Anticipate a Delay on the Release of the EPA's ARC Guidelines

Each year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) releases revised guidelines for the Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) grant application, which usually occurs in early Fall. The submission deadline usually occurs at the end of the calendar year.

Anticipation for this year's guidelines is already quite high, even without the added delay of a shutdown. Given the prolonged federal government gridlock and employee furlough, we anticipate the release of these guidelines for the upcoming grant application season will be further delayed. The wait period is primetime to get organized and begin to put together your plan to tackle the lengthy grant application process.

According to a recent EPA resource document, the OBLR offered a brief preview to communities, saying: "We currently anticipate only one major eligibility change for assessment grants in FY14. The change in eligibility relates to whether or not you received an assessment grant, of any kind, in the FY13 grant competition." This should provide some relief to grant writers and communities, given the likely delay of the release this year.

The OBLR goes on to say, "While there may be other minor changes in the wording of the RFP, for the most part they will remain unchanged." We suggest that you review last year's guidelines, as the vast majority of the requirements will likely remain unchanged.

In the meantime, there are many other steps you can take to prepare your proposal. The EPA has released some very sage recommendations to get the process underway, which you can read in its entirety here.