Source: http://epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2011/2011_star_oilspill.html
Timestamp: 2014-11-21 12:05:57
Document Index: 305686493

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 300', 'art 300', 'art 30', 'art 31', 'art 40', 'art 220', 'art 225', 'art 215', 'art 230']

Environmental Impact And Mitigation Of Oil Spills | 2011 Grant Archives | Archive | Funding Opportunities | NCER | Research | US EPA
Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2011-STAR-F1 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509
Solicitation Closing Date: June 22, 2011, 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time Eligibility Contact: James Gentry (gentry.james@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8093
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS Synopsis of Program: As part of the federal government’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a $2 million Congressional appropriation for a grant or grants for “a study on the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and the application of dispersants, surface washing agents, bioremediation agents, and other mitigation measures listed in the National Contingency Plan Product List (40 C.F.R. Part 300 Subpart J).” To implement this appropriation through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grant program, EPA is seeking applications proposing to develop a research program, including an effective community outreach program component, to mitigate the impact of oil spills. The research program must address one or more of the following topics: (1) development of cost-effective innovative technologies to mitigate the impact of oil spills; (2) development of effective oil dispersants, surface washing agents, bioremediation agents, and other mitigation measures (“dispersants/agents/measures”) with low environmental impact; and (3) investigation of the effects of oil spills and application of dispersants/agents/measures on the environment. Applicants must also submit a community outreach program plan, the objective of which is to help impacted Gulf Coast communities effectively participate in the study and use its results. To achieve this objective, the applicant should work collaboratively with affected communities to identify significant risks posed by oil spills to human health and the environment, obtain their input in the design of a study to help the communities address these challenges, and provide technical assistance to them so that they can use the results of the study. Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant or Cooperative Agreement Estimated Number of Awards: Four Anticipated Funding Amount: Up to $2 million total for all awards
Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $500,000, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 3 years. For each individual award, a minimum of 15 percent and a maximum of 40 percent of total requested funds must be allocated for community outreach activities, including but not limited to training, technology transfer, and technical assistance. Cost-sharing is not required. Proposals with budgets exceeding the total award limits or not adhering to the allocation amounts for the community outreach program will not be considered. See Section III. for additional eligibility information.
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION A. Introduction One of the high-priority research areas identified by the EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) is recovery from oil spills. The EPA’s Oil Spill Research Program has been in existence since 1990, following the Exxon Valdez oil spill and enactment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA-90). The April 20, 2010 British Petroleum Company PLC Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has revealed an urgent need to further investigate the environmental and human health impacts of oil spills and the mitigation measures taken during the removal process. Particularly, given the economic importance of commercial and recreational fisheries, it is imperative to develop a better understanding of the effect of oil spills on pelagic and coastal ecosystems and to develop technologies to minimize this effect. Congress recognized the need for research into the environmental and human health effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by appropriating $2 million for EPA to conduct a study to enable EPA, the scientific community, the public in general, and impacted Gulf Coast communities in particular, better understand the environmental impact of oil spills on ecosystems and human health and to develop tools, models, methods, and sustainable innovative technologies for environmental remediation and restoration. EPA is also committed to working collaboratively with impacted Gulf Coast communities to ensure the study is responsive to their needs. The Agency’s commitment includes ensuring that the recipient of funding under this announcement works closely with communities to identify significant risks posed to human health and the environment and to use the study to help communities mitigate these risks by encouraging technology transfer and other outreach activities. By helping impacted communities better understand the technical issues and choices associated with sites affected by oil spills, the outreach effort relating to the study aims to encourage communities to become more actively involved in making decisions about their impacted environment.
The EPA ORD National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), in cooperation with the EPA Oil Research Program, is announcing a funding competition to meet these goals through a balanced interdisciplinary research program. B. Background
Mitigation of oil spills through chemical, physical, and biological approaches Fate and effects of petroleum and biodiesel oils in saltwater and freshwater systems
The Deepwater Horizon spill raised new questions about the inherent problems associated with current spill mitigation technologies. For example, as part of the efforts to mitigate the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, chemical dispersants have been deployed in amounts and settings not seen before. In particular, deep water application of chemical dispersants has been utilized for the first time at depths one mile down. While the effectiveness of this approach has been tested and subsurface application has demonstrated potential utility in dispersing the oil, questions have been raised concerning the efficacy and environmental impact of using chemical dispersants. There is a need to better understand the environmental fate of dispersants and chemically-dispersed oil. Coastal impacts from oil need to address effects on sensitive ecosystems and explore innovative ecological restoration methods. One desired approach to developing oil spill mitigation and remediation approaches is by applying green chemistry principles including development of effective dispersants with reduced toxicity and persistence in the environment. EPA's fiscal year 2010 supplemental appropriations act provides funding to the EPA to support an oil pollution study. It states:
The specific Strategic Goal and Objective from the EPA’s Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are: Goal 4: Healthy Communities and Ecosystems, Objective 4.4: Enhance Science and Research The EPA’s Strategic Plan can be found at: http://nepis.epa.gov/Adobe/PDF/P1001IPK.PDF (184 pp, 9.33 M)
Note that a project’s focus is to consist of activities within the statue(s) listed above with regard to a study (including necessary research, experiments, investigations and community outreach/participation in the study) into “the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and the application of dispersants, surface washing agents, bioremediation agents, and other mitigation measures listed in the National Contingency Plan Product List (40 C.F.R. Part 300 Subpart J)” as provided for in the Supplemental Appropriation Act, 2010. These activities should relate to the gathering or transferring of information and or advancing the state of knowledge. Proposals should emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem via a well-established method. Applicable regulations include: 40 CFR Part 30 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations), 40 CFR Part 31 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments) and 40 CFR Part 40 (Research and Demonstration Grants). Applicable OMB Circulars include: OMB Circular A-21 (Cost Principles for Educational Institutions) relocated to 2 CFR Part 220 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_08/2cfr220_08.html), OMB Circular A-87 (Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments) relocated to 2 CFR Part 225 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_10/2cfr225_10.html), OMB Circular A-102 (Grants and Cooperative Agreements With State and Local Governments), OMB Circular A-110 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Non-Profit Organizations) relocated to 2 CFR Part 215 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_08/2cfr215_08.html), and OMB Circular A-122 (Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations) relocated to 2 CFR Part 230 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/2cfr230_07.html).
The overall study must directly relate to the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and address one or more of the following research objectives: Technology development, for remediation of the environment impacted by oil spills. Innovative biological, chemical, and physical treatment technologies need to be developed to mitigate accidental releases of oil to aquatic systems including deep sea releases. Approaches to clean up impacted wetlands to promote sustainable ecological systems are needed. For example, the use of organic sorbents, with great oil immobilization capability and low dry weight, to wick oil from anaerobic to aerobic surface zone is necessary.
In addition to addressing the research objectives described above in Section I.D, all applications must include a plan for how the applicant will work with and involve at least 4 Gulf Coast communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in designing and participating in the research project described in Section I.D. The plan must also address how the applicant will work with and involve these communities in disseminating the results of the research project to interested stakeholders. For each individual award, a minimum of 15 percent and a maximum of 40 percent of total requested funds must be allocated for these activities. Successful applicants may, among other things, award subgrants to community based non-profit organizations and/or pay stipends to community members who serve on advisory committees or otherwise actively participate in the research project to meet this req