Deadline: 31-Mar-23
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking applications for its Environmental Quality and Protection Grant 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.
Mitigation measures are implemented through core programs such as:
- Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which addresses physical safety hazards and contamination posing risk to human health and/or the environment through remediation and restoration of abandoned hardrock mines.
- Orphan Well Program (OWP), which remediates oil and gas wells improperly abandoned, and seeks to plug them in accordance with state regulations and rules;
- Educational outreach about the potential dangers posed to the public and recreationists from AML and orphaned well sites.
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 OWs
- Reduce environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines and OWs.
- 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
- Devise and implement public education tools to educate the public and stakeholders about the potential dangers posed by abandoned mines and OWs and the actions the BLM takes to address those dangers
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $25,000
- Award Ceiling: $25,000
- Award Floor: $25,000
Eligibility Criteria
- Private institutions of higher education
- County governments
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Independent school districts
- Special district governments
- State governments
- City or township governments
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
For more information, visit Grants.gov.