Massachusetts Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Program

Second Subround ofRound 3 Restoration Project Proposals

forLand Acquisition to Conserve Habitat

Housatonic River Natural Resource Damages Fund

December 10, 2015, Lenox Library, Lenox, Massachusetts

Massachusetts SubCouncil, Housatonic River Natural Resource TrusteesOne Winter Street, 6th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02108

Applicants’ Conference

Agenda

1. INTRODUCTIONS

2. PRESENTATION• Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Program• Round 3 Restoration Plan• Grant Announcement & Application (GAA)• Proposal Review• Grant Contracts• Additional Information

3. OPEN FORUM / Q&A

HOUSATONIC RIVER WATERSHED RESTORATION

PROGRAM

Housatonic River Watershed Restoration ProgramGE/Housatonic River Natural Resource Damages (NRD) Settlement• Consent Decree in 2000• $15 million in damages as compensation for resource damages

Approx. $7.5 million targeted for projects in Massachusetts

Massachusetts SubCouncil of theHousatonic River Natural Resource Trustees• Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Secretary of Energy and

Environmental Affairs (EEA), represented by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)

• Department of the Interior (DOI): U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Housatonic River Watershed Restoration ProgramMassachusetts SubCouncil Voting Members

Karen Pelto State Trustee Representative & Lead Administrative TrusteeMassachusetts Department of Environmental ProtectionOne Winter Street, 6th FloorBoston, Massachusetts 02108email: Karen.Pelto@state.ma.usphone: (617) 292-5785

Molly SperdutoTrustee Representative for the DOI / USFWSU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service70 Commercial Street, Suite 300Concord, NH 03301email: Molly_sperduto@fws.govphone: (603) 227-6415

Housatonic River Watershed Restoration ProgramThe MA SubCouncil is responsible for disbursing funds from the Massachusetts portion of the NRD settlement.

Funds are used for compensatory restoration projects that will restore, rehabilitate, replace, or acquire the equivalent of natural resources and/or their services that were injured or lost as a result of the release of hazardous materials, including PCBs, into the Massachusetts portion of the Housatonic River watershed.

Two previous rounds of restoration projects have been funded as a part of this Restoration Program.

ROUND 3RESTORATION PLAN

Round 3 Restoration Plan:OverviewRound 3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental Assessment (RP/SEA)• Completed May 2013• Documents the plan for identifying and funding Round 3

projects for compensatory restoration of the Massachusetts portion of the Housatonic River

• Developed with public input and subject to public comment

• Focuses on land protection to conserve habitat

• Targets a total of $2 million for disbursement

Round 3 Restoration Plan:OverviewSummary of Public Involvement• September 25, 2008: Round 2 Information Meeting• October 21, 2008: Round 2 Land Acquisition Focus Group Meeting• February 25, 2009: Round 2 Habitat Restoration Applicant Conference• July 21, 2010: Draft Round 2 RP/SEA released• August 3, 2010: Draft Round 2 RP/SEA Public Meeting• August 23, 2010: Round 2 public comment deadline• June 14, 2011: Final Round 2 RP/SEA approved• August 2, 2012: Draft Round 3 RP/SEA released• August 23, 2012: Draft Round 3 RP/SEA Public Meeting• September 17, 2012: Round 3 public comment deadline• May 7, 2013: Final Round 3 RP/SEA approved

Round 3 Restoration Plan:Eligible ApplicantsEligible Applicants include public and private entities including:

• Local, state, federal, and tribal governments;• Non-profit organizations;• Individuals; and• Commercial organizations.

Applicants may be based outside of the Housatonic River watershed.

Round 3 Restoration Plan:Eligible Projects & Project LocationsEligible Projects are those that would benefit injured natural resources and/or services in the Housatonic River watershed in Massachusetts through land protection to conserve habitat.

Land must be protected in perpetuity through fee title, conservation restriction, or dedication.

Projects may be conducted at any location, but must directly benefit the injured natural resources and/or services in the Massachusetts portion of the Housatonic River watershed.

Priority will be given to projects located within the Housatonic River watershed in Massachusetts.

