Opportunity Information: Apply for L16AS00257
Apply for L16AS00257
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-MT, Groundwater Monitoring in Support of Energy Development in Eastern Montana" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.236.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 19, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 16, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $99,500.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Montana offered this cooperative agreement opportunity to support long-running groundwater monitoring tied to energy development on federal lands in eastern Montana. The work is rooted in a monitoring network that has been funded and supported by BLM since 1972, built around collecting groundwater level and groundwater quality information from monitoring wells located primarily on public lands. The central purpose is to generate reliable, consistent, long-term measurements that help BLM and other decision makers manage leasing and development activities while meeting National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis needs.
The project focuses on areas influenced by three main types of energy development: surface coal mining, coalbed natural gas (CBNG) exploration and production, and conventional oil and gas (OG) drilling and production. A major driver is compliance with groundwater monitoring requirements laid out in the Final Supplement to the Montana Statewide Oil and Gas Environmental Impact Statement and the proposed amendments to the Powder River and Billings Resource Management Plans (often referenced as the FSEIS). The FSEIS Monitoring Appendix identifies specific monitoring needs, but the opportunity also highlights broader data elements that must be tracked to properly describe and interpret groundwater conditions over time.
In practical terms, the funded effort is meant to produce scientifically sound datasets and the interpretive products that make those datasets useful. Required variables include groundwater levels, groundwater quality, and aquifer physical characteristics. The expectation is not only to collect the raw measurements, but also to develop clear descriptions of the groundwater systems in CBNG prospective and producing areas, coal mining areas, and oil and gas producing areas. Those system descriptions are intended to distinguish baseline (pre-development) conditions from changes attributable to CBNG, coal mining, and conventional oil and gas activities, while also accounting for situations where human activity does not produce measurable change, identifying recovery trends after development, and separating these signals from normal seasonal or ambient patterns.
Another major deliverable is modeling. The opportunity calls for refining groundwater flow models and developing model-ready products (such as gridded estimates of basin physical characteristics commonly used as model inputs) that can be used to evaluate future conditions. A notable emphasis is that these models should be improved for predictive accuracy and designed so that third parties can manipulate them in an intuitive way, particularly to run predictive scenarios involving groundwater pumping associated with future projects. In other words, the work is intended to move beyond site-by-site snapshots and support forward-looking, scenario-based decision making.
The public benefit is framed broadly: the monitoring program is meant to provide trusted, third-party information that developers, regulators, land management agencies, and the public can use to understand how energy development affects groundwater resources and existing water rights. By documenting both baseline conditions and changes during and after development, the data can inform permitting and leasing decisions, guide operational and mitigation approaches, and support determinations related to bond release and other regulatory milestones. All collected data are to be added to Montana's publicly available Ground-Water Information Center (GWIC) database, and the modeling products are intended to make the in situ monitoring information easier for others to use and interpret.
From the funding details provided, this was a discretionary opportunity issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, under CFDA 15.236, using a cooperative agreement mechanism. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility text in the full announcement). The opportunity number was L16AS00257, posted July 19, 2016, with an original closing date of September 16, 2016. The award ceiling was $99,500, with BLM anticipating one award.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity about?
This Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement opportunity supports long-running groundwater monitoring in eastern Montana related to energy development on federal lands. The work builds on a monitoring network that BLM has funded and supported since 1972, focused on collecting consistent groundwater level and groundwater quality information from monitoring wells located primarily on public lands.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The central purpose is to generate reliable, consistent, long-term groundwater measurements and interpretive products that help BLM and other decision makers manage leasing and development activities, while also meeting National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis needs.
Which energy development activities are tied to this groundwater monitoring effort?
The project focuses on areas influenced by three major energy development types: surface coal mining, coalbed natural gas (CBNG) exploration and production, and conventional oil and gas (OG) drilling and production.
Why is the Final Supplement to the Montana Statewide Oil and Gas Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) important here?
A major driver for the monitoring work is compliance with groundwater monitoring requirements described in the Final Supplement to the Montana Statewide Oil and Gas Environmental Impact Statement and the proposed amendments to the Powder River and Billings Resource Management Plans (often referenced together as the FSEIS). The FSEIS Monitoring Appendix identifies specific monitoring needs that this effort is intended to support.
What kinds of data are required to be collected under this opportunity?
Required variables include groundwater levels, groundwater quality, and aquifer physical characteristics. The intent is to create scientifically sound datasets that can be used to describe and interpret groundwater conditions over time.
Is the project only about collecting raw measurements?
No. In addition to collecting raw measurements, the effort is expected to produce interpretive products, including clear descriptions of groundwater systems in CBNG prospective and producing areas, coal mining areas, and conventional oil and gas producing areas. These descriptions are meant to make the monitoring data useful for analysis and decision making.
What is meant by "baseline" groundwater conditions in this project?
Baseline conditions refer to pre-development groundwater conditions. A key expectation is to distinguish baseline conditions from changes attributable to CBNG development, coal mining, and conventional oil and gas activities.
Does the monitoring work consider situations where development does not cause measurable groundwater change?
Yes. The project description explicitly includes accounting for situations where human activity does not produce measurable change, identifying recovery trends after development, and separating those signals from normal seasonal or ambient groundwater patterns.
What modeling work is expected as part of the deliverables?
The opportunity calls for refining groundwater flow models and developing model-ready products that can be used to evaluate future conditions. This includes creating gridded estimates of basin physical characteristics that are commonly used as model inputs.
What is the emphasis for the groundwater models under this opportunity?
The models are expected to be improved for predictive accuracy and designed so that third parties can manipulate them in an intuitive way. A particular focus is supporting predictive scenarios involving groundwater pumping associated with future projects, enabling forward-looking, scenario-based decision making rather than only site-by-site snapshots.
Who is expected to benefit from the monitoring program?
The program is framed as a public benefit that provides trusted, third-party information for developers, regulators, land management agencies, and the public. The goal is to help people understand how energy development affects groundwater resources and existing water rights.
How can the monitoring data be used in decision making?
By documenting baseline conditions and changes during and after development, the data can inform permitting and leasing decisions, guide operational and mitigation approaches, and support determinations related to bond release and other regulatory milestones.
Where will the collected groundwater data be stored or published?
All collected data are to be added to Montana's publicly available Ground-Water Information Center (GWIC) database.
How are the modeling products intended to help people use the monitoring information?
The modeling products are intended to make the in situ monitoring information easier for others to use and interpret, particularly for evaluating future conditions and running predictive scenarios.
What type of funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?
This opportunity was issued as a cooperative agreement by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
What is the CFDA number for this grant opportunity?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 15.236.
Is this a competitive/discretionary opportunity?
Yes. The funding details describe it as a discretionary opportunity.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility language that may have been included in the full announcement.
What is the opportunity number?
The opportunity number is L16AS00257.
When was the opportunity posted, and what was the closing date?
It was posted on July 19, 2016, with an original closing date of September 16, 2016.
What was the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling was $99,500.
How many awards did BLM anticipate making?
BLM anticipated making one award.
Where is the monitoring work primarily located?
The monitoring effort is tied to federal lands in eastern Montana and is built around monitoring wells located primarily on public lands.
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