Grantee Research Project Results
OVERVIEW INFORMATION
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Research
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program
Practical Methods to Analyze and Treat Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) in Solid Waste, Landfills, Wastewater/Leachates, Soils, and Groundwater to Protect Human Health and the Environment
CLOSED - FOR REFERENCES PURPOSES ONLY
This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.
Webinar Files:
- Practical Methods to Analyze and Treat Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) in Solid Waste, Landfills, Wastewater/Leachates, Soils, and Groundwater to Protect Human Health and the Environment (PDF)(15 pp, 494 K, 09/06/2018)
- Q&A's For PFAS in Landfills and Groundwater Webinar (PDF)(3 pp, 521 K, 9/7/2018)
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1061). A list of these schools can be found at Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
- Tribal Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059(c)). A list of these schools can be found at American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities;
- Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1101a(a)(5)). HSIs are institutions of higher education that, at the time of application submittal, have an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25% Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application for this grant. A list of these schools can be found at Hispanic-Serving Institutions;
- Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; (AANAPISIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059g(a)(2)). AANAPISIs are institutions of higher education that, at the time of application submittal, have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is not less than 10 % students who are Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander. A list of these schools can be found at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; and
- Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs), incorporated into the Higher Education Act in 2008 (codified in Section 318(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. 1059e.). PBIs are defined as institutions that: serve at least 1,000 undergraduate students; have at least 50% low-income or first-generation degree-seeking undergraduate enrollment; have a low per full-time undergraduate student expenditure in comparison with other institutions offering similar instruction; and, enroll at least 40% African-American students. A list of these schools can be found at Predominately Black Institutions.
- Safe and Sustainable Water Resources (SSWR)
and/or - Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC)
- What types and quantities of PFAS are released to the environment during waste management and how do the releases occur? What are the relative contributions of different types of waste and landfills to environmental PFAS? What are the characteristics of current wastes containing long-chain and short-chain PFAS, including PFAS from past and current chemical production and use (e.g., use in manufacturing processes, consumer goods, firefighting foam and other products), and PFAS-treated goods being disposed at their end-of-life, and other solid waste streams (e.g., waste incinerator ash)? What types and concentrations of PFAS are likely to be found in landfills? What are the potential ways to characterize PFAS in pre-landfill wastes and to treat PFAS-containing wastes before land disposal? Are there novel ways to characterize different PFAS leaching from the landfill under plausible landfill conditions? What are the most effective ways to characterize the PFAS from previously disposed wastes (as long as decades ago) found in landfills (e.g., MSW lined and abandoned unlined landfills as well as other RCRA nonhazardous waste landfills)? What are the types and concentrations of PFAS found in previously disposed waste and/or in leachate, contaminated soils and landfill gas? Is there a temporal signature in the waste that can be discerned from any degradation, transformation, or loss?
- Are there more effective, practical, and efficient methods of evaluating the fate, transport, potential for degradation or other changes to PFAS, and their mobility in different types of landfills, soils, and subsurface environments, and environmental or other factors affecting the changes or movements? Are there novel, rapid, and cost-efficient analytical methods that will enable more confident and accurate analyses of PFAS in soil, leachate, groundwater and landfill gas? What are the main sorption/desorption reactions that govern the mobility of PFAS in landfills? Are there innovative technologies or methods (other than landfill liners) that can immobilize or otherwise prevent PFAS release from landfills into environmental media?
- What are the most effective and efficient chemical/biological/physical methods for treating solid waste, landfill leachate, wastewaters, biosolids, or contaminated environmental media to remove or destroy the PFAS? How can the methods be tested and validated in a bench- and pilot-scale? Are there new ways to bring synergies between leachate treatment and PFAS-contaminated groundwater potentially used for drinking water? How can the new methods be developed, tested, and validated so wastewater/leachate treatments that can also be used for treating groundwater potentially be used for drinking water?
- Understanding and characterizing PFAS in waste entering landfills and landfill outputs:
- New or improved methods for evaluating PFAS in waste in MSW and other RCRA nonhazardous waste landfills.
- Databases, models or technical reports quantifying PFAS containing waste in historical and current waste streams.
- Databases, models or technical reports quantifying the array and concentration of PFAS in landfills and outputs (e.g., leachate, landfill gas).
