OpportunityTitle: FY25 Bureau of Land Management Environmental Quality Protection- Bureau wide
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Individuals and for-profit organizations are ineligible to apply for awards under this NOFO.This program NOFO does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, 16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II-Public Lands Corps, is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to &quot;hire&quot; interns under this authority. Therefore, eligible Youth Conservation Corps may only apply for projects developed under NOFO 15.243 &#8211; BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands.CESUs are partnerships with a purpose to promote, conduct, and provide research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services. If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement which is consistent with the CESU purpose, indirect costs are limited to a rate of no-more-than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner&apos;s Federal Agency-approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicant&quot;s should specify if their proposal furthers the purpose of the CESU program, and if so which CESU Network should be considered as host.
Description: The BLM and its partners inventory and mitigate abandoned mine hazards to protect public health and safety and the environment, and restore watersheds for recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, manage air quality for the protection of public health and sensitive ecosystems, and return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. Extractive industry activities of the past, including underground and surface mining have contributed to degradation of natural resources. Unrestored sites pose a threat to the safety and health of public land users, as well as to wildlife, biota, groundwater, surface water, and soil resources.Inventory and mitigation measures are implemented through core programs such as the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which addresses physical safety hazards and contamination posing risks to human health and/or the environment. The BLM estimates there are over 160,000 abandoned mine features located on BLM-administered lands, many of which will need to be addressed further.The AML program identifies and inventories abandoned hardrock mines, prioritizes those mines that pose a risk to public safety, human health, and the environment, and seeks funding to address those high-risk mine features and sites. Specifically, the AML program addresses physical safety hazards through performing NEPA, including cultural and biological surveys, a variety of closure methods including fencing, signing, back-filling, installation of bat-friendly grates, etc., and addresses risks to human health and the environment through a variety of removal and remedial response actions. The AML and Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) programs also work to restore abandoned hardrock mines sites and restore the Nation&apos;s watersheds impacted by abandoned mines through a risk-reduction based watershed approach that uses partnerships to effectively leverage funding and facilitate projects; and reduces environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines to ensure compliance with all applicable soil, water, and air quality standards, and applicable Federal, State, Tribal, and local laws and regulations. For the NRDAR program, and any actions taken pursuant to BLM&quot;s authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, potentially responsible parties must be investigated.The BLM seeks to develop partnerships with States, local governments, Tribal Nations, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups. In addition, BLM seeks to return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. These partnerships will provide financial assistance, through cooperative agreements to protect surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment and air from abandoned mine sites, address releases of hazardous substances, safeguard dangerous mine sites, and restore sites.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: rburgoscandelaria@blm.gov
GrantorContactText: Ramon &quot;Luis&quot; Burgos-Candelaria&lt;br/&gt;rburgoscandelaria@blm.gov
CloseDateExplanation: Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m., ET, on the listed application due dates. Applications must be submitted through grants.gov.Applications will be reviewed, rated, ranked and selected via merit review committee.Open from June 23, 2025 through July 23, 2025.Extensions to NOFO close dates will be unallowed, except in extenuating circumstances.