Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and Grants Program

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and Grants Program

AGENCY: Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of

Defense for Environmental Security (DUSD(ES)).

ACTION: Notice of funding availability for the Department of Defense

Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships, and Grants Program to

institutions of higher education heading a consortium.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense announces the competition for the

Defense Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and Grants Program,

authorized by Section 4451 of The National Defense Authorization Act

for Fiscal Year 1993 and section 1333 of The National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994. The program has two purposes:

(1) For Section 4451 to provide scholarships and fellowships to enable

individuals to qualify for employment in the field of environmental

restoration or in other environmental programs in the Department of

Defense; and (2) for Section 1333 to provide demonstration grants to

assist institutions of higher education in providing expertise,

training and education in environmental restoration, hazardous

materials and waste management, and other environmental fields

applicable to Department of Defense and Department of Energy defense

facilities. The program will be executed by an institution of higher

education heading a consortium. A consortium must consist of the

institution of higher education and one or more of each of the

following:

1. Appropriate State and local agencies.

2. Private industry councils (as described in Section 102 of the

Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1512)).

3. Community-based organizations (as defined in Section 4(5) of

such Act (29 U.S.C. 1503 (5)).

4. Businesses.

5. Organized labor.

6. Other appropriate educational institutions.

At least five percent of each award will be available to

Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions.

Each award will be composed of two agreements, each with its own

budget and funds:

1. An agreement to nominate scholarship and fellowship recipients,

forward nominations to the Department of Defense for approval, then

provide selectees with education leading to degrees relevant for

subsequent DoD employment, subject to the needs of the Department of

Defense (Section 4451).

2. An agreement to provide expertise, training, and education in

hazardous materials and waste management and other environmental fields

applicable to defense manufacturing sites and Department of Defense and

Department of Energy defense facilities (Section 1333).

A total of $20.382 million will be available initially for this

program to be distributed as follows:

(a) $7 million for Section 4451 purposes, and

(b) An initial $13.382 million for Section 1333 purposes.

The $20.382 million will be divided into sixteen awards of

$1,273,875 each, made to applicants from the four Census Regions--four

per region--based on a merit selection process.

Each award will provide $437,500 for scholarships/fellowships

(Section 4451 purposes) and $836,375 for the demonstration grant

(Section 1333 purposes). An award made to a consortium under Section

4451 may be used for a period of from one to five years. Demonstration

grant monies awarded under Section 1333 must be expended within one

year. Funds for Section 1333 purposes may later be made available for a

second and a third year, subject to the approval of the Secretary of

Defense and to the availability of appropriations for each year.

The DoD Environmental Security Program

The DoD multi-disciplinary approach to environmental security is

embodied in a five-pronged strategy:

Cleanup; Compliance; Conservation; Pollution Prevention; and

Technology represented by:

C cubed, P squared, plus T.

The DoD program is creating environmental partnerships, matching

environmental and economic opportunities, expediting cleanup at DoD

sites, improving compliance with environmental laws and regulations,

preventing pollution, and targeting technology to meet environmental

needs. To develop and exploit technology and innovative ideas which

lead to rapid, economical, safe solutions to environmental problems,

the Department of Defense requires education and training programs

which will produce qualified individuals in career fields which relate

to the five programs of environmental security. These five areas will

be given priority in the evaluation of applications and are defined as

follows:

Cleanup--Restoring DoD Facilities

The Department of Defense is dealing with a legacy of environmental

contamination resulting from decades of military operations.

Environmental problems continue to grow as the United States and Russia

denuclearize and demilitarize their chemical weapons.

Currently, the Department of Defense is engaged in cleanup at 1,800

military locations in the United States and at 1,700 locations

overseas. Ninety-three of the stateside locations are listed on the

Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund National Priorities List.

Compliance--Complying With Environmental Laws in Day-to-Day Operations

The Department of Defense, like private industry, is concerned with

a myriad of environmental laws and regulations. Common compliance

issues include:

Obtaining thousands of air emission permits and hundreds

of permits for water discharges such as sewage, industrial, and water

treatment plants;

Managing 300 to 400 permits to treat, store, or dispose of

hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

(RCRA);

Managing 30,000 regulated underground fuel storage tanks;

Preparing spill prevention and response plans at every

base; and

Obtaining storm water permits at every base.

Conservation--Conserving Natural Resources

The Department of Defense consumes approximately two percent of the

Nation's total energy supply, uses over 200 billion gallons of fresh

water each year, and is the steward for 25 million acres of public

lands containing valuable ecosystems, natural, cultural, and historic

resources.

