EPA announces $5 million funding opportunity

United State Environmental Protection Agency

Funding for Projects to Improve Air Quality at Ports
2014 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Funding Opportunity

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EPA is announcing a $5 million funding opportunity for projects to improve air quality at marine and inland water ports located in areas of poor air quality.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Weekly FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Ports RFP (PDF) (8 pp; 100K; September 24, 2014) will be updated weekly. Please e-mail your questions to cleandiesel@epa.gov and type “Ports RFP Question” in the subject line. All questions and answers, including those from all information sessions, will be added to this document.

Eligible Applicants

Public port authorities or state and local government agencies with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality are eligible to apply for funding under this competition. Community groups, terminal operators, shipping carriers and other entities involved in port operations are encouraged to participate through partnerships with eligible applicants. Please see Section III of the RFP for additional information regarding eligibility.

Eligible Uses of Funding

Grant funds may be used for clean diesel projects that use:

• Retrofit technologies that are verified or certified by either EPA or CARB
• Idle-reduction technologies for marine vessels and locomotives that are EPA verified
• Early replacement and repower with certified engine configurations (incremental costs only)

Drayage trucks, marine engines, locomotives, and non-road engines or vehicles used in cargo handling may also qualify for funding.

Funds awarded under this program cannot be used to fund emissions reductions mandated under Federal law. Equipment used for testing emissions or for fueling infrastructure is not eligible for funding.

Please refer to the full RFP for specific information about this competition.

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Grant Process

The RFP includes information on how to prepare and submit a proposal package. The proposal package must be received by December 11, 2014 at 4 p.m. EST and include the following information:

• Cover Page
• Project Narrative and Work Plan (no more than 10 pages)
• Standard Form SF 424 – Application for Federal Assistance (not included in page limit)
• Standard Form SF 424A – Budget Information (not included in page limit)
• Applicant Fleet Description information (not included in page limit)
• Cost-Share and Partnership Commitment Letters (not included in page limit)
• Mandated Measures Justification and Substantiation Letters, if applicable (not included in page limit)

After the closing date, all eligible applications will be reviewed and ranked. Selected projects may be fully or partially funded.

Please refer to the full RFP for specific information about this competition.

Tools & Resources for Applicants

• Diesel Emissions Reduction Program (DERA): Technologies, Fleets and Projects Information (PDF) (36 pp, 1.3MB, EPA-420-P-11-001, October 2011)
• “Preparing your DERA Grant Application: What You Need to Know” 
  National Clean Diesel Campaign and successful grant recipients provide tips on how to improve your grant application in a web conference presentation (webinar).
• Tips for a Successful Diesel Retrofit Project (7 pp, 500K, EPA-420-B-13-025, April 2013)
  Based on over ten years of experience, the National Clean Diesel Campaign has compiled tips to help you get started and avoid common mistakes.
• Reporting Templates for DERA Grantees
  • Quarterly Reporting Template (Excel) (200K, March 2014)
  • Final Reporting Template, Part 1 (Word) (100K, March 2014)
  • Final Reporting Template, Part 2 (Excel) (200K, March 2014)