What's New for Brownfields and Land Revitalization in New England
January 2017 Issue
Disclaimer: Some of the events, articles and websites listed in this newsletter are non-EPA sponsored events and websites. EPA is providing them for your information only and is not responsible for the content of the websites or the information distributed at a non-EPA listed event. Exit
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FY2017 Proposal Guidelines for Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants
Proposals Due February 24, 2017
EPA is announcing the availability of funding to eligible entities for Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grants. These grants are provided to eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to develop environmental programs that recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of communities affected by brownfields and other environmental contaminants with the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field and in assessment and cleanup work taking place in their communities. All proposals must be submitted through grants.gov.
Announcement
Request for Proposals
To assist applicants with their proposals, EPA will hold two informational webinars for prospective grant applicants. The content of each webinar will be the same.
The first webinar will be held on January 10, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
The second webinar will be held on January 12, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Both webinars will be recorded and posted to the Brownfields website.
To access the webinars live, please go to http://epawebconferencing.acms.com/fy17ewdjt/ at the aforementioned dates and times.
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Proposals Due January 31, 2017
EPA will award grants that support activities designed to empower and educate affected communities to understand environmental and public health issues and to identify ways to address these issues at the local level. Approximately 40 one-year projects will be awarded at $30,000 each.
EPA requires applications for Environmental Justice grants be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov website.
- Fiscal Year 2017 EJ Small Grants Request for Proposals (Amended)
Spanish Translation - Frequently Asked Questions
EPA Awards $3.8 Million in FY2017 Area-Wide Planning Grants
Nineteen communities have been selected for funding totaling $3.8 Million in EPA Brownfields grants through the National Area-Wide Planning Program. These funds will aid under-served and economically disadvantaged communities by facilitating their collaboration and planning with diverse public and private entities. The 19 communities will develop plans for the assessment, cleanup and revitalization of abandoned industrial and commercial properties that have contributed to area-wide environmental degradation, economic hardship and social inequities. Area-wide plans typically help communities to leverage funding for transportation, housing and other important neighborhood improvements.
EPA Region 1 recipients:
Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Maine - $200,000
City of Providence, Rhode Island - $200,000
- EPA News Release Jan. 5, 2017
- List of FY17 Applicants Selected for Funding
- List of FY17 Project Summaries
- List of FY17 Applicants
Climate Smart Brownfields Manual
The Climate Smart Brownfields Manual is an excellent resource for communities that want to consider climate change as they assess, clean up, or redevelop brownfield sites. It provides guidance on best practices for climate change mitigation, adaption, and resilience at all stages of Brownfields work, from planning to redevelopment. In addition, the manual contains case studies and links to additional resources that communities can use as they develop Brownfields project plans.
Region 1 Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program
Region 1 is currently seeking Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) applications for good projects for 2017. EPA’s TBA program is available to government entities and nonprofits who have redevelopment plans for a property, but need assistance in understanding the environmental implications moving forward. Through the TBA program, an EPA contactor will perform an environmental investigation of the property tailored to meet the needs of the recipient. Go to the Region 1 TBA website for more information and how to apply.
Soak Up the Rain New England Webinar Series
Wednesday, January 25th, 2017 | 1:00 to 2:30 EST
The Perfect Storm
The convergence of three projects to build a healthy watershed and community with green infrastructure
In April 2008, local, state and federal stakeholders collaborated on a series of green infrastructure Best Management Practices to address several water quality problems related to stormwater runoff at the Bristol Town Beach and Sports Complex in Bristol, Rhode Island. This webinar will focus on how they made it happen through partnering with a number of agencies and non-profit groups, leveraging resources and funding (including Federal Clean Water Act Section 319 grant funds) while taking advantage of timely opportunities and related green infrastructure initiatives.
Presenters:
Walter V. Burke, Director, Bristol Parks and Recreation, Bristol, Rhode Island
Betsy Dake, Section 319 Grant Program Manager, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Diane M. Williamson, Director, Office of Community Development, Town of Bristol, Rhode Island
- For more information (PDF) (2 pp, 393 K, About PDF)
- Register Here
- For questions about the webinar series or have ideas for additional webinar topics, please send email to soakuptherain@epa.gov
2017 RFP: Five Star & Urban Waters Restoration Grants
Proposals Due - January 31, 2017
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USDA Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), FedEx, Southern Company and Alcoa Foundation are soliciting applications for the 2017 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration program. The Five Star and Urban Waters program will award approximately $2.5 million in grants nationwide.
The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support. Projects include a variety of ecological improvements including: wetland, riparian, forest and coastal habitat restoration; wildlife conservation; community tree canopy enhancement; and/or water quality monitoring and stormwater management; along with targeted community outreach, education and stewardship. NFWF may use a mix of public and private funding sources to support any grant made through this program.
