[COG] FW: ECOS-EPA TRI Grants RFP Released

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Sara Ann Wylie

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Aug 9, 2012, 3:48:47 PM8/9/12

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ECOS/EPA TRI PARTNERSHIP

2012 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

1. OVERVIEW

The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals for projects that focus on: A. States and the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and B. TRI and environmental public health/risk communication. ECOS will award 2-3 grants to organizations interested in exploring how TRI data is or can be utilized by the states and utilized for public health and risk communication.

2. BACKGROUND

ECOS is the national, non-profit, non-partisan association representing the state and territorial environmental commissioners. Its mission is to serve as a champion for States; to provide a clearinghouse of information for state environmental commissioners; to promote coordination in environmental management; and to articulate to Congress, federal agencies and the public state positions on environmental issues. ECOS is the fiscal and contract agent for this scope of work.

The ECOS-EPA TRI Partnership provides key audiences with an opportunity to attain a greater understanding of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data and other related data and information. Under this partnership, the National Training Conference on the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and Environmental Conditions in Communities serves as the primary nationwide TRI conference. The public and interested stakeholders hear the latest TRI information and take part in discussing the dataset’s uses and applications. The ChemicalRight2Know.com website provides current TRI information and resources along with a forum that allows a wide range of users to share and discuss TRI information. Webinars provide a platform for information sharing and a collective focus on topics related to TRI such as the use of TRI data in analyzing environmental justice.

3. GRANT AWARD INFORMATION

It is anticipated that the TRI Mini Grant Program for 2012-2013 will award a total of $30,000 to two-three grantees.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE

Proposals must be submitted by 11:59pm EST, September 6, 2012. Late applications will not be accepted.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Assistance under this announcement is generally available to states, the District of Columbia, US territories (for example, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands), federally recognized Indian tribes, intertribal consortia of federally recognized tribes, public and private colleges and universities, and other public or private nonprofit organizations. Profit-making firms are not eligible to receive assistance agreements from this program.

Non-profit organization, as defined by OMB Circular A-122, located at 2 CFR Part 230, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization which: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations. For this purpose, the term "non-profit organization" excludes (i) colleges and universities; (ii) hospitals; (iii) state, local, and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; and (iv) non-profit organizations which are excluded from coverage of this part in accordance with § 230.20(c). 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.

Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on an assistance agreement, and may not receive salaries or augment their Agency’s appropriations in other ways through awards made under this program.

4. 2012-2013 FUNDING PRIORITIES

The TRI Program grants will be focused on 1. States and the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and 2. TRI and public health/risk communication.

A. States and TRI

The small grants program is looking for innovative projects pertaining to States and the TRI program that help to:

- Promote further state involvement in TRI,

- Assist state’s in developing a specific TRI program (e.g. a state TRI starter kit, a state TRI program guidelines document, State Data Exchange MOA guidelines document, etc.),

- Integrate TRI with other state programs, (e.g. pollution prevention, air permitting, water discharges, air and/or water enforcement, etc.),

- Integrate EPA’s annual State Fact Sheet and the TRI.net data for year-to-year comparisons,

- Foster better data quality (e.g. a computer program to identify and notify state facilities that erroneously label data),

- Create state TRI discussions (e.g. a “round table” where issues are discussed, with work groups that could address these issues and provide findings and recommendations to EPA.

We are looking for innovative and novel projects on States and the TRI program that may also fall outside of the funding priorities listed above. Applicants should communicate with Bryan Shipley, ECOS, at bshi...@ecos.org if they have a project topic they would like to discuss for merit under the mini grants program.

B. TRI and Environmental Public Health/Risk Communication

The small grants program is looking for innovative projects pertaining to TRI and Environmental Public Health/Risk Communication.

Possible example projects include:

- Risk assessment tools or models utilizing TRI data.

- Risk communication tools utilizing TRI data.

- Communicating risk from TRI releases.

- Uses of TRI in environmental public health.

- Uses of TRI in risk communication and risk assessment.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED RFP IN PDF FORMAT

QUESTIONS

Please direct any questions to:

Bryan Shipley

TRI Program Manager

Environmental Council of the States
50 F St., NW Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
202-266-4928
bshi...@ecos.org

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********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Bryan Shipley
Project Manager- TRI Program
Environmental Council of the States
50 F St., NW Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
202-266-4928
bshi...@ecos.org

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