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State Innovation Grants Solicitation

I am pleased to announce a new Pilot Grant Program offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will support State innovative environmental protection projects. The pilot grant program is part of the Agency's new plan, Innovating for Better Environmental Results: A Strategy to Guide the Next Generation of Innovation at EPA (Strategy) (EPA 100-R-02-002; https://www.epa.gov/opei/strategy). The Strategy includes a framework for innovation consisting of four major elements:

1) Strengthen EPA's innovation partnerships with States and Tribes;
2) Focus on priority environmental issues;
3) Diversify our environmental protection tools and approaches; and
4) Foster a more "innovation-friendly" organizational culture and systems.

We are establishing the grant program to strengthen our partnership with States by assisting them with funding to address the priority environmental areas and tools highlighted in the Strategy. Contingent upon Congressional approval of a re-programming request, we anticipate using our initial funding of $500,000 to support approximately 3 - 7 projects that promise results within the next several years.

Given the limited resources and time remaining in 2002, we are requesting applications on one issue: innovative permitting activities that test incentives. Specifically we are seeking projects in permitting programs related to one of the Innovation Strategy's four priority environmental issues: reducing greenhouse gases, reducing smog, improving water quality, and reducing the cost of drinking water or wastewater infrastructure. In addition, the project should test incentives that motivate "beyond-compliance" environmental performance, or move whole sectors toward improved environmental performance. This first year is a pilot test. EPA intends to seek additional funds and explore other issue areas if this pilot grant program is successful.

A copy of the solicitation (Solicitation for State Innovation Pilot Grant Program) is enclosed or it can be obtained from EPA's website: https://www.epa.gov/projectxl/2002state.htm. States interested in applying for one of this year's pilot grants will have until August 19, 2002 to respond with a brief pre-proposal that includes a budget.

If you have any questions regarding the proposal and grant process please do not hesitate to contact me or Gerald Filbin of my staff at (202) 566-2182 or filbin.gerald@epa.gov.

I look forward to receiving your proposals.


Sincerely,


Thomas J. Gibson
Associate Administrator

Solicitation for State Innovation Pilot Grant Program (PDF 26 pages; 49.9 KB)


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