(EPA) TITLE: 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) National Grants ACTION
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AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) TITLE: 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) National Grants ACTION: Request for Applications (RFA) RFA NUMBER: EPA-OAR-OTAQ-21-02 Assistance Listing No: 66.039 IMPORTANT DATES Thursday, January 14, 2021 RFA OPENS Tuesday, March 16, 2021 RFA CLOSES – APPLICATIONS DUE April-May 2021 ANTICIPATED NOTIFICATION OF SELECTION June-October 2021 ANTICIPATED AWARD Application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) no later than Tuesday, March 16, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) to be considered for funding. COVID-19 Update: EPA is providing flexibilities to applicants experiencing challenges related to COVID-19. Please see the Flexibilities Available to Organizations Impacted by COVID-19 clause in Section IV of EPA’s Solicitation Clauses. FUNDING / AWARDS: EPA anticipates awarding approximately $46 million in DERA funding under this announcement. Awards will be selected and managed by EPA’s ten regional offices. EPA anticipates 2 to 8 cooperative agreement awards per EPA region, subject to the availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other considerations. SUMMARY: EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality is soliciting applications nationwide for projects that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions. Eligible diesel vehicles, engines and equipment may include buses, Class 5 – Class 8 heavy-duty highway vehicles, marine engines, locomotives and nonroad engines, equipment or vehicles such as those used in construction, handling of cargo, agriculture, mining or energy production. Eligible diesel emissions reduction solutions include verified retrofit technologies such as exhaust after-treatment technologies, engine upgrades, and cleaner fuels and additives, verified idle reduction technologies, verified aerodynamic technologies, verified low rolling resistance tires, certified engine replacements and conversions, and certified vehicle or equipment replacement. Eligible entities include regional, state, or local agencies; tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) and native villages; or port authorities, which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality, and nonprofit organizations or institutions that: a) represent or provide pollution 1 reduction or educational services to diesel fleets or b) have, as their principal purpose, the promotion of transportation or air quality. Although private fleet owners are not eligible to apply directly to EPA for DERA funding, both public and private fleets can benefit from the programs implemented by DERA national grant recipients. Priority for funding is given to fleets operating in areas designated as having poor air quality and fleets which service goods movement facilities. Further priority for funding is given to projects with outcomes that benefit affected communities, those that engage affected communities in the design and performance of the project, and those which demonstrate the ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended. Funding Opportunity Information Sessions Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (ET) Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. (ET) The EPA will host several information sessions regarding this RFA. EPA encourages potential applicants to take advantage of these information sessions to learn more about the DERA program and the grant application process. EPA will highlight any changes to the program from previous years, review eligibility criteria, funding limits and mandatory cost share requirements, and discuss the available options for funding partner fleets. Participants will have the opportunity to have their questions answered by EPA in a public forum. Pre- registration is not required. Webinar links and dial-in information for the information sessions can be found at: www.epa.gov/dera/national#rfa. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Applicants are encouraged to review the questions and answers posted at www.epa.gov/dera/national#rfa for further clarification of this Request for Applications. EPA will respond to questions from applicants regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the application, and requests for clarification about any of the language or provisions in the announcement through the questions and answers document. Applicants may email written questions to [email protected]. All questions submitted via email by 4:00 p.m. ET each Friday during the RFA open period will be answered and posted in the questions and answers document the following week. The deadline for submitting questions via email is Friday, March 5, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. ET. The final posting of the questions and answers document will be Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Want to learn more about DERA? www.epa.gov/dera DERA Fourth Report to Congress 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE: 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) National Grants ................................................... 1 I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................... 4 A. Background ........................................................................................................................................... 4 B. Scope of Work ........................................................................................................................................ 4 C. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage, Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes and Performance Measures ................. 22 D. Statutory Authority .............................................................................................................................. 25 II. AWARD INFORMATION .................................................................................................................... 25 A. What is the amount of funding available? ............................................................................................ 25 B. Partial Funding ..................................................................................................................................... 26 C. How many agreements will EPA award in this competition? .............................................................. 26 D. What is the project period for awards resulting from this solicitation? ............................................... 27 E. Funding Type........................................................................................................................................ 27 III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION .......................................................................................................... 27 A. Eligible Entities .................................................................................................................................... 27 B. Cost Sharing ......................................................................................................................................... 28 C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria ............................................................................................................... 30 D. Funding Restrictions ............................................................................................................................ 32 IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION .................................................................... 34 A. Project Location for Application Submission ...................................................................................... 34 B. Limits on Number of Applications that Can be Submitted .................................................................. 35 C. Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures ............................... 36 D. Grants.gov Application Submission Instructions (see Appendix A) ................................................... 37 E. Content of Application Submission ...................................................................................................... 37 F. Submission Date and Time ................................................................................................................... 40 G. Information Sessions ............................................................................................................................ 40 H. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation ............................................. 40 I. How to Fund Projects and Partnerships ................................................................................................. 40 V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION ........................................................................................ 41 A. Evaluation Criteria ............................................................................................................................... 41 B. Review and Selection Process .............................................................................................................. 45 C. Other Factors ........................................................................................................................................ 45 D. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated Into the Solicitation ............................................. 45 VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION ............................................................................... 46 A. Award Notices .....................................................................................................................................