66.123: Puget Sound Action Agenda: Technical Investigations and Implementation Assistance Program

66.123

Active

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Sept. 21, 2022

Sept. 21, 2022

Puget Sound has been designated as one of 28 estuaries of National Significance under section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The goal of the National Estuary Program is to attain and maintain water quality in designated estuaries that will assure protection of public water supplies and the protection and propagation of a balanced, indigenous population of shellfish, fish and wildlife and allows recreational activities in and on the water. The Puget Sound National Estuary Program's approved Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), the Action Agenda, has a goal to restore and maintain the Puget Sound Estuary's environment by meeting 2018-2022 ecosystem targets. The Action Agenda for Puget Sound charts the course to recovery of our nation's largest estuary–it complements and incorporates the work of many partners from around Puget Sound to describe regional strategies and specific actions needed to recover Puget Sound. These strategies and actions provide opportunities for federal, state, local, tribal, and private entities to better invest resources and coordinate actions. The EPA is committed to protecting and improving water quality and minimizing the adverse impacts of rapid development in the Puget Sound Basin. These commitments include protecting the watersheds and waters of Puget Sound by protecting the fundamental watershed processes that provide and create aquatic habitats and by reducing the generation and release of toxic, nutrient and pathogen pollution. This program has the following main objectives: First, implementing the approved CCMP, the Action Agenda for Puget Sound, is the primary objective of this program. Funds are directed to the highest priority work as articulated in biennial updates to the Action Agenda work plan. The updated biennial work plan identifies specific near term actions to achieve reductions in the harmful impacts on Puget Sound and restore previously damaged aquatic ecosystem functions. A central component of the approved CCMP for Puget Sound is its Biennial Science Work plan which identifies some of the core scientific work that must be completed in order for Action Agenda implementation efforts to succeed. This program is to support implementation of priority near term actions and to support the technical studies and investigations that are needed to help direct implementation priorities. Second, the Scientific Studies and Technical Investigations awards through this program will help support the tracking systems and evaluation approaches for implementation activities. Together with projects aimed at achievement of specific environmental outcomes, the science studies and technical investigations inform adaptive management of the program significantly contributing to the restoration and protection of Puget Sound. Funding Priorities - Fiscal Year 2021: From FFY2017-2021, a greater emphasis on direct implementation of near term actions, including Tribal and local priorities, will be the focus of the updated Action Agenda and the Puget Sound Program. Priority will be given to actions that fall in the three strategic initiatives of the Action Agenda and have been scientifically and technically reviewed for the likelihood of positive results to achieve targeted environmental outcomes. The three strategic initiative areas in the Action Agenda are: habitat protection and restoration for salmon and other Puget Sound aquatic species; water quality improvements to protect and improve shellfish growing areas; and control and prevention of pollution from stormwater. Funding will be continued for these three strategic initiative leads (SILs). As the core support for leadership and stewardship of Puget Sound science, the Puget Sound Action Agenda—Implementation Strategies grants, new in FFY2021 will focus on: Award and manage subawards to support the implementation of the Action Agenda with a focus on Implementation Strategies, and maintain Strategic Initiative Advisory Teams (SIATs) to advise in investment-related decision-making; serve as Implementation Strategy Leads for Vital Signs related to the Strategic Initiative and form technical (e.g., Interdisciplinary Teams) and/or policy workgroups to develop, refine, adaptively manage, and operationalize Implementation Strategies, and participate in the Puget Sound Partnership and National Estuary Program (NEP) Management Conference processes and work groups. Proactively coordinate with tribal partners and Local Integrating Organizations (LIOs) in order to accomplish SIL work.

B - Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)

Federal government agencies and Washington State government agencies are eligible to apply under this program. Public and private institutions of higher education located in the United States are eligible to apply under this program. Units of local government organized under Washington State law and located within the Greater Puget Sound basin are eligible to apply. Also eligible to apply are special purpose districts, as defined by Washington State law at R.C.W. 36.93.020, including but not limited to, irrigation districts, and water and sewer districts that are located in or govern land and water resources within the greater Puget Sound basin. Conservation districts located in or governing land and water resources within the greater Puget Sound Basin are also eligible to apply for assistance under this program. Watershed planning units formed under RCW 90.82.040 and RCW 90.82.060, local management boards organized under RCW 90.88.030, salmon recovery lead entities organized pursuant to RCW 77.85.050, regional fisheries enhancement groups organized pursuant to RCW 77.95.060 and Marine Resource Committees organized pursuant to RCW 36.125.010 and RCW 36.125.020 are eligible to apply if they are located within or their jurisdictions include waters and/or lands within the Greater Puget Sound basin. Intrastate organizations such as associations of cities, counties or conservation districts in the Greater Puget Sound basin are also eligible to apply. Nonprofit nongovernmental entities are also eligible to apply. Federally recognized Indian Tribes located within the greater Puget Sound basin and any consortium of these eligible tribes are also eligible to apply. The greater Puget Sound basin is defined as all watersheds draining to the U.S. waters of Puget Sound, southern Georgia Basin, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For profit business entities, private individuals and families are not eligible to apply. However, all of these types of entities could partner with an eligible applicant as a sub-awardee. 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.

The direct beneficiaries would be the entities receiving the assistance. Due to the fact that the program is designed and intended to assist in the restoration and protection of the Puget Sound estuary, the ultimate beneficiaries will be the residents of the greater Puget Sound region.

66.456 - National Estuary Program

66.121 - Puget Sound Protection and Restoration: Tribal Implementation Assistance Program

https://sam.gov/fal/995b32d2d4c54d8d994366551a6a3e83/view