EPA Ports Initiative Newsletter

November 3, 2023

Newsletter Items: 

• REGISTER NOW: Voyage to Justice Panel Discussion at EPA’s Community, Equity and Resiliency Virtual Open House 
• Thank You for Attending EPA’s Clean Ports Program – First Look! Webinar 
• OPEN NOW: Promoting Readiness and Enhancing Proficiency to Advance Reporting and Data (PREPARED) Cooperative Agreement Request for Applications 
• REMINDER – Funding Opportunities Open Now 

EPA’s Community, Equity & Resiliency initiative provides spaces for communities to learn, connect, dream and cultivate ideas to create positive change with Inflation Reduction Act and other new Investing in America funding opportunities. 

Join us November 6 - 14, 2023 for a Virtual Open House! 

Community partners and potential grant applicants are invited to participate in engaging live panel discussions and educational fireside chats about the potential transformational impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act and other Investing in America funding. 

Voyage to Justice

As part of the Virtual Open House, a Voyage to Justice panel discussion will take place on November 9th at 4 PM EST. Join us for a discussion centered on our ports and exploring solutions to the unique challenges faced by those living in and near port communities - including air and water pollution, industrial waste, and inadequate infrastructure.

EPA’s Ports Initiative recently hosted a webinar on EPA’s plans for the new Clean Ports Program, a $3 billion Inflation Reduction Act program to fund zero-emission port equipment and technology and to help ports develop climate action plans to reduce air pollutants at U.S. ports. 

We provided updates on key program design elements including anticipated eligible activities and equipment, evaluation criteria, program structure, timeline, and more. EPA anticipates this new funding opportunity will become available for application through a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) released in late winter 2024. 

Thank you to all stakeholders who attended and participated in the webinar! English and Spanish recordings and slides from the webinar will be posted to our website soon. Check the Ports Initiative Events page for updates. 

EPA has launched PREPARED to provide technical assistance to EPA grant recipients representing small, underserved, and/or tribal communities to enhance their capacity to meet data and reporting requirements and improve their ability to generate the information necessary to evaluate and improve grant outcomes. EPA intends to award up to $4 million over 3 years to as many as 8 recipients. 

EPA is seeking proposals for expert evaluators to support the data, reporting, and evidence-building capacity of EPA grant funding recipients. Interested applicants are encouraged to view the Request for Application notice on Grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Announcement EPA-I-R-OCFO-01. Applications are due November 30, 2023, at 11:59 PM (EST). 

To allow for efficient management of the competitive process, the EPA requests submittal of an informal Notice of Intent to Apply by November 9, 2023, to EvidenceandEvaluation@epa.gov. Please include your approximate funding amount, and one to two sentences about the scope of your project. 

For more information, including webinar recordings and FAQs, visit the PREPARED webpage.

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act 2022-2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Open Through December 1

To accelerate the upgrade and turnover of the legacy diesel fleet, EPA recently released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2022-2023 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) National Grant Program that is open through December 1. The 2022-2023 DERA Grant Program will award approximately $115 million in grants, subject to the availability of funds, the quantity and quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. 

EPA is soliciting applications nationwide for projects that significantly reduce diesel emissions and exposure, especially from fleets operating at ports and other goods movements facilities and areas designated as having poor air quality. Priority for funding will also be given to projects that engage and benefit local communities, protect grant-funded investments from severe weather events caused by climate change, and applicants that demonstrate their ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended. 

All application packages need to be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than Friday, December 1, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) to be considered for funding. 

Note: Potential applicants without a Federal Grants account are encouraged to initiate the Federal Grants registration process well ahead of the deadline for funding, the registration process can take a month or more. 

For any questions on the application, applicants should email written questions to: dera@epa.gov. For any technical issues with grants.gov, please contact grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. More information, including applicant eligibility and regional funding breakdowns, can be found at the DERA website. 

For information about past DERA grants at ports, visit the Ports Initiative’s Overview of DERA Grants Awarded for Port Projects. 

Important Dates

For more information, you can find webinar slides and a questions and answers document on the DERA National webpage. You can also contact DERA@epa.gov with questions.

EPA Announces Climate Pollution Reduction Implementation Grant Competitions

EPA released two Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) announcing competitions for $4.6 billion in implementation grant funding under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program. The $4.3 billion general competition is open to states, municipalities, tribes, and territories, and the $300 million tribes and territories competition is available only to eligible tribes and territories. Eligible applicants will compete for CPRG implementation grants to fund measures in applicable Priority Climate Action Plans.

As part of its evaluation of applications, EPA will prioritize measures that achieve the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emission reductions. The NOFOs further describe how the agency intends to score applications and award the competitive funds. The deadline to apply to the general competition is April 1, 2024. The deadline to apply to the Tribes and territories competition is May 1, 2024. 

Important Deadlines

For more information, including how to apply, webinar recordings, and application materials, visit the CPRG Implementation Grants webpage. For other questions related to CPRG implementation grants, email CPRG@epa.gov.

For more information on resources and best practices to address diesel emissions at ports, please visit EPA's Ports Initiative website.

Previous newsletters can be found here: EPA Ports Initiative Newsletter | US EPA