Geographic Programs - Columbia River Basin Restoration (CRBR) Program

 

To support the protection and restoration of the Columbia River Basin the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program (CRBRP). CRBRP promotes ecosystem protection and restoration activities and strategies by working with federal agencies, states, tribes, regional water pollution control agencies and entities, local governments, non-governmental entities and soil and water conservation districts to improve water quality and support environmental protection and restoration. Program has considered relevant approaches to achieving the intended goals and objectives of the program consistent with statutory requirements, including priorities in Executive Order 14052, Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to invest public dollars equitably, create jobs and high labor stands, ensure goods and services are made in America, and build infrastructure that is resilient and helps combat the climate crisis using Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds. Funding Priorities - Fiscal Year 2022 and 2023 : Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will be used to fund grant projects in the Lower Columbia River Estuary and the Middle and Upper Columbia River Basin. The priorities for this funding are to improve water quality in the Lower Columbia River Estuary, through specific actions to reduce toxics, increase monitoring, and/or increase public education and outreach. The two Request for Applications issued in FY2023 with IIJA funds are Toxic Reduction Organization Leads and a Request for Applications with the focus on Tribal Governments. The second solicitation was to focus on eligible Columbia River Basin eligible Columbia River Basin tribal governments to improve water quality in the Columbia River Basin, through specific actions to reduce toxics, and/or increase public education and outreach. The Columbia River Basin Restoration Program (CRBRP) will assist tribal, state, and local governments; nongovernmental entities, and others as they implement the Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan and the Lower Columbia River Estuary Plan - Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and conduct activities to support EPA national goals for the Columbia River Basin.

Active 66.962 Environmental Protection Agency B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2020 Accomplishments under this assistance listing include: **One project under this grant program is reducing toxic pollution in the Middle Columbia River Basin by educating and inspiring students and community members to prevent pollution discharges. Developed four pollution-prevention curriculum modules tailored to Columbia River toxic pollution, and pollution prevention and reduction strategies. These online curriculum modules are targeted at middle school students in the Columbia River Gorge. Modules focus on four topics: Household Contaminants; Stormwater, Riparian Zones, and Microplastics.Website here: https://www.columbiariverkeeper.org/engaging-communities/pollution-prevention-curriculum Created two bilingual pollution prevention fact sheets completed and distributed via web, email, and social media. https://www.columbiariverkeeper.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Toxins%20in%20Home_d_Spanish_0.pdf https://www.columbiariverkeeper.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Toxins%20in%20Home_d.pdf Produced two bilingual radio shows produced and aired on Radio Teirra and posted on Riverkeeper website as podcasts. Completed two community education webinars - "Homebodies and Waterbodies" and "Environmental Advocacy and Justice Perspectives from La Comunidad Latina". Together the webinars had 165 attendees who tuned in live, and the recordings have been viewed over 1,000 times to-date and will continue to be available via our website and social media outlets. In just two of the four planned events, total outreach targets of 150 people have been exceeded. https://www.columbiariverkeeper.org/news/2021/3/environmental-advocacy-and-justice https://www.columbiariverkeeper.org/news/2021/2/homebodies-and-waterbodies-recap **The Pesticide Reduction Outreach (PRO) Campaign is a behavior change campaign that promotes citizen engagement and knowledge by targeting residential users of herbicides and insecticides. 92 participants attended virtual Community Based Social Marketing workshop. **Another project will provide on-site technical assistance, trainings, resources, and pollution prevention evaluations to automotive and landscaping businesses, and expand the Ecological Business Program (EcoBiz). One of eight Safer Chemical Alternatives Trainings have taken place (Jan 2021), a second is planned for June 2021. Updated EcoBiz Landscaping Checklist. Have reached out to 100 businesses and offered Ecobiz technical assistance in landscaping and automotive sectors to help implement best practices and reduce toxic chemicals. **Another project is expanding an existing stormwater retrofit program that fills a regulatory gap by working with businesses on a voluntary basis who do not have a regulatory requirement to install stormwater facilities or otherwise manage site-produced toxins that impact urban stormwater runoff. These retrofits reduce or eliminate pollution and runoff, improve water quality, and protect habitat while promoting citizen engagement and knowledge. 70 new businesses have been added to the Stormwater Retrofit Project pipeline (Feb 2021) and five of these businesses have carried out site visits.