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 requires that the Department of

Defense identify and implement all energy and water conservation

measures that pay back in ten years or less, and establish the goal to

reduce consumption by 20 percent by the year 2000. Funding for energy

conservation is expected to be over $300 million in fiscal year 1996.

Good stewardship requires that the Department of Defense conserve

and protect valuable resources, such as the 300 threatened and

endangered species that reside on DoD lands, and the numerous DoD

facilities on the National Historic Register.

Pollution Prevention--Preventing Pollution

The newest strategy in environmental protection, pollution

prevention, reduces the amount of pollution at the source. The

Department of Defense's new pollution prevention goals reflect the

Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. The program is build on minimizing

pollution and emphasizes reduction, recycling, treatment, and disposal.

Pollution prevention will ease skyrocketing disposal costs and reduce

dependence on disappearing municipal solid waste landfills.

On August 3, 1993, President Clinton signed Executive Order 12856,

``Federal Compliance with Right-to-Know Laws and Pollution Prevention

Requirements.'' This executive order was designed to bring federal

facilities in line with requirements of the Emergency Planning and

Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) by requiring federal authorities to

notify local emergency planning committees of all toxic chemicals

stored or used at federal facilities. Federal agencies will be required

to develop a written strategy to eliminate or minimize acquisition of

hazardous or toxic chemicals and to develop a strategy to meet a

voluntary goal of 50 percent reduction by December 1999.

The Clean Air Act, Energy Policy Act, Executive Order 12579

(``Federal Energy Management''), and Executive Order 12844 (``Federal

Use of Alternative Fueled Vehicles'') require that DoD facilities use

equipment that substantially reduces pollutants at their source.

Technology--Environmental Security Technology Certification Program

(ESTCP)

Technology contributes to advancing the objectives of each of the

C3P2 thrust areas within the Environmental Security Program.

The objective of ESTCP is to executive the most promising environmental

technology demonstration projects that target the Department of

Defense's most urgent environmental needs and have a paycheck in the

short term with regard to cost savings and improved efficiencies.

Environmental Concerns

Expansion and further development of the existing core of DoD

professionals whose collective disciplines are applicable across the

spectrum of issues embraced by the five programs are crucial to ensure

restoration, protection, and conservation of the Nation's natural and

cultural resources under the stewardship of the Department of Defense.

The Defense Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and Grants Program

will serve the upcoming generation of environmental professionals and

the emerging technologies they will apply to solve the challenges

facing the environment.

The Department of Defense has numerous environmental program areas,

each defined by a major topic of environmental regulation, a particular

environment-related task or mission. These include, but are not limited

to: environmental restoration, compliance, program planning and

management, air pollution abatement, hazardous waste management, spill

planning and response, solid waste management/recycling, natural

resource management, pollution prevention, asbestos management, radon

reduction, environmental analysis and documentation, hazardous

materials, underground storage tank management, research and

development, technology, historic preservation, archaeological resource

protection, noise abatement, water resources, and pesticides and

integrated pest management.

Section 4451 mandates that scholarship or fellowship recipients

pursue and academic program leading to a degree in ``engineering,

biology, chemistry, or another qualifying field.'' Other degree areas

related to DoD environmental positions include, but are not limited to:

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Environmental Program Management

Environmental Technology

Natural Resource Management

Earth Sciences

Environmental Engineering

Environmental Sciences

Geotechnology

Geology

Cultural Resource Management

Hydrology

Oceanography

Industrial Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Forestry

Toxicology

Entomology

Eligibility

Award applicants mut be institutions of higher education as defined

by section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.

1141(a)) that have or will create a consortium headed by that

institution of higher education. They must develop proposals that

address the requirements of both Section 4451 of The National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 and Section 1333 of The National

Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 1994.

At least five percent of each award must be made available to

Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions.

Section 4451 requires scholarship/fellowships students nominated

for selection to meet the following criteria:

(1) Be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled as a full-time

student at a selected institution of higher education.

(2) Be pursuing a degree in an environmental career field.

(3) Agree to serve as a full-time civilian employee in an

environmental position with the Department of Defense upon graduation,

if such employment is available and offered. (Period of employment will

be 12 months for each school year students are provided a scholarship

in an undergraduate program, or 24 months for each school year students

are provided a fellowship in a graduate program.)

(4) Be a citizen or national of the United States, or an alien

lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence.

Section 1333 requires that an institution receiving a grant under

this section must use the grant to establish a consortium for the

purpose of establishing and conducting a program to provide training

and education in environmental restoration, hazardous materials and

waste management and other environmental fields applicable to

Department of Defense and Department of Energy defense facilities to:

(1) Individuals who have been terminated or laid off from

employment (or have been notified of impending termination or lay off)

as a result of reductions in defense spending, the cancellation,

termination, or completion of a defense contract, or a base closure or

realignment; or

(2) Individuals who are at least 16 but not yet 25.