- Characterizing PFAS containing leachate plumes released into groundwater from landfills (construction & demolition landfills, leaking landfills, and unlined abandoned landfills):
- Innovative analytical and/or computational methods that will enable accurate analyses of PFAS in soil, leachate, groundwater and landfill gas.
- Database of inventories of PFAS in waste streams and in landfill emissions (e.g., leachate, landfill gas).
- Scientific documents correlating PFAS in waste streams and PFAS in landfill emissions (e.g., leachate, landfill gas).
- Innovative methods to treat PFAS contaminated waste or media.
- New or improved methods to remove or destroy PFAS contained in contaminated soils, surface water, groundwater, and other environmental media.
- New or improved methods to treat PFAS contaminated landfill leachate, wastewater, or biosolids for safe, beneficial re-use.
- Ross, I., McDonough, J., Miles, J., Storch, P., Kochunarayanan, P.T., Kalve, El, Hurst, J., Dasgupta, S.S., and Burdick, J., A review of emerging technologies for remediation of PFASs. Remediation, 28:101-126. (2018).
- Benskin, J.P., Li, B., Ikonomou, M.G., Grace, J.R., and Li, L.Y., Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Landfill Leachate: Patterns, Time Trends, and Sources. Environmental Science & Technology, 46: 11532-11540. (2012).
- OECD. OECD/UNEP Global PFC Group, Synthesis Paper on Per- and Polyfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs), Environment, Health and Safety, Environment Directorate, OECD. (2013).
- Buck, R.C., Franklin, J., Berger, U., Conder, J.M., Cousins, I.T., de Voogt, P., Jensen, A.A., Kannan, K., Mabury, S.A., and S.P.J. van Leeuwen. Pefluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Environment: Terminology, Classification, and Origins, Integr. Environ. Assess. Manag.,7(4): 513-541. (2011).
- Backe, W.J., Day, T.C., and J. A. Field. Zwitterionic, Cationic, and Anionic Fluorinated Chemicals in Aqueous Film Forming Foam Formulations and Groundwater from U.S. Military Bases by Nonaqueous Large-Volume Injection HPLC-MS/MS, Environ. Sci. Technol., 47: 5226-5234. (2013).
- Hu, X.C., Andrews, D.Q., Lindstrom, A.B., Bruton, T.A., Schaider, L.A., Grandjean, P., Lohmann, R., Carignan, C.C., Blum, A., Balan, S.A., Higgins, C.P., and E.M. Sunderland. Detection of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in U.S. Drinking Water Linked to Industrial Sites, Military Fire Training Areas, and Wastewater Treatment Plants. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., 3: 344-350. (2016).
- Hamid, H., Li-a, L., Grace, J., Review of the fate and transformation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in landfills. Environmental Pollution. 235:74-84. (2018).
- Allred, B.M., Lang, J.R., Barlaz, M.A., Field, J.A., Orthogonal zirconium diol/C18 liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis of poly and per-fluoroalkyl substances in landfill leachate. J. Chromatogr. A 1359: 202-211. (2014).
- Huset, C.A., Barlaz, M.A., Barofsky, D.F., Field, J.A., Quantitative determination of fluorochemicals in municipal landfill leachates. Chemosphere 82: 1380-1386. (2011).
- Merino, N., Qu, Y., Deeb, R.A., Hawley, E.L., Hoffmann, M.R., Mahendra, S., Degradation and removal methods for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water. Environ. Eng. Sci. 33 (9): 615-649. (2016).
- Rahman, M.F., Peldszus, S., Anderson, W.B., Behaviour and fate of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water treatment: a review. Water Res. 50: 318-340. (2014).
- Hold a doctoral degree in a field related to the research being solicited by the closing date of the RFA;
- Be untenured at the closing date of the RFA;
- By the award date, be employed in a tenure-track position (or tenure-track-equivalent position) as an assistant professor (or equivalent title) at an institution in the U.S., its territories, or possessions. Note: For a position to be considered a tenure-track-equivalent position, it must meet all of the following requirements: (1) the employing department or organization does not offer tenure; (2) the appointment is a continuing appointment; (3) the appointment has substantial educational responsibilities; and (4) the proposed project relates to the employee's career goals and job responsibilities as well as to the goals of the department/organization.
