PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 1. Authority This Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Federal Financial Assistance Funding Opportunity is being announced under the following legislative authority: HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION, Wildland Fire Management, Annual Appropriations (2014 Public Law 113-76), Wildland Fire Management, which states in part: That using the amounts designated under this title of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior may enter into procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements, for hazardous fuels reduction activities, and for training and monitoring associated with such hazardous fuels reduction activities, on Federal land, or on adjacent non-Federal land for activities that benefit resources on Federal land: Provided further, That the costs of implementing any cooperative agreement between the Federal Government and any non-Federal entity may be shared, as mutually agreed on by the affected parties: Provided further, That notwithstanding requirements of the Competition in Contracting Act, the Secretary, for purposes of hazardous fuels reduction activities, may obtain maximum practicable competition among: (1) local private, nonprofit, or cooperative entities; (2) Youth Conservation Corps crews or related partnerships with State, local, or non-profit youth groups" . 2. Description of Program and/or Project a. Background: Phoenix District Office (BLM) Fuels Management Staff has targeted the communities of Wickenburg, Aguila, Morristown, Buckeye, Buckeye Valley, Goodyear, Maricopa, Gila Bend, Tonopah, Palo Verde, and Circle City to help in the effort to promote, teach and create defensible space. In accordance with the National Fire Plan and the Presidents Healthy Forest Initiative the efforts under this assistance agreement are intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire to wildland urban interface communities, and promote community assistance. The Maricopa County CWPP technical support group is researching uses for the biomass that is being created from the fuels reduction activities in Maricopa County. The CWPP was completed in April 2010. 2 to 4 projects to reduce the effects of wildfire on communities have been completed each year. The CWPP was updated in September 2014 the plan will continue to be updated every 5 years or as needed.