National Environmental Information Exchange Network Grant Program – US

• Facilitate sharing of environmental data, especially through shared and reusable services.
• Reduce burden and avoid costs for co-regulators and the regulated community.
• Streamline data collection and exchanges to improve its timeliness for decision making.
• Increase the quality and access to environmental data through discovery, publishing, outbound and analytical services so it is more useful to environmental managers.
• Increase data and IT management capabilities needed to fully participate in the EN

Goals and Objectives

• Goal 1: Tackle the Climate Crisis 
  • Objective 1.1 – Reduce Emissions that Cause Climate Change
  • Objective 1.2 – Accelerate Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts
  • Objective 1.3 – Advance International and Subnational Climate Efforts
• Goal 2: Take Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights
  • Objective 2.1 – Promote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Federal, Tribal, State and Local Levels
• Goal 3: Enforce Environmental Laws and Ensure Compliance 
  • Objective 3.2 – Detect Violations and Promote Compliance
• Goal 4: Ensure Clean and Healthy Air for All Communities 
  • Objective 4.1 – Improve Air Quality and Reduce Localized Pollution and Health Impacts
  • Objective 4.2 – Reduce Exposure to Radiation and Improve Indoor Air
• Goal 5: Ensure Clean and Safe Water for All Communities 
  • Objective 5.1 – Ensure Safe Drinking Water and Reliable Water Infrastructure
  • Objective 5.2 – Protect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds
• Goal 6: Safeguard and Revitalize Communities 
  • Objective 6.1 – Clean Up and Restore Land for Productive Uses and Healthy Communities
  • Objective 6.2 – Reduce Waste and Prevent Environmental Contamination
  • Objective 6.3 – Prepare for and Respond to Environmental Emergencies
• Goal 7: Ensure Safety of Chemicals for People and the Environment
  • Objective 7.1 – Ensure Chemical and Pesticide Safety
  • Objective 7.2 – Promote Pollution Prevention

Funding Areas

• Funding Area 1: Increased Data Access and Innovative Business Processes.
• Funding Area 2: Eliminate paper submittals and expand e-reporting.
• Funding Area 3: Augment the information management capacity of EN partners.

Funding Information

• In FY24, EPA expects to award approximately $10,500,000 in 25-35 assistance agreements of up to $500,000 each, depending on Agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, agency priorities, and other applicable considerations.

Eligibility Criteria

• Consistent with the Assistance Listing for 66.608, eligible applicants for the Exchange Network Grant Program include states, U.S. Territories (i.e., American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the District of Columbia, Guam, Palau, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands), federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages and inter-tribal consortia of federally recognized tribes (e.g., the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission).
• Other entities, such as regional air pollution control districts and some public universities may apply for assistance if they are agencies or instrumentalities of a state or tribe under applicable laws. Entities asserting they are agencies or instrumentalities of a state must provide a letter from the appropriate state Attorney General (AG) certifying the applicant is an agency or instrumentality of the state. Entities asserting they are instrumentalities of a tribe must provide a certification and supporting documentation from the tribal council or other appropriate tribal government official certifying they are an instrumentality of the tribe. EPA will not accept or review an application which does not include the required documentation.
• The EPA recognizes that environmental programs and associated reporting obligations are sometimes delegated to local governments. Local governments are eligible to apply for EN assistance agreements if they can demonstrate that they are an instrumentality of the state by providing the documentation described in the preceding paragraph. However, most local governments implementing EPA programs are not agencies or instrumentalities of the state and therefore not eligible to apply. EPA encourages such entities to partner with an eligible lead applicant (e.g., a state applicant) to allow for their data to be reported and shared through the EN. Interstate commissions and other interstate entities, likewise, are not eligible to apply and are encouraged to partner with a state applicant.
• Examples of Eligible Applicants:
  • State Department of Environmental Quality
  • Territorial Environment Division
  • Tribal Council on behalf of two or more tribal environmental and/or health agencies
  • Tribal Water Quality Administration
  • State university formally designated as an instrumentality of the state.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.