Funding Opportunity Numbers:
EPA-G2018-STAR-B1, Practical Methods to Analyze and Treat Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) in Solid Waste, Landfills, Wastewater/Leachates, Soils, and Groundwater to Protect Human Health and the Environment
EPA-G2018-STAR-B2, Early Career: Practical Methods to Analyze and Treat Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) in Solid Waste, Landfills, Wastewater/Leachates, Soils, and Groundwater to Protect Human Health and the Environment
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509
Solicitation Opening Date: August 17, 2018
Solicitation Closing Date: October 2, 2018, 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time
Access Standard STAR Forms (How to Apply and Required Forms)
View research awarded under previous solicitations Past Research Funding Opportunities
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing research that will lead to: (1) better understanding and characterization of the types and quantities of current and historical per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and PFAS-containing waste associated with waste disposal (e.g., landfills), as well as media containing PFAS released from these activities (e.g., PFAS in leachate collected by landfills or PFAS leaching to subsurface soils and groundwater); (2) increased knowledge of the fate, transport, potential for degradation or other changes to PFAS, and their mobility during materials management (e.g., under different landfill conditions such as pH, temperature, moisture content) that facilitate or retard such transformation or movement; and (3) new or improved methods that are more effective, efficient (in cost, energy, etc.), and practical in controlling, treating, destroying, or removing PFAS in waste and wastewater, landfill leachates, biosolids, or environmental media. The main goal is to promote innovation in evaluating and managing PFAS in solid waste, landfills, and environmental media that will lead to improved decision making, management practices, and technical methods to minimize the risks to both humans and ecosystems.
This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. Human subjects research supported by the EPA is governed by EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 (Protection of Human Subjects). This includes the Common Rule at subpart A and prohibitions and additional protections for pregnant women and fetuses, nursing women, and children at subparts B, C, and D. Research meeting the regulatory definition of intentional exposure research found in subpart B is prohibited by that subpart in pregnant women, nursing women, and children. Research meeting the regulatory definition of observational research found in subparts C and D is subject to the additional protections found in those subparts for pregnant women and fetuses (subpart C) and children (subpart D). All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS, as described in Section IV.C.5.c of this solicitation), and if the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.D and V.E of this solicitation.
Guidance and training for investigators conducting EPA-funded research involving human subjects may be obtained here:
Basic Information about Human Subjects Research
Basic EPA Policy for Protection of Subjects in Human Research Conducted or Supported by EPA
The STAR Program’s goal is to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. It is a competitive, peer-reviewed, extramural research program that provides access to the nation’s best scientists and engineers in academic and other nonprofit research institutions. STAR funds research on the environmental and public health effects of air quality, environmental changes, water quality and quantity, hazardous waste, toxic substances, and pesticides.
In addition to regular awards, this solicitation includes the opportunity for early career awards. The purpose of the early career award is to fund research projects smaller in scope and budget by early career PIs. Please see Section III of this Request for Applications (RFA) for details on the early career eligibility criteria.
Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant or cooperative agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately 8 awards; 5 regular and 3 early career.
Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $6 million total for all awards
Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $900,000 for a regular award and up to a total of $500,000 for an early career award, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 3 years. Cost-sharing is not required. Proposals with budgets exceeding the total award limits will not be considered.
Eligibility Information:
Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, and hospitals located in the U.S., state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. Special eligibility criteria apply to the early career award portion of this RFA. See full announcement for more details.
Application Materials:
To apply under this solicitation, use the application package available at Grants.gov (for further submission information see Section IV.F. “Submission Instructions and other Submission Requirements”). Note: With the exception of the current and pending support form (available at Research Funding Opportunities: How to Apply and Required Forms), all necessary forms are included in the electronic application package. Make sure to include the current and pending support form in your Grants.gov submission.
If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one month to complete the registration process. Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a unique entity identifier (e.g., ‘DUNS number’) and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. This registration, and electronic submission of your application, must be performed by an authorized representative of your organization.
If you do not have the technical capability to utilize the Grants.gov application submission process for this solicitation, see Section IV.A below for additional guidance and instructions.