Round 3 Restoration Plan:First Subround3 Projects Funded in First Subround:• Hinsdale: 90 acres of wetland and upland habitat, including extensive

scrub-shrub wetlands abutting MassWildlife lands and within the Hinsdale Flats ACEC, NHESP Priority Habitat, BioMap 2 Core Habitat and BioMap 2 Critical Natural Landscape. (NRD funding: $90,000)

• Egremont: 23 acres of riverine, riparian, floodplain, and upland habitat along the Green river, including 2,500 feet of river frontage, NHESP Priority Habitat, BioMap 2 Core Habitat and BioMap 2 Critical Natural Landscape. (NRD funding: $187,500)

• Great Barrington: 218 acres of wetland, stream, riparian, early successional, and upland habitat along Thomas and Palmer Brook, including more than 1,400 feet of river frontage and BioMap 2 Core Habitat. (NRD funding: $869,500)

Round 3 Restoration Plan:Second SubroundSubround 2 Funding:

• $853,000 is available for land protection projects in Subround 2 of Round 3

Second Subround of Round 3

GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT & APPLICATION (GAA)

Grant Announcement & Application: OverviewGrant Announcement and Application available at:

• MassDEP NRD website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/cleanup/nrd/nrd-restoration-funding-opportunities.html

• Commonwealth’s Procurement website(COMMBUYS): www.commbuys.com.html Document ID BWSC-NRD-2015-03 COMMBUYS # BD-15-1045-BWSC0-BWSC1-00000005707

Deadline for Written Questions:• January 8, 2016, at 5:00 PM

Deadline for Submittal of Applications:• April 6, 2016, at 4:30 PM.

Submit Questions & Applications to:Karen Pelto, NRD Program CoordinatorMassachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Site CleanupOne Winter Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02108Karen.pelto@state.ma.us

Grant Announcement & Application:GAA ComponentsThe GAA includes:• Section 1: GAA Table of Contents• Section 2: Grant Summary• Section 3: Eligibility• Section 4: Definitions• Section 5: Procurement and Grant Contract Information• Section 6: Instructions for Submitting an Application• Section 7: Terms and Conditions of Grant Contract Awards• Section 8: List of Attachments• Section 9: List of Acronyms• Attachments: Application Form, Application Requirements, Supplemental

Terms & Conditions, Conflict of Interest Guidance and Disclosure Certification

Grant Announcement & Application:What to Submit with an ApplicationApplication (Attachment A)• Including:

Applicant information Parcel and project information Location map Opinion of value/appraisal Draft Conservation Restriction (CR) language Summary of project benefits Potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts

Grant Announcement & Application:What to Submit with an Application (con’t)

Detailed Application Requirements (Attachment B)• Land Protection Plan and Cost Estimate

Includes task descriptions, project schedule, project management plan, personnel organization chart, and project budget (including estimated costs to perform Phase 2 due diligence)

Serves as a Scope of Work if grant is awarded• Key Personnel Resumes• Letter of Commitment from Project Partners (if applicable)• Required Forms and Other Application Requirements

Supplemental Terms and Conditions (Attachment C)• Applies to awarded grant contracts

Conflict of Interest Certification Statement (Attachment D)• Applies to awardees and subcontractors/subconsultants

Grant Announcement & Application: Where to Submit Applications

Deadline for Submittal of Applications:• The Application and all supporting documents must be delivered to

MassDEP by 4:30 PM on Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Submit Applications to:Karen Pelto, NRD Program CoordinatorMassachusetts Department of Environmental ProtectionBureau of Waste Site CleanupOne Winter Street, 6th FloorBoston, MA 02108Karen.pelto@state.ma.us

Grant Announcement & Application:Application Tips and Requirements

Partnerships and Collaborative Efforts• Partnerships and collaborations are encouraged.• Applicants that have not undertaken a project of this magnitude are

encouraged to partner with a more experienced organization.

Subcontracting• The qualifications, experience, roles and responsibilities of all

subcontractors must be clearly identified in each proposal.

Multiple Applications• Applicants may submit more than one proposal for distinct projects.

Applicants’ Questions• Written questions accepted until January 8, 2016, at 5:00 PM and official

answers will be posted on the MassDEP and COMMBUYS websites on January 22, 2016.