Priority will be given to projects in urban, suburban and/or rural areas that advance water quality goals in environmental justice communities such as neighborhoods with high concentrations of minority and low-income populations. On behalf of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, EPA’s Urban Waters Program will give special consideration to project proposals that advance the priorities in the 19 Urban Waters Federal Partnership designated locations.
View details about and a map of these designated locations. Go to 2017 Request for Proposals.
Partners for Places Round 10 Grant Cycle
Proposals due January 30, 2017
Partners for Places is a successful matching grant program that creates opportunities for cities and counties in the United States and Canada to improve communities by building partnerships between local government sustainability offices and place-based foundations. Visit Partners for Places website for further information and the Idea Bank for summaries of proposals submitted in prior rounds.
National Endowment for the Arts - Big Read Program - Grant Opportunity
Application Deadline - January 26, 2017
Are you working with local communities that are focused on youth engagement and adult literacy, or building civic cohesion? The NEA Big Read is a program that might be a great fit to complement your work. The program supports approximately 75 community reading programs every year, each designed around a single book in the NEA Big Read library, with themes such as racism, immigration, multiculturalism, work, art, family relationships, and surviving an apocalypse. Grants range from $5,000-$20,000. Eligible applicants include arts centers, housing authorities, literary centers, community organizations, historical societies, environmental organizations, trade associations, resettlement agencies, faith-based organizations, museums, school districts, and tribal governments. Grantees are provided with resources, outreach materials, and training on various aspects such as working with local partners, developing public relations strategies, and leading book discussions and Q&As.
- Guidelines for 2017-18 are now available.
BCONE – Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop
March 15, 2017
New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey
The Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW) is the premier metropolitan workshop on identifying sustainable goals and strategies for revitalizing communities and brownfields. NSCW is like no other conference you've attended. PowerPoint presentations are sparse and image-only; speakers are concise, yet informative; and, there is plenty of time in each session for dialogue between attendees, speakers, and moderators. Come be a part of the conversation!
NSCW Organizers are looking for proposals related to sustainability. Submissions may address either broad or niche areas; research projects or case studies; management and policy challenges; and local, regional, or national issues. Submissions are due September 2, 2016. Click here to submit a proposal.
IEDC 2017 Annual Conference
September 17-20, 2017
Toronto, Ontario
The 2017 IEDC Annual Conference will be held in Toronto, Canada from September 17-20, 2017. This is an opportunity to highlight success stories, lessons learned, share cutting-edge ideas, and engage your colleagues at the premier event for economic development practitioners.
IEDC is seeking compelling session proposals (PDF) (14 pp, 263 K) to ensure a comprehensive program.
The call for session proposals closed before U.S. Thanksgiving on November 18, 2016. We thank you for submitting your proposals by this deadline.
33rd Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water, and Energy
October 16-19, 2017 | Amherst, Massachusetts
The Annual Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy, at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst attracts 600-800 attendees annually which includes a wide variety of representation from state and federal agencies, military, industry (including railroad, petroleum, transportation, and utilities), environmental engineering and consulting, and academia.
- Conference Website
- Call for Abstracts (PDF) (2 pp, 263 K, About PDF) – Deadline is February 3, 2017
The 7th International Symposium and Exhibition on the Redevelopment of Manufactured Gas Plant Sites (MGP 2017)
October 16-18, 2017
Sheraton Hotel
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Symposium is an on-going educational and networking event that focuses on specific issues related to the remediation and redevelopment of manufactured gas plant sites.
Call for Abstracts for Oral and Poster Presentations ends March 31, 2017
Early registration ends December 31, 2016
Brownfields 2017 Save the Date
December 5-7, 2017 | Pittsburgh, PA
The next Brownfields Conference is taking place in Pittsburgh, PA.
- Conference Website
- Registration opens on June 1, 2017
- Call for Ideas and Call for Posters are now open – Due date March 17, 2017.
ACRES: Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System
EPA offers the following two online training courses to aid Brownfields Cooperative Agreement Recipients in reporting their grant-funded activities using ACRES:
Getting Started
For Assessment, RLF, Cleanup, and Section 128(a) Recipients just starting to use ACRES, this training will provide instruction on the process for submitting your property data and demonstrate how to use the tools and functions in ACRES. Approximately 90 minutes.
| Day | Date | Time | Webinar Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | March 14, 2017 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time | WebEx Session |
| Tuesday | May 9, 2017 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time | WebEx Session |
| Tuesday | July 11, 2017 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time | WebEx Session |
The Next Level
For Assessment, RLF, Cleanup, and Section 128(a) Recipients that are familiar with using ACRES, this training will provide instruction on how to make ACRES work for you and your property scenarios, and the answers to some commonly asked questions. Approximately 90 minutes.
| Day | Date | Time | Webinar Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | February 14, 2017 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time | WebEx Session |
| Tuesday | April 11, 2017 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time | WebEx Session |
| Tuesday | June 13, 2017 | 2:00 pm Eastern Time | WebEx Session |
For more information, go to the ACRES Training page.