Agency Contacts:
Technical Contact: Intaek Hahn (hahn.intaek@epa.gov); phone: 202-564-4377
Eligibility Contact: Ron Josephson (josephson.ron@epa.gov); phone: 202-564-7823
Electronic Submissions: Debra M. Jones (jones.debram@epa.gov); phone: 202-564-7839
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
An urgent, high-priority research area identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to expand the understanding of the environmental risks posed by per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and identify practical approaches to manage their potential environmental impacts. EPA is issuing this RFA to support research to better understand the behaviors and potential impacts of PFAS in waste streams (e.g., landfills) and in the surrounding environmental media. PFAS are a broad group of compounds that have unique properties which have resulted in their widespread use in industrial, commercial and consumer applications and products. The EPA is committed to support the public (states, tribes, and local communities) in addressing issues and challenges posed by PFAS in our environment. See (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Website). The EPA recently issued an RFA titled, “National Priorities: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances,” which seeks new information on the impacts of PFAS on water quality and water availability across the U.S. The National Priorities RFA (closed on June 18, 2018) broadly solicited research that would build on the current understanding of the fate and transport of PFAS in the environment, human and ecosystem exposure to PFAS, and PFAS toxicological effects. Through this companion STAR RFA, the EPA seeks more targeted research on PFAS in solid waste, landfills, landfill leachate, and surrounding environmental media such as air within landfills (landfill gas), surface soil, surface water, sediment, subsurface soil, and groundwater.
PFAS are a broad group of chemicals with unique properties which make them useful as products, but difficult to address when released to the environment. Effective approaches to understanding and controlling PFAS may therefore require innovative approaches to research, or research that identifies novel solutions to these problems. Characterizing and understanding the nature and behavior of PFAS in solid waste, materials management, landfills and the surrounding environments is a critical basis for developing environmental risk assessments for these chemicals. Understanding the quantities, types, and fate and transport of PFAS is necessary to determine which PFAS pose the greatest risks to human health and the environment and to know where these risks are most likely to occur. Because PFAS have been used in a wide and broad range of consumer goods and in industrial products and applications, these chemicals are likely to be in diverse and different types of waste streams from manufacturing, industrial applications, and end-of-life commercial and consumer products. PFAS have been found in solid waste, landfills and surrounding environmental media (soil, groundwater), leachates, landfill gas, wastewater effluents, and biosolids. However, current treatment options are limited, as many conventional treatment methods are ineffective. (1, 2)
EPA is interested in soliciting research to increase the understanding of the occurrence and fate and transport of PFAS and to identify methods or technologies for better management of PFAS-containing waste. EPA is interested in soliciting research that quantifies PFAS additions to landfills, accumulations in landfills, and releases from landfills to determine the relative importance of landfills and waste management practices on the magnitude and occurrence of PFAS in the environment. EPA also seeks to support research that will generate additional information on the mobility of PFAS within landfills that are released to surface and subsurface environmental media such as soil and groundwater (e.g., via leaching from unlined landfills or failed containment in lined landfills), as well as any chemical transformation that may occur following disposal. Further, EPA is interested in research to develop, test, and validate new methods to analyze, control, reduce, degrade or destroy PFAS present in wastes being landfilled, or potentially released from landfills to various media, or to significantly improve the effectiveness of existing methods. EPA also seeks to promote research to identify or develop innovative methods to treat or manage PFAS in solid waste landfills, surrounding environmental media (soil, sediment, groundwater), leachates, landfill gas, wastewater effluents, and biosolids to minimize their risks to humans and ecosystems.
EPA is asking the scientific community to submit proposals for research that will lead to: (1) better understanding and characterization of the types and quantities of current and historical PFAS and PFAS-containing waste associated with waste disposal (e.g., landfills), as well as media containing PFAS released from these activities (e.g., PFAS in leachate collected by landfills or PFAS leaching to subsurface soils and groundwater); (2) increased knowledge of the fate, transport, potential for degradation or other changes to PFAS, and their mobility during materials management (e.g., under different landfill conditions such as pH, temperature, moisture content) that facilitate or retard such transformation or movement; and (3) new or improved methods that are more effective, efficient (in cost, energy, etc.), and practical in controlling, treating, destroying, or removing PFAS in waste and wastewater, landfill leachates, biosolids, or environmental media. The main goal is to promote innovation in evaluating and managing PFAS-containing waste that will lead to improved decision making, management practices, and technical methods to minimize the risks to both humans and ecosystems.
