Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA OLEM OUST 18 04
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) and Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST), offered this discretionary funding opportunity to strengthen how states and tribes prevent, detect, and respond to releases from federally regulated underground storage tanks (USTs). The program is designed to reduce the environmental and public health risks associated with leaking or poorly managed UST systems, particularly petroleum and hazardous substance tanks that can contaminate soil and groundwater. Rather than focusing on direct construction or site-specific cleanup work by the awardee, the emphasis is on the kinds of support functions that help state and tribal programs run better and more consistently: training, technical assistance, information sharing, and coordinated problem-solving across jurisdictions.
Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, which signals that EPA expects to stay actively involved during the project period (for example, through collaboration on work plans, review of deliverables, and coordination of national priorities), instead of operating at arm's length like a traditional grant. The core purpose is to promote prevention, identification, corrective action, and long-term management of UST releases by building capacity among state and tribal staff and by improving access to reliable, up-to-date technical information. In practice, that means supporting structured training opportunities for personnel who inspect UST facilities, enforce compliance, oversee corrective action, and manage leaking UST (LUST) cleanup programs. It also means developing and sharing guidance, tools, and lessons learned so that programs do not have to reinvent solutions independently.
A major component of the opportunity is information exchange and dissemination. The notice highlights distributing the results of studies and research electronically, which points to deliverables such as web-based resources, technical briefs, online libraries, webinars, virtual workshops, and other digital products that can be quickly shared with state and tribal partners. Another key theme is coordination that promotes cooperation among federal, state, and tribal programs. The cooperative agreements are intended to create or strengthen forums where partners can discuss implementation challenges, compare approaches, and translate research or demonstration projects into practical, field-ready methods. The end result EPA is looking for is a more consistent and effective national UST compliance and cleanup landscape, where proven practices spread faster and where oversight and corrective action improve across different regions.
The activities supported by this funding are explicitly tied to two program areas: (1) state and tribal UST compliance and prevention programs, and (2) state and tribal leaking UST cleanup programs. On the compliance/prevention side, typical support would include inspector and program manager training, updates on regulatory requirements and implementation strategies, and tools that improve release prevention and early detection. On the cleanup side, support would likely center on technical guidance for investigating releases, selecting corrective action approaches, managing cleanup projects, and tracking outcomes, with an emphasis on sharing practical knowledge from research and demonstration efforts. Across both areas, the opportunity stresses giving federal, state, and tribal partners a way to surface lessons learned, including what has worked, what has not, and how programs can adjust to emerging issues.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is identified as "IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPLIANCE/PREVENTION UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK PROGRAM AND THE CLEANUP OF LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK PROGRAM" with Funding Opportunity Number EPA OLEM OUST 18 04. It is categorized under the Environment funding activity and is associated with CFDA 66.816. EPA listed an anticipated total of two awards, with an award ceiling of $1,600,000. The notice was created on October 2, 2018, with an original closing date of November 15, 2018, while also noting that applicants should consult Section IV of the announcement for any additional close date information or nuances.
Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which indicates that the detailed eligibility rules are in the full solicitation rather than in the brief data extract. In similar EPA national UST support competitions, eligibility often centers on organizations capable of delivering multi-jurisdictional training and technical assistance (for example, certain nonprofit organizations, universities, intergovernmental groups, or other entities with demonstrated capacity), but the definitive answer would be contained in that specific eligibility section of the posted announcement.
Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as capacity-building and coordination funding for the UST and LUST program community. Its practical objective is to help state and tribal programs prevent releases before they happen, find and address releases faster when they do occur, and manage corrective action more effectively by improving training access, expanding technical knowledge-sharing, and creating structured channels for collaboration and continuous improvement among EPA, states, and tribes.Apply for EPA OLEM OUST 18 04
- The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPLIANCE/PREVENTION UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK PROGRAM AND THE CLEANUP OF LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK PROGRAM" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.816.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 02, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 15, 2018 See Section IV of the funding opportunity for close date information.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,600,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this EPA funding opportunity about?
This discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) and the Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST), supports efforts to strengthen how states and tribes prevent, detect, and respond to releases from federally regulated underground storage tanks (USTs). The focus is on reducing environmental and public health risks from leaking or poorly managed UST systems, including petroleum and hazardous substance tanks that can contaminate soil and groundwater.
What is the official title of the opportunity?
The opportunity is identified as: "IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPLIANCE/PREVENTION UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK PROGRAM AND THE CLEANUP OF LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK PROGRAM."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
EPA OLEM OUST 18 04.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
CFDA 66.816.
What funding category or activity does this opportunity fall under?
