Microbial Source Tracking Methodologies; coordination of Water Quality Monitoring across the Gulf of Mexico; a Gulf of Mexico Ocean Literacy Project; and a Binational HAB Risk Assessment and Communications Partnership. Fiscal Year 2009: In FY 09, it is anticipated that 50 proposals will be received in response to a competition to continue support for projects to accomplish implementation of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Governors' Action Plan. It is estimated that approximately 10-50 assistance agreements will be awarded. Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

68-0108-0-1-304.

Obligations

(Cooperative Agreements) FY 08 $1,540,700; FY 09 est $1,739,000; FY 10 est $2,092,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

$25,000 to $330,000/fiscal year; $138,430/fiscal year.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

For assistance agreements with States, local governments, and Indian tribal governments, the procedures and requirements should be in conformance with 40 CFR Part 31 "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments," and OMB Circular Nos. A-87 "Cost Principles for State and Local Governments" and A-102, "Grants and Cooperative Agreements for States and Local Governments." For assistance agreements with other entities the procedures should be in conformance with 40 CFR Part 30, "Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations."

Related Programs

66.419 Water Pollution Control State, Interstate, and Tribal Program Support; 66.463 Water Quality Cooperative Agreements

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. Contact the EPA Region 4 Office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog for information on the grants administration process. Local Office: EPA/Gulf of Mexico Program Office, Mail Code EPA/GMPO, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, Attention: Esther Coblentz. Telephone: (228) 688-1281. Fax: (228) 688-2709. E-Mail: coblentz.esther@epa.gov.

Headquarters Office

Esther Coblentz EPA/Gulf of Mexico Program Office
Mail Code EPA/GMPO, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi 39529 Email: coblentz.esther@epa.gov Phone: 228-688-1281

Web Site Address

http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2008: Water quality modeling support, wetlands resource management baseline, harmful algal bloom information exchange, seagrass restoration, nutrient control/monitoring of eutrophication, stormwater biofilter demonstration, marshland upwelling system, point source locations, wastewater treatment feasibility study, nutrient modeling, waterbird rookery management, outreach and communications strategy targeted at high-risk consumers of shellfish, invasive species education exhibit, inventory of marine science research, assessment of introduction of nonindigenous aquatic species from ballast water, septic tank maintenance, response plan for harmful algal blooms, assessment of groundwater discharge and sewage impacts, reducing onsite sewage treatment system impacts, nutrient flux from sediments, monitoring and assessment of stormwater diversion, assessment status of invasive species, bacterial source tracking, smart growth planning, wetland inventory, acute pollution event response plan, synoptic survey of total mercury in recreational finfish, ecological assessment and calibration of water quality, mercury levels in harvested fishes, remote sensing of harmful algal blooms, shoreline protection, hydrological modifications impact study. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this CFDA description will be described in the competitive announcement. Projects will be selected based on the criteria and ranking factors established in the GMPO Competitive Funding Announcement.