In addition to regular awards, this solicitation includes the opportunity for early career awards. The purpose of the early career award is to fund research projects smaller in scope and budget by early career PIs. Please see Section III of this RFA for details on the early career eligibility criteria.
EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the nation faces. At the same time, EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.
For purposes of this solicitation, the following are considered MSIs:
As this RFA is a companion to the recent national priority research RFA titled, “National Priorities: Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances”, potential applicants are strongly recommended to read that RFA, as well as visit the EPA website on PFAS, for relevant background information regarding PFAS and EPA’s efforts to address PFAS hazards.
PFAS are a large group of approximately 5,000 human-derived chemicals that are used in a large number of consumer products and industrial applications. (3, 4) PFAS products that people use daily include cookware, food containers and packaging, stain repellant fabrics (clothes, carpets, fabrics, etc.) and others. Industrial applications include food processing, chrome plating, electronics manufacturing, fire-fighting foam, and others. Major contributors to environmental releases include fire training and fire response; industrial production from primary and secondary manufacturing; landfills; and wastewater treatment operations. (5, 6) While historical PFAS usage often (but not exclusively) focused on perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), industries in the United States have phased out production of PFOS and PFOA because of concerns about health risks to humans and are using replacement PFAS, such as GenX, with shorter carbon chain compounds. PFAS can accumulate and persist in the environment and the human body for long periods. The ubiquitous nature of PFAS-containing consumer/commercial products, combined with these chemicals’ persistence and mobility, presents serious environmental challenges.
Many PFAS-treated consumer goods are eventually disposed as municipal solid waste (MSW). Modern MSW landfills are designed with liners and leachate collection systems, with the specific purpose of managing the waste’s liquid releases (leachate and gas condensate) and gaseous emissions (landfill gas). Some discarded PFAS products (e.g., carpeting) may instead be sent to industrial RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) non-hazardous or construction and demolition landfills, which have more variable designs based on individual state requirements. PFAS present in landfills may not degrade like other waste components, thus, there is a concern that PFAS can leach from the waste over the long-term and could be released from landfills through leachate and gas emissions. Scientific research studies have reported PFAS in U.S. landfill leachate. (7, 8, 9)
The fate and transport of PFAS in different types of landfills can be complex and more research is needed to better understand these processes. Depending on a number of different factors such as the types of waste received and the design and condition of the waste containment system (e.g., liner type, if any, or leachate collection system, if any) and leachate management protocols, landfills could impact PFAS releases into the environment. Therefore, more research is needed to quantify and characterize potential PFAS releases associated with managing disposal of these wastes. More effective treatment and removal methods are needed to control and reduce human and ecological exposure to PFAS originating from materials management.
Leachate collected from landfills is typically sent directly to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for treatment, although some landfills practice pre-treatment before discharge. PFAS concentrations in landfill leachates or industrial wastewaters may impact WWTPs acceptance of such wastewaters, as conventional waste water treatment methods are often ineffective, resulting in PFAS discharge to surface waters. Wastewater treatment residues (e.g., biosolids) may also contain PFAS. These difficulties illustrate the need for research assessing the types, concentrations, and occurrence of PFAS in landfill leachates, wastewaters, and other wastes across the U.S., as well as improved methods for controlling release and treatment. Furthermore, similar treatment technologies (physio-chemical or biological treatments) for leachate are also used for groundwater and drinking water. (10, 11) For example, biologically-active coated sand grains are used in biofiltration of wastewater and drinking water. In-situ ground water bioremediation involves injection of biological active agents that may also coat sand grains, if present. Therefore, leachate treatment methods that may also be applicable for treating groundwater and drinking water for effectively removing PFAS are desirable.
The proposed research should extend the current understanding of the fate, transport, and other characteristics beyond just PFOS and PFOA. It should provide information on other emerging PFAS including but not limited to: perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs); per- and poly-fluorinated carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, and ethers; per- and poly-fluoropolyethers (PFPE); and their precursors, byproducts and transformation products. The proposed research should be based on scientifically defensible and verifiable methods to identify, detect, and measure with reasonable or acceptable confidence different types of PFAS. Applicants are strongly recommended to ensure the innovativeness of their research by reviewing existing scientific research activities on PFAS from such sources as the EPA CLU-IN PFAS collection:
https://cluin.org/contaminantfocus/default.focus/sec/Perand_Polyfluoroalkyl_Substances_(PFASs)/cat/Overview/, the Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC) bibliography of PFAS research publications (https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org) and the DoD SERDP/ESTCP Environmental Restoration research program (https://www.serdp-estcp.org/Program-Areas/Environmental-Restoration).
