Deadline: 6-Jul-22
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking applications for Colorado Environmental Quality and Protection Program to protect public health and safety and the environment, and restore watersheds for resources, recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, and 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.
The objective of the Orphan Well Project is to remediate abandoned oil and gas wells to ensure the protection of public health and safety by eliminating known and potential sources of groundwater, surface water and air contamination, removing unnecessary well site infrastructure, and reclaiming land disturbance associated with oil and gas development. Site specific performance goals will be identified for each project funded and ultimate costs will be determined by approved site closure plans. Projects may involve a single orphan well, or a group of associated wells; while each orphan well location will require well plugging, other necessary work will be site dependent such that each site may need slope reconstruction, road/pipeline/electrical removal, estimates of avoid methane emissions from plugging, production facilities removal and/or reseeding.
Program Goals
- Reclaim abandoned hardrock mine lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources.
- Reduce inventory of unreclaimed abandoned mines and orphaned wells.
- Reduce liabilities by eliminating or reducing human health and ecological risks posed by abandoned mines and orphaned wells
- Reduce environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines and orphaned wells.
- Establish partnerships, where possible, with States, local governments, Tribes, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups, non-governmental organizations to pool resources and expertise to address abandoned mines.
- Ensure that remediation and reclamation actions are effective and that lessons learned through post-project monitoring and study benefit risk- and pollution-reducing efforts
- Manage air quality for the protection of public health and sensitive ecosystems
Funding Information
- Maximum Award: $500,000
- Minimum Award: $10,000
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 3
Eligibility Criteria
- Special district governments
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- County governments
- Independent school districts
- State governments
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- City or township governments
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=339274