Second Subround of Round 3

PROPOSAL REVIEW

Proposal Review:Review Team and Review Phases

Grant Review Team• Includes members of the MA SubCouncil and staff from departments

within the Massachusetts EEA, USFWS, and Stantec

“Phase 1” Review• Grant Review Team reviews project proposal based on:

Threshold Criteria* (minimum requirements for project eligibility) Evaluation Criteria* (scoring and prioritization criteria for proposed projects)

• Projects selected to proceed to Phase 2 due diligence• MassDEP executes Grant Contracts with selected applicants

“Phase 2” Review• Grant Review Team reviews project due diligence materials• MassDEP executes Grant Contract Amendments with selected applicants

* The Threshold Criteria and Evaluation Criteria were identified in the Restoration Project Selection Procedure (RPSP) available on the project website and are described in the Round 3 RP/SEA and Grant Announcement and Application.

Proposal Review:Phase 1Applicants have 6 months to prepare Phase 1 applications including:

• Completed Application Form• Land Protection Plan and Cost Estimate• Personnel Resumes• Letter of Commitment from Project Partners (if applicable)• Required Completed Forms and Other Application Requirements

Phase 1 Application review includes:• Stage 1: MA SubCouncil reviews applications relative to the Threshold

Criteria• Stage 2: Grant Review Team (GRT) evaluates and scores applications

relative to the Evaluation Criteria

Selected applicants will be invited to advance to Phase 2

Proposal Review:Phase 1, Stage 1 – Threshold Criteria No. 1: The application must contain the information necessary to

proceed with an evaluation as described in the Restoration Project Selection Procedure (RPSP).

No. 2: The proposed project must restore, rehabilitate, replace and/or acquire the equivalent of natural resources or natural resource services that were injured by the release of PCBs or other hazardous substances through land acquisition and/or land protection measures.

No. 3: The proposed project, or any portion of the proposed project, must not be an action that is presently required under other federal, state or local law.

No. 4: The proposed project must be consistent with federal, state, and local laws, regulations and policies.

No. 5: In terms of cost, the proposed project must be consistent with the stated goals of the MA SubCouncil to retain sufficient funds to 1) accomplish restoration over at least three rounds of proposal solicitations and 2) serve a wide geographic area that benefits the restoration priority categories.

No. 6: The proposed project must not be inconsistent with any ongoing or anticipated remedial actions (e.g., primary restoration) in the Housatonic River watershed.

Proposal Review:Phase 1, Stage 1 – Threshold Criteria (con’t)

Proposal Review:Phase 1, Stage 2 – Evaluation Criteria

Category # of Criteria Max. PointsRelevance and Applicability 7 85Technical Merit 6 65Project Budget 6 60Socioeconomic Merit 7 75

TOTAL 26 285

Category 1: Relevance and Applicability of Project

Review Criteria* and Available Points: • Natural Recovery Period (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Location of Project (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Sustainable Benefits (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Magnitude of Ecological Benefits (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Human Health & Safety (0, 6, 10 pts)

• Benefits to Multiple Restoration Categories (0, 6, 10 pts)

• Enhancement of Remediation/Response Actions (0, 3, 5 pts)

Proposal Review:Phase 1, Stage 2 – Evaluation Criteria (con’t)

* Review criteria identified in bold are those with a relationship to specific attributes identified by the Land Acquisition Focus Group as important to the purpose of evaluating land protection projects.

Category 1: Relevance and Applicability of Project (con’t)Potential Resources:• NHESP’s “Rare Species and

Natural Community Surveys inthe Housatonic River Watershedof Western Massachusetts”developed in 2010 withRound 1 funding.

Proposal Review:Phase 1, Stage 2 – Evaluation Criteria (con’t)

Category 2: Technical Merit

Review Criteria* and Available Points: • Technical/Technological Feasibility (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Technical Capacity of Applicant and Project Team (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Potential for Adverse Environmental Impacts (0, 6, 10 pts)

• Measureable Results (0, 6, 10 pts)

• Contingency Actions (0, 6, 10 pts)

• Administrative Capacity of Applicant and Project Team (0, 3, 5 pts)

Proposal Review:Phase 1, Stage 2 – Evaluation Criteria (con’t)

Category 3: Project Budget

Review Criteria* and Available Points: • Relationship of Expected Costs to Expected Benefits (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Implementation Oriented (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Budget Justification & Understanding (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Leveraging of Additional Resources (0, 3, 6, 10 pts)

• Coordination & Integration (0, 3, 5 pts)

• Comparative Cost-Effectiveness (preferred / not preferred)

Proposal Review:Phase 1, Stage 2 – Evaluation Criteria (con’t)

* Review criteria identified in bold are those with a relationship to specific attributes identified by the Land Acquisition Focus Group as important to the purpose of evaluating land protection projects.