The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is contained in the Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6981, Section 8001, the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1254, Section 104(b)(3), Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7403, Section 103(b)(3), and Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1, Section 1442.
For research with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2)(F).
Note that a project’s focus is to consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA’s financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control, or pesticide control depending on which statute(s) is listed above. Further note applications dealing with any aspect of or related to hydraulic fracking will not be funded by EPA through this program. In addition, research supported under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act or CERCLA (i.e., Superfund sites) are not eligible for funding under this RFA.
Additional applicable regulations include: 2 CFR Part 200, 2 CFR Part 1500, and 40 CFR Part 40 (Research and Demonstration Grants).
D. Specific Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
Note to applicant: The term "output" means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work products related to an environmental goal or objective, that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. The term "outcome" means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective.
The activities to be funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan. Activities to be funded under this announcement support Goal 3: Rule of Law and Process, Objective 3.3: Prioritize Robust Science, of EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan. Awards made under this announcement will further EPA’s priorities supporting robust science for:
Specifically, the Agency is soliciting research that proposes more effective, efficient, and practical approaches for estimating PFAS concentrations in solid waste, landfills, landfill outputs such as leachates and wastewaters, and in surrounding environmental media (e.g., air within landfills, soils, surface waters, and groundwater). Proposed approaches, tools, and data should contribute to providing a better scientific understanding of the magnitude of PFAS and, if feasible, lead to more effective, efficient, and practical methods to manage and mitigate PFAS risks. The proposed research will provide the best available science needed to manage PFAS in waste and landfills. The research will also improve the scientific foundation for environmental policy and decision-making related to PFAS, and will ultimately reduce risks to human health and the environment from PFAS resulting in cleaner water resources and healthier communities. All applications must be for projects that support the goal and objective identified above.
EPA requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements). Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the priorities described above.
Applicants should address at least one of the three research areas described below. Applications may respond to one research area in detail or integrate across two or three research areas. The proposed research project should be as responsive as possible to as many of the research questions listed under the selected research area. Applications should clearly indicate which research area(s) is being addressed. Applications that address more than one research area will not necessarily be rated more highly than those that address just one of the areas.
Research Areas
(1) Better understanding and characterization of the types and quantities of current and historical PFAS and PFAS-containing waste associated with waste disposal (e.g., landfills), as well as media containing PFAS released from these activities (e.g., PFAS in leachate collected by landfills or PFAS leaching to subsurface soils and groundwater):
(2) Increased knowledge of the fate, transport, potential for degradation or other changes to PFAS, and their mobility during materials management (e.g., under different landfill conditions such as pH, temperature, moisture content) that facilitate or retard such transformation or movement:
(3) New or improved methods that are more effective, efficient (in cost, energy, etc.), and practical in controlling, treating, destroying, or removing PFAS in waste and wastewater, landfill leachates, biosolids, or environmental media:
Expected Outputs: Detailed, scientifically valid and defensible technical documents, publications, methods, processes or procedures to effectively and efficiently analyze, characterize, quantify, and treat a variety of PFAS chemicals in solid waste, landfill byproducts, leachates, wastewaters, landfill gases, and contaminated environmental media (air, soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater). New or improved techniques, processes and methods to reduce, remove, or destroy PFAS in solid waste, landfill leachates, wastewaters, biosolids, landfill gas or environmental media (air within landfills, soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater). The methods, techniques, processes or practices developed must clearly demonstrate how they will contribute to the understanding of PFAS and result in meaningful reduction or minimization of harmful effects to ecosystems and potential exposure pathways to humans.