Fiscal Year 2022 Listed are some accomplishments from projects funded with FY2019-2022 funds: 1) The GREAT Grattix Box project builds on the proven Grattix Box technology developed by the Port of Vancouver. Since their invention, the Port has promoted their use, provided detailed building plans, and spread the word about this effective and inexpensive stormwater treatment technology. As a result, numerous companies have built and deployed their own Grattix Boxes” and developed a list of 40 potential Grattix Box placement sites. Oregon State University students built 10 Grattix Boxes, which were transported to the Port of Vancouver for storage prior to deployment in the project. Oregon State University created a YouTube video documenting the experiences of the students who built the Grattix boxes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ3qHqYXtM4. 2) With the help of the Palouse Conservation District, one grantee expanded their surface water monitoring program to a region and crops they had never sampled before. They also removed more than 18,000 pounds of pesticides from these watersheds. This has been an amazing opportunity to expand their programs and begin building the long-term partnerships they need to work alongside Washington’s growers to reduce the number of pesticides entering our waterways. The Palouse Conservation District collected samples from two sites, a total of 32 samples in 2021 and 18 more so far in 2022. The grantee staff from the Natural Resources Assessment Section have collected samples from three sites, 51 in 2021 and 38 so far in 2022. Each sample is tested for more than 150 pesticides and pesticide related chemicals. They have hosted two virtual workshops (Palouse Pesticide Education Event), one in February 2021 and one in February 2022, sharing information on Washington State Department of Agriculture’s free waste pesticide collection program, the surface water monitoring program, and EPA’s pesticide registration review and risk assessment process. Each workshop was attended by more than 100 licensed pesticide applicators as well as growers from the Palouse region. The grantee’s Technical Services and Education Program collected almost 10,000 pounds of unusable pesticides during collection events in the Palouse River Watershed in September 2021 and May 2022. The Technical Services and Education Program also collected waste pesticides in the Yakima River Watershed in March 2022, where nearly 8,000 pounds of pesticides were collected. 3) Another grantee produced the following video “https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG63A3K-iykeGrjLp9xu9tA/videos as part of their "Follow the Water" digital campaign. This is the description of the project included with the video – “Follow the Water is about our relationship with our rivers in Oregon, Southwest Washington, and the communities along the Columbia River. It’s about connecting people with our water - where we live, work, and play. It’s also about connecting our behaviors to the rivers so we understand that what we do can change the water both positively and negatively. Ultimately, it’s about learning and sharing new ways to be better to our water with your friends and neighbors. Whether you are new to the area, or if you have been here your whole life, the experience of water is special. It is why many of us choose to be here. And that is why the future of our water means so much to us. Follow the Water is the work of a voluntary collaborative of over 60 organizations, from federal, state, and local governments, watershed councils, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and water related non-profits in our area.” Clean Water Act, Section 123 & Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Public Law 117-58, 33 U.S.C. 1275 Eligible entities include state governments, tribal governments, regional water pollution control agencies and entities, local government entities, nongovernmental entities, or soil and water conservation districts. 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 Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. Not applicable. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," when proposed financial assistance involves land use planning, construction of infrastructure or stabilization, cleanup or remediation of land contaminated with mining wastes. EPA financial assistance programs and activities subject to intergovernmental review that are subject to review under State single point of contact procedures are identified at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-financial-assistance-programs-subject-executive-order-12372-and-section-204. Applicants for programs or activities subject to Intergovernmental Review that are not subject to State single point of contact review must provide directly affected State, areawide, regional, and local entities at least 60 days to review their application following notification by EPA that the application has been selected for funding as provided by 40 CFR 29.8(a) and (c). Regarding pre-application assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the competitive announcement. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed as "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 initial applications for funding through Grants.gov. EPA will review and evaluate applications, 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. From 60 to 90 days. 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). You can also view the procedures by visiting the following website: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures. Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable. Not applicable. The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the competitive announcement. The work must be for the purpose of environmental protection and restoration activities within the Columbia River Basin and may include programs, projects and studies. A single application must include activities in one or more of the following categories: 1. Eliminating or reducing pollution including strategies or projects to reduce toxics into streams of the Columbia River Basin, including agricultural best management practices such as Pesticide Stewardship Partnerships, stormwater and sediment management, and pesticide collection and take back programs. 