Category 4: Socioeconomic Merit

Review Criteria* and Available Points: • Enhancement of Public’s Relationship with Natural Resources (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Fostering Future Restoration and Stewardship (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Community Involvement (0, 9, 15 pts)

• Adverse Socioeconomic Impacts (0, 6, 10 pts)

• Complementary with Community Goals (0, 6, 10 pts)

• Public Outreach (0, 3, 5 pts)

• Diverse Partnerships (0, 3, 5 pts)

Proposal Review:Phase 1, Stage 2 – Evaluation Criteria (con’t)

* Review criteria identified in bold are those with a relationship to specific attributes identified by the Land Acquisition Focus Group as important to the purpose of evaluating land protection projects.

Due Diligence grant contracts executed with selected applicants• July 2016 (estimated)

Applicants have 6 months for Phase 2 due diligence• Due diligence includes: Formal Land Appraisal, Environmental Site

Assessment, Letter of Interest / Commitment from Landowner• Due January 2017 (estimated)

Phase 2 due diligence material reviewed and projects selected• Announcement of final funding awards*: April 2017(estimated)

Grant Contracts amended with selected applicants:• April 2017 (estimated)

Proposal Review:Phase 2

*Proposals may remain eligible for funding if the closing of the land protection transaction occurs prior to the conclusion of Phase 2 review provided that the closing date occurs after the formal announcement that a proposal has been selected to advance from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of the review process.

Proposal Review:Anticipated Timeline

2015• Grant Announcement and Application (GAA) released (October 7, 2015)• Applicants’ Conference (December 10, 2015)

2016• Deadline for submittal of questions (January 8, 2016)• Phase 1 proposals deadline (April 6, 2016)• Proposed projects selected to advance to Phase 2 (June 30, 2016)

2017• Phase 2 due diligence deadline (January 2, 2017)• Final selection of proposals for Round 3 funding (April 1, 2017)

Second Subround of Round 3

GRANT CONTRACTS

Grant Awards• Single or multiple Grant Contracts• Maximum $ amount for each Grant Contract

Contract Duration• Base period: 3 years• One renewal option: 1 year• Maximum contract period: 4 years

Contract Components• Commonwealth Standard Contract• Commonwealth Terms and Conditions• Supplemental Terms and Conditions

Payment• Grantees reimbursed for costs/expenses

Grant Contracts:Contract Information

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Additional Information:Restoration Program Planning DocumentsResources specific to the Massachusetts Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Program include:• Restoration Planning Strategy (RPS)• Restoration Project Selection Procedure (RPSP)• Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA)• Round 3 RP/SEA

Draft document issued June 18, 2012 Final document issued May 7, 2013, following public review and comment

References are available at the Restoration Program Website:www.ma-housatonicrestoration.org

Additional Information:Applicant ResourcesMeeting Notes and Q&A from Subrounds 1 and 2:• Subround 1:

Meeting Notes: Public Information Meeting (8/5/13) Meeting Notes: Applicants’ Conference (6/17/14) Formal Response to Applicants’ Questions (7/8/14)

• Subround 2: Meeting Notes: Public Information Meeting (9/17/15)

Documents are available at the Restoration Program Website:www.ma-housatonicrestoration.org

Point of Contact:Karen Pelto, MassDEP NRD Program CoordinatorKaren.Pelto@state.ma.us617-292-5785

Grant Announcement and Application:• MassDEP NRD Website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/cleanup/nrd/nrd-

restoration-funding-opportunities.html

• Commonwealth’s Procurement website(COMMBUYS): www.commbuys.com.html

Document ID BWSC-NRD-2015-03COMMBUYS # BD-15-1045-BWSC0-BWSC1-00000005707

Project Information, Resources & Updates:Massachusetts Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Program Website: www.ma-housatonicrestoration.org

Additional Information:Applicant Resources (con’t)

OPEN FORUM / Q&A