Some examples of desirable outputs are listed below:
Expected Outcomes: The most significant outcome EPA anticipates from the research supported by this RFA is an increase in the ability to identify public health and ecosystem risks from PFAS manufacturing, use and disposal, and an improved ability to mitigate or minimize these risks through the proper management of PFAS wastes, wastewaters, and contaminated media by the facilities (e.g., landfills or wastewater treatment plants) that are charged with these responsibilities. The research will also improve the scientific foundation for environmental policy and decision-making related to PFAS, and will ultimately reduce risks to human health and the environment from PFAS.
To the extent practicable, research proposals must embody innovation. Innovation for the purposes of this RFA is defined as the process of making changes; a new method, custom or device. Innovative research can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses. Research proposals must include a discussion on how the proposed research is innovative (see Section IV.C.5.a). Reviewers will draw from the above-mentioned innovation definition in the review/evaluation process of research proposals (see Section V.A).
Agency policy and ethical considerations prevent EPA technical staff and managers from providing applicants with information that may create an unfair competitive advantage. Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise, and/or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs. EPA employees cannot endorse any particular application.
Multiple Investigator applications may be submitted as: (1) a single Lead Principal Investigator (PI) application with Co-PI(s) or (2) a Multiple PI application (with a single Contact PI). If you choose to submit a Multiple PI application, you must follow the specific instructions provided in Sections IV. and V. of this RFA. For further information, please see the EPA Implementation Plan for Policy on Multiple Principal Investigators (https://rbm.nih.gov/toolkit.htm). Please note: Early career awards will not accommodate a Multiple PI application. Early career awards shall be submitted as a single Lead PI application. Special eligibility criteria apply to the early career portion of this RFA. Please see Section III of this RFA for details on the early career eligibility criteria. The application must include an early career verification (see “Early Career Verification” in Section IV.C.5.e).
This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS; described in Section IV.C.5.c of this solicitation). If the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.D and V.E of this solicitation.
Groups of two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a consortium and submit a single application for this assistance agreement. The application must identify which organization will be the recipient of the assistance agreement and which organizations(s) will be subawardees of the recipient.
The application should include a plan (see “Data Plan” in section IV.C.5.d) to make available to the NCER project officer all data generated (produced under the award) from observations, analyses, or model development used under an agreement awarded from this RFA. The data must be available in a format and with documentation such that they may be used by others in the scientific community.
These awards may involve the collection of “Geospatial Information,” which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.
It is anticipated that a total of approximately $6 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 8 awards (5 regular and 3 early career) under this RFA. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $900,000 for regular awards and $500,000 for early career awards, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. The total project period requested in an application submitted for this RFA may not exceed 3 years.
The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards, or make fewer awards than anticipated, under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months after the original selection decisions.
In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund proposals/applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund a proposal/application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposal/application, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.
EPA may award both grants and cooperative agreements under this announcement.
Under a grant, EPA scientists and engineers are not permitted to be substantially involved in the execution of the research. However, EPA encourages interaction between its own laboratory scientists and grant Principal Investigators after the award of an EPA grant for the sole purpose of exchanging information in research areas of common interest that may add value to their respective research activities. This interaction must be incidental to achieving the goals of the research under a grant. Interaction that is “incidental” does not involve resource commitments.
Where appropriate, based on consideration of the nature of the proposed project relative to the EPA’s intramural research program and available resources, the EPA may award cooperative agreements under this announcement. When addressing a research question/problem of common interest, collaborations between EPA scientists and the institution’s principal investigators are permitted under a cooperative agreement. These collaborations may include data and information exchange, providing technical input to experimental design and theoretical development, coordinating extramural research with in-house activities, the refinement of valuation endpoints, and joint authorship of journal articles on these activities. Proposals may not identify EPA cooperators or interactions; specific interactions between EPA’s investigators and those of the prospective recipient for cooperative agreements will be negotiated at the time of award.
Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, and hospitals located in the U.S., state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. Profit-making firms and individuals are not eligible to apply.
Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations. Note that 2 CFR Part 200 specifically excludes the following types of organizations from the definition of “non-profit organization” because they are separately defined in the regulation: (i) institutions of higher education; and (ii) state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments. While not considered to be a “non-profit organization(s)” as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, Institutions of Higher Education and state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR 200.70 are also eligible to apply. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible. Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c) (4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible to apply.
Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations/institutions are not eligible to apply.
