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March 24, 2023

EPA News

Apply for the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia!

Submit your application by April 4, 2023. EPA is making available $40,000,000 in funding to help build and transform solid waste infrastructure, manage materials to achieve a circular economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create cleaner, resilient, and healthier communities. EPA released this funding opportunity for tribes and intertribal consortia under the SWIFR grant program, which is funded by the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding is for projects that improve materials management and infrastructure, including collection, transport, systems, and processes related to post-use materials that can be recovered, reused, recycled, repaired, refurbished, or composted. NEW: Check out our updated questions and answers document as well as the presentation slides and recording of the third webinar (along with the first two) on our website.

EPA Publishes a Beneficial Use Evaluation of Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Gypsum in Agriculture

On March 23, 2023, EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a beneficial use evaluation of FGD gypsum in agriculture, an unencapsulated use of coal combustion residuals.

A goal of this evaluation is to demonstrate how EPA’s Beneficial Use Methodology and Compendium, which together provide an analytical framework to evaluate the potential for adverse environmental impacts from a wide range of industrial materials and their proposed beneficial uses, can be applied to a real-world beneficial use scenario. The evaluation identified no concerns for most modeled application scenarios. Based on these results, we conclude that application of FGD gypsum to farm fields at the agriculturally appropriate rates considered in this evaluation can provide benefits while remaining protective of human health and the environment.

EPA encourages the beneficial reuse of industrial non-hazardous secondary materials, including coal combustion residuals, provided it is done in a responsible and protective manner. For more information and to access this evaluation, Methodology, and Compendium, visit our webpage on coal ash reuse.   

EPA Celebrates Food Waste Prevention Week

Food Waste Prevention Week, April 10-16, is a collaborative effort to educate and inspire real cultural change around food waste in order to help families save money, reduce the negative impact of food waste on the environment, and address hunger in our communities. Throughout the week, partners from all over the U.S. and a handful of other countries around the world will hold events, both virtual and in person, to inspire action to reduce food waste. Join us on Monday, April 10th at 1:00 pm Eastern Time (ET) to kick off Food Waste Prevention Week with a conversation on Local Solutions to Prevent Food Waste, featuring Food For the Soul, Hamilton County R3Source, Food Shift, and Alameda County StopWaste. County recycling experts and food rescuers will talk about valuing food, ensuring good food gets eaten, and how they share their stories with the community. Register here. Then, on Wednesday, April 12th at 1:30 pm ET, join EPA for a seminar on the sustainable management of food in the context of the U.S.-México border. Learn about food waste prevention, recovery and recycling strategies, policies and practices for and by border-adjacent communities. Register here.

EPA Will Hold a Webinar on Climate Action Plan Deconstruction and Reuse

Monday, April 3, 2023, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm ET

This webinar will feature an overview of U.S. EPA’s new $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program for planning and implementing climate actions, including actions related to waste and materials management. Experts will share innovative, equitable Climate Plans and actions on deconstruction and reuse in Minnesota, Portland, Oakland, San Antonio, and Evanston.

Climate planning experts will discuss how they have included deconstruction and building material reuse into climate action plans, and how they are measuring or planning to measure environmental impacts, and other outcomes. Webinar hosts will share links to additional climate action plans with deconstruction and reuse actions from state and local governments. Register for this webinar here.

Training Resources for Tribal Waste Management

EPA created a library of training resources for tribal waste management in collaboration with federal and non-federal partners. The webpage of resources is designed to help Tribes implement a waste management program. Categories of resources include solid and hazardous Waste, collection and disposal, planning tools, circular economy, outreach and education, and Alaska-specific resources.

Funding Opportunities

EPA Will Hold a Grants Competition Process Webinar

EPA will hold the Grants Competition Process Webinar on Tuesday, March 28, from 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET. Join us for this webinar to learn how to find and successfully apply for EPA grants. Participants will be able to ask questions of EPA presenters during the webinar. You are required to register in advance to attend this webinar. Register here. If you have already registered, you should have received a confirmation email with the link to the webinar.

EPA will make available presentation materials and a list of helpful links on the EPA website before the webinar. After the webinar, a recording will be posted to the same webpage.