Selection Criteria

The intent of this section is to help applicants understand how the

selection criteria are applied to training and education proposals

during the review process. The review process, to identify the best

proposals and to provide the best wide-range support of the program,

will compare each application to all others in each region.

Proposals for the Defense Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships

and Grants Program will be evaluated and rank-ordered by a peer review

panel selected by the National Research Council from among recognized

experts in various environment-related fields. Rank-ordered proposals

for each region will be presented to the Deputy Under Secretary of

Defense for Environmental Security for final selection.

At least five percent of each award will be available to

Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions.

The final judgment of an application will be based on an overall

assessment of the extent to which the application satisfactorily

addresses the following selection criteria:

(1) The proposal is submitted by an institution of higher

education. An application will be submitted by an institution of higher

education that will agree to form and head a consortium, as mandated by

section 1333, that will consist of at least one of each of the

following:

(i) Appropriate state and local agencies.

(ii) Private industry councils as described in 29 U.S.C. 1512.

(iii) Community-based organizations as defined in 29 U.S.C.

1503(5).

(iv) Businesses.

(v) Organized labor.

(vi) Other appropriate educational institutions.

(2) The proposal addresses education and training in an area of the

Department of Defense's Environmental Security Program. Describe the

area addressed and its applicational setting--from installation level

to Command Headquarters. The Department of Defense's Environmental

Security Program identifies specific areas (i.e., cleanup, compliance,

conservation, pollution prevention, and technology), but an applicant

may choose to focus and provide specific applications on an

environmental subject not specifically mentioned in these areas or to

address more than one topic in a single project.

(3) The proposal represents an improvement upon existing practice.

Since improvements over existing practice are important, reviewers will

appreciate any evidence included to illustrate how this project differs

from and improves upon previous efforts.

(4) The proposal achieves a far-reaching impact that will be useful

in a variety of ways and in a variety of settings. The Department of

Defense seeks to make the most of its limited funds by supporting

projects which have broad, multiple application and that can become

models for the nation's environment program.

(5) The proposal represents an appropriate response to an

environmental area. Not only should a proposal demonstrate

understanding of an environmental area, but strategies should be

carefully designed to address those areas and reach specific endpoints.

(6) The applicant is capable of carrying out the proposal as

evidenced by, for example:

(i) The applicant's understanding of the environmental area or

need. The applicant should demonstrate understanding of the area

through analysis of it and through the thoughtfulness and specificity

of the proposed response.

(ii) The quality of the proposed design, including objectives,

approaches, and planning. The proposal should reflect careful attention

to the question of who will do what, when, where, why and how.

(iii) The adequacy of resources including money, personnel,

facilities, equipment, and supplies. It should be clear that the

applicant has carefully allocated appropriate resources and personnel

for the tasks and activities proposed in the proposal. The detailed

budget justification attached to the proposal should itemize the

support requested from the Department of Defense.

(iv) The qualifications of key personnel who would execute the

proposal. The qualifications of key personnel should be briefly

outlined and attached to the proposal. Please note that a standard

curriculum vitae is usually not appropriate for this purpose. Be sure

to indicate in the biographical sketch how each individual's background

and experience relate to the specific project described in the

proposal.

(v) The applicant's relevant experience. It is helpful for the

readers to know what other projects of a similar nature the applicant

has conducted. With regard to the specific proposal, it is equally

helpful to know what steps have already been initiated.

(vi) The applicant's prior work in the area. It is helpful to know

the extent to which the applicant has successfully completed prior work

on similar or related projects.

(7) The proposal includes an assurance that demonstration grant

funds awarded under Section 1333 will supplement and not supplant non-

Federal funds that would otherwise be available for education and

training activities funded by the grant.

(8) The proposal demonstrates that an education and training

program to be established under Section 1333:

(i) Provides a work-based learning system in environmental

restoration. Such a system may include basic educational courses, on-

site basic skills training, and mentor assistance to participants and

may lead to award of a certificate or degree at the institution of

higher education.

(ii) Includes out-reach and recruitment efforts to encourage

participation by eligible individuals. To the extent practicable in the

selection of young adults, priority must be given to those who have not

attended and are otherwise unlikely to attend an institution of higher

education or have a total family income that does not exceed the higher

of the official poverty line or 70% of the lower living standard income

level.

(iii) Utilizes, to the extent practicable, instructors selected

from institutions of higher education, appropriate community programs,

industry and labor.

