00A01865

**Description:** The purpose of this agreement is to provide assistance to Restore America's Estuaries to implement its project to support the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan to protect and restore Long Island Sound by developing and administering the Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund.

The purpose of the award is to improve environmental conditions in Long Island Sound and concurrently build capacity for communities and institutions in the region.

These efforts will lead to resilient, sustainable, thriving watersheds, and strengthen economic and cultural viability of the Sound.

**Activities:** Specifically, under this cooperative agreement the recipient will carry out two primary tasks:

1. Administer a competitive subaward program focused on activities that address challenges and opportunities facing communities experiencing or affected by environmental and human health risks or harms.

2. Provide technical assistance for communities and support proposals which ultimately improve access to the Long Island Sound, while reducing overall environmental health risks.

**Subrecipient:** RAE will execute a subawards program by managing a competitive process to solicit, evaluate, and select subaward projects that address LISS goals and program objectives to support Connecticut and New York communities, implement the LISS CCMP, including a variety of project types, distribution across the LISS region, and representation of community needs.

RAE will perform subawardee monitoring, including programmatic and financial oversight, through semi-annual progress reports, invoice reviews, and site visits to ensure performance accountability and will ensure subawards will be completed prior to the end of the cooperative agreement.

There is $3,750,000 allocated to this subaward program. Restore America's Estuaries also is providing a $50,000 subaward to Save the Sound. The purpose of this subaward is for Save the Sound to support community outreach.

**Outcomes:** Under this cooperative agreement the recipient will provide a variety of deliverables related to the two primary tasks described above.

The subaward program deliverables include: administering three rounds of a subaward competition (at ~$1.25 million per year) to build on previous two rounds covered under Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund award to Restore America's Estuaries; expanding staff to enhance connections across communities in Connecticut and New York; continuing collaboration with Long Island Sound outreach staff.

Within the technical assistance program, Restore America's Estuaries will: convene community engagement sessions throughout the duration of the grant program to address issues communities are facing that are relevant for Long Island Sound Study's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan priorities; evolve trainings based on constant evaluations, and organizational/regional needs as capacity increases; include additional annual learning exchanges; create 'mini learning exchanges' in Connecticut and New York that will complement the main annual learning exchange in a central location.

The expected outcomes of these activities are improved environmental conditions in the Long Island Sound watershed and strengthened economic and cultural viability of the Sound.

Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund is intended to increase the number of community-led projects that support implementation of the Long Island Sound Study goals and priorities laid out in its Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan; it also will build capacity in communities experiencing or affected by environmental and human health risks or harms.

Thus, direct beneficiaries of this program include the general population of the Long Island Sound watershed and its surrounding areas, schools, universities and other institutions of learning, environmental managers and policy makers, and the participants in the Long Island.

Restore America's Estuaries

6 - SAFEGUARD AND REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES 6.1 - CLEAN UP AND RESTORE LAND FOR PRODUCTIVE USES AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES 1 - PILLAR 1: CLEAN AIR, LAND, AND WATER FOR EVERY AMERICAN 1.1 - TBD 1 - CORE MISSION 1.3 - REVITALIZE LAND AND PREVENT CONTAMINATION 4 - ENSURE CLEAN AND HEALTHY AIR FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 4.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND REDUCE LOCALIZED POLLUTION AND HEALTH IMPACTS 1 - PILLAR 1: CLEAN AIR, LAND, AND WATER FOR EVERY AMERICAN 1.1 - TBD 3 - PILLAR 3: PERMITTING REFORM, COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM, AND CROSS-AGENCY PARTNERSHIP 3.1 - TBD 3 - PILLAR 3: PERMITTING REFORM, COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM, AND CROSS-AGENCY PARTNERSHIP 3.1 - TBD 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.2 - PROTECT AND RESTORE WATERBODIES AND WATERSHEDS 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.2 - PROTECT AND RESTORE WATERBODIES AND WATERSHEDS 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.2 - PROTECT AND RESTORE WATERBODIES AND WATERSHEDS S - CROSS AGENCY STRATEGY S.3 - ADVANCE EPA'S ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND WORKFORCE EQUITY 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY 3 - ENFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND ENSURE COMPLIANCE 3.1 - HOLD ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATORS AND RESPONSIBLE PARTIES ACCOUNTABLE 3.2 - DETECT VIOLATIONS AND PROMOTE COMPLIANCE 6 - SAFEGUARD AND REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES 6.1 - CLEAN UP AND RESTORE LAND FOR PRODUCTIVE USES AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES 6.3 - PREPARE FOR AND RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES 7 - ENSURE SAFETY OF CHEMICALS FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT 7.1 - ENSURE CHEMICAL AND PESTICIDE SAFETY 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.2 - EMBED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS INTO EPA’S PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AN

66.437 - Long Island Sound Program

EPA Region 1: Boston [EPA - RO]

Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut United States

County-Wide

EPA-CEP-01

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 103% from $2,950,000 to $5,999,589.