USDA Announces Cooperative Agreements for Compost and Food Waste Reduction

Application Deadline: June 15, 2023

USDA announced the availability of up to $9.5 million for Compost and Food Waste Reduction pilot projects for fiscal year 2023. The cooperative agreements support projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans.

Learn more about this funding opportunity and how to apply.

EPA Issues Program Guidance for Climate Pollution Reduction Grants 

Application Deadlines: 

• States Notices of Intent to Participate: March 31, 2023 
• Metropolitan area Notices of Intent to Participate: April 28, 2023 

EPA issued program guidance for planning grants under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, one of EPA’s new Inflation Reduction Act funding opportunities. This two-stage program – with $250 million in noncompetitive planning grants, followed by $4.6 billion in competitive implementation grants – will encourage states, air agencies, municipalities, and tribes to create and implement comprehensive climate action plans. Eligible entities will be encouraged to develop or, where applicable, revise their existing climate plans to adopt and implement ambitious policies and programs to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and accelerate decarbonization across multiple important sectors (e.g., waste and materials management, agriculture/natural and working lands, industry, electricity generation, and transportation).

Eligible policy and program options to reduce GHG emissions and accelerate decarbonization in the agriculture/natural and working lands and waste and materials management sectors could include sustainable materials management and circular economy activities (e.g., waste prevention, waste reduction, and recycling, including activities related to food waste such as composting and applying compost).

EPA held a series of webinars to provide interested parties with information about the CPRG planning grants. Check out the recordings and slides from these webinars on the website below. 

Learn more about this grant program and how to apply. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Launches 2023 Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance for Local Governments  

Application Deadline: April 14, 2023 

DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory launched the next phase of the organic Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance for Local Governments. 

Food waste, wastewater sludge, and other organic matter represent significant environmental, economic, and social sustainability challenges for municipalities. Given that these waste streams require local solutions to various aspects of their management or disposal, this technical assistance program provides municipalities with the most relevant data to help with decision making. BETO will provide subject matter assistance to municipalities on topics, including: 

• Waste resource information. 
• Infrastructure considerations. 
• Techno-economic comparison energy and resource recovery options. 
• Evaluation and sharing of case studies (to the extent possible) from similar communities/projects. 
• Equity assessments. 

Check out the press release about this opportunity.  

Read through the funding announcement webpage. 

USDA Is Accepting Applications for Local Food Promotion Program Grants 

Application Deadline: May 2, 2023  

The Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food businesses that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing to increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. These can include promoting new business opportunities and marketing strategies to reduce on-farm food waste. In Fiscal Year 2023, USDA anticipates awarding $61.8 million to fund LFPP projects.  

Learn more about this grant program and how to apply. 

USDA Announces Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative Grants

Application Deadline: April 13, 2023  

The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OAREI) seeks to solve critical organic agriculture issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research, education, and extension activities. The purpose of this program is to fund projects that will enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high quality organic agricultural products. Priority concerns include biological, physical, and social sciences, including economics. The OAREI is particularly interested in projects that emphasize research, education and outreach that assist farmers and ranchers with whole farm planning by delivering practical research-based information.

Learn more about this grant program and how to apply.

USDA Seeks Applications for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems Grants

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems Request for Applications focuses on approaches that promote transformational changes in the U.S. food and agriculture system. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture seeks creative and visionary applications that take a systems approach for projects are expected to significantly improve the supply of affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible agricultural products, while fostering economic development and rural prosperity in America. These approaches must demonstrate current needs and anticipate future social, cultural, behavioral, economic, health, and environmental impacts. Additionally, the outcomes of the work being proposed should result in societal benefits, including promotion of rural prosperity and enhancement of quality of life for all those involved in food and agricultural value chains from production to utilization and consumption.

Learn more about this grant program and how to apply.

USDA will hold a technical assistance webinar on March 30th from 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET. Register here.

By subscribing to the newsletter, you will receive periodic announcements about resources, events, webinars, funding opportunities, and more from EPA and our partners. Topics include circular economy, reduce/reuse/recycle, food loss and waste, electronics, plastics, municipal solid waste, and the built environment.