2. Cleaning up contaminated sites include cleanup actions at small non-CERCLA sites where hazardous chemicals, oil, pollutants, and/or mining impacts have been released into the Columbia River Basin. 3. Improving water quality to reduce toxics in the Columbia River Basin. 4. Monitoring to evaluate trends includes monitoring current conditions such as the sampling and analysis of Columbia River Basin water, fish and sediment focused on toxics. 5. Reducing runoff through agricultural best management practices and/or sediment and stormwater runoff controls, including green infrastructure. 6. Protecting habitat to reduce the impact of toxics on Columbia River Basin fish and wildlife. 7. Promoting citizen engagement or knowledge by increasing engagement and communication with individual community members (such as local, state and tribal environmental managers, and/or NGOs), creating bi-lingual outreach and education materials on the topic of toxics reduction, green chemistry pilot projects, and/or sharing examples of successful toxics reduction efforts. Not applicable. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, and 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. Recipients must keep financial records, including all documents supporting entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes in grants available to personnel authorized to examine EPA recipients grants and cooperative agreements records. Recipients must maintain all records until 3 years from the date of submission of final expenditure reports as required by 2 CFR 200.334. If questions, such as those raised because of audits remain following the 3-year period, recipients must retain records until the matter is completely resolved. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is mandatory. 25%. Projects under this program are subject to the following funding limitations and mandatory cost share requirements: a. For non-tribal applicants EPA will fund up to 75% of the cost of the overall project (i.e., applicants are responsible for cost-sharing at least 25% of the cost with non-federal funds). b. For tribal applicants EPA will fund up to 75% of the cost of the overall projects (i.e., tribal applicants are responsible for cost-sharing at least 25% of the cost with either non-federal and/or federal funds). c. The Administrator may increase the Federal share under such circumstances as the Administrator determines to be appropriate. Reference 33 U.S.C §1275(d)(2)(B) Regional Administrators may waive non-federal share requirements at the request for applications (RFA) or project level if they would substantially delay projects slated to move forward using FY22 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds. Any exercise of this waiver should be properly documented per requirements from EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment. To support achieving the goal of targeting 40 percent of total IIJAL Geographic Program investments and benefits to disadvantaged communities, each Geographic Program will develop a IIJA equity strategy. The option to waive or reduce match for IIJA funds in FY23-26 is conditional on each Geographic Program submitting their strategy to the Office of Water and receiving concurrence on the strategy.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. The estimated project period for awards resulting from this solicitation is 24 months. Projects funded with Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be awarded in FY2023 and the project periods will be for two-five years. Assistance will be disbursed in accordance with the terms specified in the assistance agreement. Typically, assistance recipients draw funds at either monthly or quarterly intervals based on their incurred costs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ATTN: Peter Murchie 1200 Sixth Ave Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: (206) 553-0804 Email: ColumbiaRiverBasinGrant@epa.gov or murchie.peter@epa.gov. Peter Murchie
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Sixth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101 USA
murchie.peter@epa.gov
Phone: (206) 553-0804 https://www.epa.gov/columbiariver/about-epas-work-columbia-river-basin 68-0108-0-1-304 (Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 22$2,134,000.00; FY 23 est $0.00; FY 24 est $4,936,000.00; FY 21$1,315,140.00; FY 20$1,028,781.00; FY 19$896,002.00; FY 18$0.00; - (FY2022 Estimate: FY2021 base funding was combined with FY2022 base funding. FY23 funds will be combined with FY24 for a total of around $4.936 million.)(Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 22$3,823,000.00; FY 23 est $26,803,000.00; FY 24 est $15,296,000.00; - (FY2022 IIJA appropriation to award new grants in FY2022; IIJA - FY22/FY23 - $11.507M/$15.296M. This funding is for both projects located in Regions 8 and 10). FY24 funding is proposed). $60,000 to $350,000 per project period, average of $250,000. With Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding larger Request for Applications will be issued to develop strategic leads on certain topics - range from $1,000,000 to $15,000,000 - average of $7,000,000. 2 CFR 200 and 1500 (EPA Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards); 40 CFR Part 33 (Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in United States Environmental Protection Agency Programs). Fiscal Year 2022 Funded projects will reduce toxics, increase monitoring and/or increase public education and outreach like building Grattix Boxes which are effective and inexpensive stormwater treatment technology; expanding a surface water monitoring program to a region and crops that had not been sampled before; removing pounds of pesticides from watersheds; and developing a video to connect people with their water. For examples of the types of projects funded under this assistance listing, please visit the following website: https://www.epa.gov/columbiariver/about-epas-work-columbia-river-basin and https://www.epa.gov/columbiariver/columbia-river-basin-restoration-funding-assistance-program.