(iv) Includes provisions for consultation, to the extent

practicable, with appropriate Federal, state, and local agencies

carrying out environmental restoration programs. The purpose of such

consultation is to ensure the Section 1333 program is fully coordinated

with similar government programs.

(9) For Section 4451 requirements the proposal demonstrates ability

to recruit students, provide education leading to degrees qualifying

students for DoD environmental positions, and manage a scholarship and

fellowship program. Applicants must make potential scholarship/

fellowship recipients aware that acceptance of financial assistance

under this program requires a commitment to employment at any DoD

facility or site where an environmental position may be offered.

(10) Scholarship and fellowship nomination preference under Section

4451 is given to current and former members of the US Armed Forces and

to individuals who are or have been employed by the Department of

Defense, or its contractors and sub-contractors. The Department of

Defense will retain final approval authority for all individual

scholarship and fellowship awards.

Application Procedures

Applications for participation in the Department of Defense

Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and Grants Program will follow

the format prescribed in parts of the U.S. Public Health Service

(USPHS) Application Form PHS 398.

Applications must include two implementation plans, one for

scholarships/fellowships (Public Law 102-484 Section 4451) and one for

demonstration grants (Public Law 103-160 Section 1333), each with its

own budget proposal. At least five percent of each award must be made

available to Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority

Institutions.

Plans for scholarships and fellowships programs (not to

exceed five years) meeting Section 4451 requirements will include

detailed descriptions of the education program, program facility,

scholarship and fellowship candidate populations, methods of recruiting

individuals, tuition costs and administration procedures. Stipends for

fellowship recipients will not exceed $16,000 per year. Tuition, fees

and stipends will not be included in calculations of indirect costs.

Scholarship/fellowship plans will not exceed 10 pages.

Plans for demonstration grants (not to exceed three years)

meeting the provisions of Section 1333 will include, in 10 pages or

less, a detailed description of the specific aims of the education and

training program to be supported, background and significance of the

proposed program, and its application to the DoD Environmental Program.

A complete Defense Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and

Grants Program application must be submitted to qualify for

consideration. A complete application will consist of three sections:

1. General Information--PHS 398 Form AA (Face Page).

2. Scholarships and Fellowships Section--PHS 398 Forms BB, NN, OO,

FF, HH, II, and JJ and Implementation Plan.

3. Environmental Grants Section--PHS 398 Forms BB, DD, EE, FF, HH,

II, and JJ and Implementation Plan.

It is essential that applications be complete and accurate at the

time of submission. Incomplete applications will not be considered. One

copy of an incomplete or incorrect application will be returned by

mail.

Additional PHS 398 forms and application instructions are available

by writing the Defense Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and

Grants Program, P.O. Box R, Woodbridge, VA 22194 (telephone 703-643-

2952; FAX 703-497-2095).

Grant recipients will also be required to comply with provisions of

Office of Management and Budget Circulars A-21, ``Cost Principles for

Educational Institutions,'' A-110, ``Uniform Administrative

Requirements for Grants and Agreements With Institutions of Higher

Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations,'' and A-133,

``Audits of Institutions of Higher Education and Other Nonprofit

Institutions.''

Proposal must be submitted in 6 copies (original + 5).

DEADLINE: Deadline for complete proposals to be received at the Defense

Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and Grants Program, P.O. Box R,

Woodbridge, VA 22194, is 4:00 p.m. (EDT), June 21, 1994. Proposals

received after that time and date will not be considered.

LATE APPLICATIONS: Applications which do not meet the criteria under

``Deadline,'' above, are considered late applications. Late

applications will not be considered.

Mailing Address for Application Package. Department of Defense,

Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships and Grants Program, P.O. Box R,

Woodbridge, Virginia 22194.

Shipping (FedEx, UPT, etc.) Address for Application Package.

Department of Defense, Environmental Scholarships/ Fellowships and

Grants Program, 1635-2 Woodside Drive, Woodbridge, Virginia 22191,

Phone: 703-643-2952.

DATES: Application packages and detailed instructions will be available

April 30, 1994. Deadline for completed applications to be received by

the Department of Defense will be 4:00 p.m. (EDT), June 21, 1994.

Grants will be issued by September 30, 1994.

ADDRESSES: For additional information or to receive application

packages and detailed instructions, contact Dave Fletcher, Department

of Defense Environmental Grants Program, P.O. Box R, Woodbridge, VA

22194, phone 703-643-2952 or FAX 703-497-2905.

Dated: April 26, 1994.

L.M. Bynum,

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

[FR Doc. 94-10419 Filed 4-26-94; 3:00 pm]

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