National laboratories funded by Federal Agencies (Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers, “FFRDCs”) may not apply. FFRDC employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. They may participate in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant, but may not direct projects on behalf of the applicant organization. The institution, organization, or governance receiving the award may provide funds through its assistance agreement from the EPA to an FFRDC for research personnel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses directly related to the research. However, salaries for permanent FFRDC employees may not be provided through this mechanism.
Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on an assistance agreement. Federal employees may not receive salaries or augment their Agency’s appropriations through awards made under this program unless authorized by law to receive such funding.
The applicant institution may enter into an agreement with a Federal Agency to purchase or utilize unique supplies or services unavailable in the private sector to the extent authorized by law. Examples are purchase of satellite data, chemical reference standards, analyses, or use of instrumentation or other facilities not available elsewhere. A written justification for federal involvement must be included in the application. In addition, an appropriate form of assurance that documents the commitment, such as a letter of intent from the Federal Agency involved, should be included.
The early career awards will support research performed by PIs with outstanding promise at the Assistant Professor or equivalent level. Principal investigators from applicant institutions applying for the early career portion of the RFA must meet the following additional eligibility requirements:
Senior researchers may collaborate in a supporting role for early career awards. Early career applications should not propose significant resources for senior researchers and may not list senior researchers as co-PIs. The application must include an early career verification (see “Early Career Verification” in Section IV.C.5.e).
Potential applicants who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact Ron Josephson in NCER, phone: 202-564-7823, email: josephson.ron@epa.gov.
Institutional cost-sharing is not required.
Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or they will be rejected. In addition, where a page limitation is expressed in Section IV with respect to parts of the application, pages in excess of the page limit will not be reviewed. In addition, applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV of this announcement. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this announcement (see Section IV.F. “Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements” for further information) to ensure that their application is timely submitted. Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues. An applicant's failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission.
Also, applications exceeding the funding limits or project period term described herein will be rejected without review. Further, applications that fail to demonstrate a public purpose of support or stimulation (e.g., by proposing research which primarily benefits a Federal program or provides a service for a Federal agency) will not be funded.
Applications deemed ineligible for funding consideration will be notified within fifteen calendar days of the ineligibility determination.
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to confidential business information, contracts and subawards under grants, and proposal assistance and communications, can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses.
These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.
Formal instructions for submission through Grants.gov are in Section F.
A. Grants.gov Submittal Requirements and Limited Exception Procedures
Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the Grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials to Grants.gov, the applicant must contact OGDWaivers@epa.gov or the address listed below in writing (e.g., by hard copy, email) at least 15 calendar days prior to the submission deadline under this announcement to request approval to submit their application materials through an alternate method.
Mailing Address:
OGD Waivers
c/o Jessica Durand
USEPA Headquarters
William Jefferson Clinton Building
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N. W.
Mail Code: 3903R
Washington, DC 20460
Courier Address:
OGD Waivers
c/o Jessica Durand
Ronald Reagan Building
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Rm # 51278
Washington, DC 20004
In the request, the applicant must include the following information:
Funding Opportunity Number (FON)
Organization Name and Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS)
Organization’s Contact Information (email address and phone number)
Explanation of how they lack the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of: 1) limited internet access or 2) no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials through Grants.gov.
EPA will only consider alternate submission exception requests based on the two reasons stated above and will timely respond to the request -- all other requests will be denied. If an alternate submission method is approved, the applicant will receive documentation of this approval and further instructions on how to apply under this announcement. Applicants will be required to submit the documentation of approval with any initial application submitted under the alternative method. In addition, any submittal through an alternative method must comply with all applicable requirements and deadlines in the announcement including the submission deadline and requirements regarding proposal content and page limits (although the documentation of approval of an alternate submission method will not count against any page limits).
If an exception is granted, it is valid for submissions to EPA for the remainder of the entire calendar year in which the exception was approved and can be used to justify alternative submission methods for application submissions made through December 31 of the calendar year in which the exception was approved (e.g., if the exception was approved on March 1, 2017, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through December 31, 2017). Applicants need only request an exception once in a calendar year and all exceptions will expire on December 31 of that calendar year. Applicants must request a new exception from required electronic submission through Grants.gov for submissions for any succeeding calendar year. For example, if there is a competitive opportunity issued on December 1, 2017 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2018, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2018.
Please note that the process described in
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.