Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Comprehensive Plan Component

 

The primary objective of this program is to disburse funds to eligible entities according to the funded priorities list approved by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. The Council enters into Interagency Agreements with EPA to expend funds to carry out those Comprehensive Plan projects and programs that have been assigned to EPA. Projects funded through this component achieve one or more of the seven objectives listed in the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Initial Comprehensive Plan: (1) Restore, Enhance and Protect Habitats, (2) Restore, Improve, and Protect Water Resources, (3) Protect and Restore Living Coastal and Marine Resources, (4) Restore and Enhance Natural Processes and Shorelines, (5) Promote Community Resilience, (6) Promote Natural Resource Stewardship and Environmental Education, and (7) Improve Science-Based Decision-Making Processes. Projects funded through this component also achieve one or more of the four EPA Gulf of Mexico Program priorities: 1) Restore, protect and enhance habitat, 2) Improve water quality, 3) Enhance community resilience, and 4) Further environmental education. For further information, please see: https://restorethegulf.gov. Funding priority will be projects on the RESTORE funded priorities list where EPA is listed as the Responsible Council Member. Please visit https://restorethegulf.gov.

Active 66.130 Environmental Protection Agency B - Project Grants Not applicable. Public Law 112-141, 33 U.S.C. 1321(t)(2) Funds are available to State and local governments, Tribes, colleges and universities, and other public or nonprofit organizations. Awards will be made noncompetitively or competitively based on the authority for the award and EPA procedures. Competitive awards will be made in accordance with EPA policies and procedures for competitive awards. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Funded Priorities List and Agency policy. State and local governments, interstate agencies, Tribes, colleges and universities, and other public or nonprofit organizations. Compliance with 2 CFR 200 and 1500 and Program Funding Guidance Preapplication coordination is required. Pre-application coordination is required. Whenever competition is required for the FPL project/program assigned to EPA, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application coordination in the competitive announcement. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed as the Agency Contact(s) in the competitive announcement. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants, except in limited circumstances approved by the Agency, must submit all applications for funding through https://www.grants.gov. Additional information on applying for EPA grants can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/how-apply-grants. Awards will be made noncompetitively or competitively based on the authority for the award and EPA procedures. For projects on the funded priorities list identified as a competitive award, 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 . For competitive awards, deadlines will be specified in the Request for Applications (RFA) or Request for Proposals (RFP). Approximately 90-180 days following the application deadline as addressed in the competitive funding announcement. 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 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable. Contract the Gulf of Mexico Program Office for information. For competitive awards, projects will be selected based on the evaluation and selection criteria established in the EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program's Competitive Funding Announcement. For non-competitive awards made under this assistance listing, EPA will conduct an administrative evaluation to determine the adequacy of the application in relation to grant regulations and to technical and program evaluation to determine the merit and relevance of the project. The Agency will then advise the applicant if funding is being considered. A final work plan will then be negotiated with the applicant. The primary objective of this program is to disburse funds to eligible entities for the purpose of restoring and protecting the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast region using the best available science. All projects, programs, and activities must be eligible activities pursuant to clauses (i) and (ii) of 33 U.S.C. 1321(t)(1)(B) and must be listed on the Council's approved Funded Priorities List (FPL) (https://restorethegulf.gov/sites/default/files/FPL_forDec9Vote_Errata_04-07-2016.pdf) in order to be eligible for funding. The RESTORE Act, at 33 U.S.C. section 1321(t)(2)(E)(i), provides that the RESTORE Council, "acting through" the federal and state Council members, will expend funds to carry out Comprehensive Plan projects and programs; and at (2)(E)(ii)(I) provides that primary authority and responsibility for those programs "shall be assigned" by the RESTORE Council to the state members or federal agencies. The Council enters into Interagency Agreements with EPA to expend funds to carry out those Comprehensive Plan projects and programs that have been assigned to EPA. Awards will be made noncompetitively or competitively based on the authority for the award and EPA procedures. Competitive awards will be made in accordance with EPA policies and procedures for competitive awards. Projects must be listed in the Funded Priorities List Addendum to the Initial Comprehensive Plan in order to be eligible for funding. Use of these funds must be in accordance with projects on the funded priorities list with the US Environmental Protection Agency listed as the Responsible Council Member. Performance Reports: Reporting requirements shall be determined at the time of grant award. 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. 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. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary. This program has no matching requirements, except when the specific FPL project/program stipulates there is a matching requirement (e.g. – Gulf of Mexico Conservation Enhancement Grants Program). In those instances, the specific FPL project/program and funding opportunity (if applicable) will provide the details of the matching requirements..

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. EPA normally funds grants and cooperative agreements on a 12-month basis. However, EPA can negotiate the project period with each applicant based on project requirements. EPA limits project periods to 5 years. The method of fund disbursement will be determined at the time of award. EPA/Gulf of Mexico Program Office, 2510 14th St., Suite 1212, Gulfport, MS 39501 Attention: Rachel Houge. Telephone: 228-304-7441. FAX: 228-679-5921. E-Mail: houge.rachel@epa.gov Rachel Houge
EPA/Gulf of Mexico Program, 2510 14th Street, Suite 1212
Gulfport, MS 39501 US
houge.rachel@epa.gov
Phone: 228-304-7441
Fax: 228-679-5921 https://www.epa.gov/gulfofmexico 68-0108-0-1-304 (Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 18$4,000,000.00; FY 19 FY 20 Estimate Not Available FY 16$0.00; FY 17 est $2,200,000.00; - Projects funded are consistent with the amounts listed in the RESTORE Council Funded Priorities List. Please visit: https://restorethegulf.gov . For assistance agreements, the procedures and requirements should be in conformance with 2 CFR 200 and 1500 as applicable . Fiscal Year 2017 FY2017: Projection: Mobile Bay Estuary Program (MBNEP) Planning – RESTORE Project. This activity included engineering and design of a stream restoration plan for restoring Twelve Mile Creek, one of six main tributaries within the Three Mile Creek Watershed and development of an invasive species control program focused on aquatic vegetation in Three Mile Creek.
Fiscal Year 2018 The Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP)-RESTORE Project Planning activity includes environmental compliance attainment, quality assurance, and pre-monitoring activities for seven priority water quality and habitat improvement elements located throughout the Tampa Bay watershed. Seven elements of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) would be implemented throughout the Tampa Bay watershed, expected to collectively result in 16.5 tons of nitrogen reduced per year; more than 250 acres of coastal habitat restored and 200 acres of seagrass created. More than $3.4M from local, state and federal agencies is provided as cash match. Mobile Bay Estuary Program (MBNEP) – RESTORE Project. This activity includes implementation of the stream restoration plan for restoring Twelve Mile Creek and implementation the invasive species control program plan focused on aquatic vegetation in Three Mile Creek. The project will adhere to environmental and other regulatory compliance requirements; quality assurance and post-restoration monitoring. Gulf of Mexico Conservation Enhancement Grant Program (GMCEGP): a funding assistance opportunity to enhance private/public partnerships that support land protection and conservation across the Gulf Coast region. The competitive grant selection process was completed in FY2018 and the funding was issued in FY2019 following completion of RESTORE Council Interagency (IA) Funding process). Gulf of Mexico Estuary Program: This project will develop and stand-up a place-based estuary program encompassing Perdido Bay and Pensacola Bay. The key components of the project include establishing the host organization, host organization hiring key staff, developing Management and Technical committees, determining stressors and then developing and approving a Comprehensive Plan (e.g., CCMP).