66.129: Geographic Programs - Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program

66.129

Active

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Sept. 23, 2022

Sept. 23, 2022

To develop and support the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) for coastal watershed restoration. SNEP is a geographically-based program intended to serve as a collaborative framework for advancing ecosystem resiliency, protecting and restoring water quality, habitat, and ecosystem function, and developing and applying innovative policy, science, and technology to environmental management in southeast coastal New England (eligibility map is available at https://www.epa.gov/snep/background-information-southeast-new-england-program and will be included in competitive funding announcements). A critical aspect of this framework is the integration of physical processes, water quality, and critical habitat at a regional, watershed, and/or landscape scale. SNEP's Strategic Plan under this framework includes goals for achieving, 1. a resilient ecosystem of safe and healthy waters, 2. thriving watersheds and natural lands, and 3. sustainable communities. Additional background information on SNEP can be found at the following website: www.epa.gov/snep. EPA intends to fund projects, either directly or via a pass-through organization, that address SNEP priorities and spur investments in regionally significant and landscape scale restoration projects through projects, networks, and/or partnerships among governmental and community resource managers, technology, scientific, and policy organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), tribes, and other groups. A major focus is to build regional capacity for environmental management, including developing and establishing robust institutional, monitoring, information, and technology frameworks that can offer more effective, transferable, and sustainable paths to restoring and protecting the southeast New England coastal watersheds. Through competitive funding announcements, EPA will outline specific program priorities and eligible activities in areas such as environmental, ecological, and/or habitat restoration planning and construction; ordinance adoption and implementation; technology and policy development, testing, and adoption; financing; monitoring, including methods, equipment, data analysis and interpretation; public understanding and engagement; technical training in new approaches; information sharing; implementation of nature-based solutions; and targeted/applied research. EPA may seek to fund this work directly or through an eligible pass-through organization and will provide project examples and expectations in specific Request for Applications (RFAs). Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2022: This program seeks to restore improve water quality, habitat health and resilience in the SNEP region by building capacity of local communities, tribes and organizations and by providing grants to support planning, demonstration, design and implementation of best management practices, monitoring and evaluation of innovative approaches and development of new technologies. SNEP funding is provided to support technical assistance and implementation grants through the SNEP Network, Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants and/or a SNEP Pilot Watersheds Initiative. Additional SNEP funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support existing SNEP priorities and will begin to focus on climate resiliency and underserved communities. Additionally, in Fiscal Year 2022 SNEP will distribute approximately $2.3 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding through cooperative agreements to reduce the impact of nitrogen coming from septic systems, which is a regionally significant issue leading to coastal water impairments, by spurring investments in solutions to improve septic system infrastructure including ability to efficiently finance, install, and manage innovative/alternative nitrogen reducing septic systems in the SNEP region.

B - Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)

Assistance under SNEP is available to state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments; institutions of higher education; nonprofit institutions and organizations; intertribal consortia; and interstate agencies. Private businesses, federal agencies, and individuals are not eligible to be grant recipients; however, they are encouraged to work in partnership with eligible applicants on projects. Applicants are not limited to the geographic area of southeastern coastal New England, however, those applying from outside the specified region must carry out their projects and have at least one local partner from within the geographic area specified in the competitive funding announcement. Organizations must be capable of undertaking and managing activities that advance SNEP priorities, including managing potentially complex fiscal and administrative requirements. Non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply; the term interstate agency is defined in Clean Water Act Section 502 as an agency of two or more States established by or pursuant to an agreement or compact approved by the Congress, or any other agency of two or more States, having substantial powers or duties pertaining to the control of pollution as determined and approved by the Administrator. Intertribal consortia must meet the requirements of 40 CFR Section 35.504. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing 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.

Not Applicable

66.456 - National Estuary Program

66.110 - Healthy Communities Grant Program

66.440 - Urban Waters Small Grants

https://sam.gov/fal/39b74d35866b41cea1744540bb950081/view