The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking grant applications from states and federally-recognized tribes to promote pollution prevention (P2) in businesses across the country. Eligible state organizations include any agency or instrumentality of the state, including colleges and universities. Through these grants, the Agency hopes states and tribes, along with colleges, universities and intertribal consortia, will develop and provide information, training and tools to businesses to help them reduce costs and the use of water, energy, and other natural resources.
“Pollution prevention grants are important tools that help support innovative solutions to reducing pollution,” said EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn. “The results of work done under these grants have created best practices that are helping to advance economic growth, increase sustainability, and protect the environment.”
EPA anticipates awarding approximately $9.38 million in total, federal pollution prevention grant funding over a two-year funding cycle ($4.69 million in FY 2020 funds and $4.69 million in FY 2021 funds). Individual grant awards could range from $40,000 to $500,000 for the two-year funding period or between $20,000 and $250,000 funded per year.
For these grants, EPA emphasizes the importance of grantees documenting and sharing P2 best practices that are identified and developed through these grants, so that others can replicate these practices and outcomes. Each grantee will be required to develop at least one case study during the grant period on P2 practices that are new or not widely known or adopted, or where detailed information on the P2 practices could benefit other businesses or P2 technical assistance providers. For agencies within the EPA Region 7 states (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska), contact the Region 7 P2 Coordinator, Andrew Wynne, at [email protected] or 913-551-7993.
Grant applications should focus on at least one of the following P2 priority areas, also referred to as National Emphasis Areas (NEAs), which support several of the Agency’s Smart Sectors:
- NEA #1: Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing
- NEA #2: Chemical Manufacturing, Processing and Formulation
- NEA #3: Automotive Manufacturing and Maintenance
- NEA #4: Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing and Maintenance
- NEA #5: Metal Manufacturing and Fabrication
Proposals are due by March 31, 2020.