DOD REPI Program Newsletter Featuring the 2024 Report to Congress

Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program sent this bulletin at 04/11/2024 03:01 PM EDT

Newly Released: 2024 Report to Congress

The 18^th annual REPI Report to Congress summarizes the program’s investments at 124 locations across 37 states and territories, highlights partnerships across local, state, and Federal agencies, and showcases mutually beneficial projects in the Pacific Region. Through the support of partner organizations, the REPI Program aims to enhance the Nation's defense capabilities, positively impact surrounding communities and the environment, and maximize taxpayer benefits. The REPI Program’s cost-effective projects and expanded partnership opportunities would not be possible without support from partners who share a common goal of safeguarding military missions, preserving the natural environment, and reducing risks from extreme weather events.

From FY 2003 through FY 2023, the REPI Program has worked to strengthen military readiness by:

Securing over $1.4 billion with nearly $1.3 billion in non-Department partner contributions, accounting for 48 percent of dollars spent on REPI projects.
Projecting over 1.2 million acres of land at 124 locations across 37 states and territories to preserve critical operational assets, infrastructure, and capabilities.
Contributing $59.2 million to projects under 16 U.S.C. § 670c-1 (Sikes Act) and 10 U.S.C. § 2679 (IGSAs) between the REPI Program, the Military Services, and partners.

From FY 2006 through FY 2023, the REPI Program has also worked to prioritize partnerships and missions in the Pacific Region through:

Expending over $59.1 million in DOD funding to protect nearly 17,000 acres.
Securing a 66 percent cost share for REPI projects, equating to over $116.3 million in DOD cost savings.

In conjunction with the 2024 Report to Congress, the REPI Program released the newly updated state and project fact sheets. The fact sheets serve as key resources summarizing REPI projects, installation case studies, key partners, DOD economic impact within states with REPI projects, and more!

To learn more, join the 2024 Report to Congress Webinar next week on April 17 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Eastern Time. The webinar will spotlight significant accomplishments and feature key project partners. For more information on how to register for the webinar, visit the webinar page on www.repi.mil.

Read the 2024 REPI Report to Congress

DOD Releases Resilient and Healthy Defense Communities Strategy

In February, the DOD released a new strategy, Resilient and Healthy Defense Communities, which will guide the Department's actions in the coming years to improve the built and natural environment of defense installations. This strategy, which focuses on improving our military installations, reflects the DOD's ongoing commitment to taking care of our people and improving the quality of life of our service members and their families.

“It is both a national security imperative and our moral obligation to ensure the spaces where our people live, work and train are healthy, functional and resilient,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said in a press release.

The strategy identifies four goals:

People living and working on DOD installations thrive as part of happy, productive and resilient communities.
The built and natural environment around them meets operational needs and improves their quality of life.
Installation managers and senior DOD leadership have a common operating picture of the quality of infrastructure to guide timely decisions and resource allocations.
Installations are integrated with surrounding communities, providing public services and lifestyle-oriented features that build the readiness and resiliency of the Total Force.

Read the full Resilient and Healthy Defense Communities Strategy

ICYMI: Upcoming Partner Funding Opportunities

Readiness and Recreation Initiative

On January 30, the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program, in partnership with DOD's REPI Program, announced the release of the FY 2024 Readiness and Recreation Initiative Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Through the FY 2024 Readiness and Recreation Initiative, the National Park Service will provide $40 million in funding from unobligated LWCF balances as a potential match for REPI Program funding to support projects that will provide outdoor recreation opportunities to military families and the public while also promoting military readiness and resilience.

The national-level NOFO deadline is July 12, 2024. However, State Lead Agencies will set their own deadlines for accepting proposals in advance of this national deadline. Click here to learn more about the 2024 Readiness and Recreation Initiative NOFO.

DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation Announces Defense Community Infrastructure Program Notice of Funding Opportunity

On March 28, the DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) started accepting proposals for the FY 2024 Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP). DCIP is designed to assist state and local governments, and not-for-profit, member-owned utilities with addressing deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of a military installation.

OLDCC will host an informational webinar at 3:00 PM ET on April 18, 2024, to review the goals and objectives of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and answer questions from interested respondents. Click here to learn about the DCIP NOFO.

Complete proposals must be submitted by July 17, 2024.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Wins $2.2 Million Grant for Conservation

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (Honolulu, HI), in partnership with Army Garrison-Hawaiʻi, was awarded a $2.24 million grant as part of Fiscal Year 2024 REPI Challenge funds to support reforestation, agroforestry, and native seed projects on 511 acres of Wahiawā lands near Schofield Barracks. This important project will focus on replanting a native Hawaiian forest to buffer the culturally significant site, contribute to overall watershed resiliency, and plant disease and death-resistant plants. In collaboration with community partners, this project aims to implement sustainable land use practices and preserve cultural knowledge at the site, as well as benefit the long-term sustainability of the Department of Defense’s mission.

$1.1 Million Goes Toward Regional Prescribed Fire Program

The Highlands News-Sun (Sebring, Florida) reported that the DOD’s REPI Program announced recipients for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 REPI Challenge. Through the FY 2024 REPI Challenge, the REPI Program contributed $704,000 to Archbold Biological Station to support fire management for enhanced resilience in the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape, including an ecosystem restoration team to build regional capacity for fire management within the Sentinel Landscape. In addition to the DOD REPI Program funding, Archbold received $312,000 in grant funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s America the Beautiful Challenge to support this regional fire management effort.

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Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program

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