It is categorized under the Environment funding activity.
How is this funding awarded (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?
Funding is provided through cooperative agreements. This indicates EPA expects active involvement during the project period, such as collaborating on work plans, reviewing deliverables, and coordinating around national priorities.
What does EPA's "active involvement" typically mean in a cooperative agreement?
Based on the description provided, EPA involvement may include collaboration on work plans, review of deliverables, and coordination of national priorities. The arrangement is described as more collaborative than a traditional grant where the agency operates at arm's length.
What is the core purpose of the program?
The core purpose is capacity-building for state and tribal UST and leaking UST (LUST) programs by improving training access, expanding technical assistance and information-sharing, and creating structured ways for partners to coordinate and solve problems across jurisdictions.
Is the funding meant for construction or site-specific cleanup conducted by the awardee?
No. The emphasis is not on direct construction or site-specific cleanup work by the awardee. Instead, it supports functions that help state and tribal programs operate more effectively and consistently, such as training, technical assistance, information exchange, and coordinated problem-solving.
What kinds of activities are supported under this funding?
The notice emphasizes support functions such as structured training opportunities, technical assistance, development and sharing of guidance/tools, dissemination of research or study results (especially electronically), and forums for coordination among federal, state, and tribal partners.
What are the two program areas this funding is tied to?
Activities supported by this funding are explicitly tied to two program areas: (1) state and tribal UST compliance and prevention programs, and (2) state and tribal leaking UST cleanup programs.
What types of projects fit under UST compliance and prevention support?
Typical support described includes inspector and program manager training, updates on regulatory requirements and implementation strategies, and tools that improve release prevention and early detection.
What types of projects fit under leaking UST (LUST) cleanup program support?
The description suggests support such as technical guidance for investigating releases, selecting corrective action approaches, managing cleanup projects, and tracking outcomes, with an emphasis on sharing practical knowledge from research and demonstration efforts.
What is meant by "information exchange and dissemination" in this notice?
A major component is distributing results of studies and research electronically. This points to deliverables like web-based resources, technical briefs, online libraries, webinars, virtual workshops, and other digital products that can be shared quickly with state and tribal partners.
Does the opportunity emphasize coordination among jurisdictions?
Yes. The cooperative agreements are intended to create or strengthen forums where federal, state, and tribal partners can discuss implementation challenges, compare approaches, share lessons learned, and translate research or demonstration efforts into field-ready methods.
What outcomes is EPA seeking through this funding?
EPA is looking for a more consistent and effective national UST compliance and cleanup landscape, where proven practices spread faster, oversight improves across regions, releases are prevented or detected earlier, and corrective action and long-term management improve.
How many awards did EPA anticipate making?
EPA listed an anticipated total of two awards.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling listed is $1,600,000.
When was the notice created?
October 2, 2018.
What was the original closing date?
November 15, 2018.
Could there be additional closing date details beyond the date shown?
Yes. The notice indicates applicants should consult Section IV of the announcement for any additional close date information or nuances.
Who is eligible to apply based on the summary provided?
Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," meaning the definitive eligibility rules are in the full solicitation rather than in the brief extract.
Where should an applicant look for the definitive eligibility requirements?
The summary indicates the detailed eligibility rules are in the solicitation section referenced as the "Additional Information on Eligibility" text field, and applicants should rely on that specific section in the posted announcement.
What kinds of organizations does the description suggest may be relevant (without claiming eligibility)?
The description notes that in similar EPA national UST support competitions, eligibility often centers on organizations capable of delivering multi-jurisdictional training and technical assistance (for example, certain nonprofit organizations, universities, intergovernmental groups, or other entities with demonstrated capacity). The definitive eligibility for this specific opportunity is stated to be in the full solicitation.
Is the focus limited to petroleum USTs?
No. The opportunity references federally regulated USTs, particularly petroleum and hazardous substance tanks, both of which can contaminate soil and groundwater if releases occur.
What is the practical difference between supporting UST programs versus directly managing tank systems?
This funding is framed as supporting the programs that oversee UST compliance and LUST cleanups (training staff, sharing tools and guidance, improving consistency), rather than funding direct on-the-ground construction or site-specific cleanup performed by the awardee.
Does the opportunity address long-term management of releases?
Yes. The description includes long-term management of UST releases as part of the intended improvements, alongside prevention, identification, corrective action, and program capacity-building.
What role do "lessons learned" play in the funded activities?
The opportunity stresses creating ways for federal, state, and tribal partners to surface and share lessons learned, including what has worked, what has not, and how programs can adjust to emerging issues.
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