Opportunity Information: Apply for L16AS00199
Apply for L16AS00199
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM - New Mexico Four Corners Air Quality Group" 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 Jun 29, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 29, 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 $100,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments.
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Opportunity Summary:
The BLM - New Mexico Four Corners Air Quality Group grant opportunity supports a targeted air quality modeling effort in the San Juan Basin, a major natural gas producing region that has increasingly struggled with ozone pollution and regional haze that can affect nearby federally protected Class I areas. Even though the basin is economically important, air monitoring and regulatory history in New Mexico has shown repeated concern that the region is close to violating federal ozone standards, especially as the EPA tightened those standards in 2008 and again in 2015. The New Mexico Environment Department Air Quality Bureau (NMAQB), operating under EPA-delegated authority (primacy), is responsible for managing these air quality risks while coordinating with federal, local, and tribal partners to avoid a formal non-attainment designation that could trigger broader permitting complications and even jeopardize federal highway funding if adequate pollution controls are not implemented.
A central driver for the work is the long-standing collaboration known first as the Four Corners Air Quality Task Force and later as the Four Corners Air Quality Group (FCAQG). This group produced a large menu of potential emission reduction measures (over 200 mitigation options) aimed largely at oil and gas exploration and production sources, since projected development is expected to increase emissions of ozone and visibility precursors, particularly volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). In addition to ozone concerns, the region is close to Class I areas such as the Weminuche Wilderness, Mesa Verde National Park, and the San Pedro Parks Wilderness, where the Clean Air Act provides strong protections against degradation of air quality and visibility. That proximity raises the stakes for controlling NOx, SO2, and particulate matter (including PM-10) that contribute to haze and visibility impairment.
The specific technical gap this grant addresses emerged from earlier modeling work the FCAQG commissioned through the ENVIRON company, which compared ozone outcomes under different mitigation scenarios using a 2005 baseline year and a 2018 outlook year. That modeling suggested that “boundary conditions,†meaning pollutant influences transported into the modeling domain from outside the immediate Four Corners/San Juan Basin area, may significantly affect local ambient ozone levels. Because transported ozone and precursors can materially change modeled concentrations, the proposed study focuses on evaluating how sensitive the model predictions are to uncertainty in those boundary conditions. In practical terms, the project is meant to test how much confidence decision-makers can place in modeled benefits of local mitigation options when outside-the-region pollution levels and inflow assumptions vary.
BLM’s role is to provide partial funding for this sensitivity evaluation, with the expectation that the work results in a report delivered to the NMAQB and shared with members of the FCAQG and BLM. The intended outcome is more defensible modeling that helps regulators and stakeholders understand the relative impact of different mitigation strategies, separate locally controllable emissions from transported contributions, and prioritize measures that most effectively prevent exceedances of federal ozone standards and protect visibility in nearby Class I areas. Ultimately, the grant is positioned as a planning and analysis tool: it supports the technical foundation needed for New Mexico and its partners to implement a mix of mandatory and voluntary oil-and-gas emission reduction programs while balancing air quality compliance with continued energy development.
From the funding notice details, this was a discretionary grant administered by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, under CFDA 15.236. Eligible applicants were state governments, with New Mexico as the clear intended partner through NMAQB. The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00199) was posted June 29, 2016, had an original closing date of August 29, 2016, anticipated a single award, and listed an award ceiling of $100,000.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the BLM - New Mexico Four Corners Air Quality Group grant opportunity?
This is a discretionary grant opportunity from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), created to support a targeted air quality modeling effort in New Mexico's San Juan Basin (the Four Corners area). The work is focused on improving how ozone pollution and regional haze are evaluated through air quality modeling, particularly in a region affected by significant natural gas production and increasing ozone concerns.
What problem is this grant trying to address?
The grant is meant to fill a specific technical gap identified in prior ozone modeling for the San Juan Basin. Earlier modeling suggested that "boundary conditions" (pollution transported into the modeling area from outside the basin) may significantly influence modeled ozone levels. Because transported pollution can change the modeled outcome, the grant supports a sensitivity evaluation to see how much uncertainty in those boundary conditions affects the predicted ozone concentrations and the modeled benefits of local emission reduction measures.
What is meant by "boundary conditions" in this grant?
In this context, "boundary conditions" refers to pollutant levels and influences entering the modeling domain from outside the immediate Four Corners / San Juan Basin region. These transported pollutants (ozone and ozone-forming precursors) can materially affect local ambient ozone levels and, as a result, can change what a model predicts for the effectiveness of local mitigation actions.
Why is the San Juan Basin a focus area for this modeling work?
The San Juan Basin is a major natural gas producing region and is economically important. At the same time, monitoring and regulatory history in New Mexico has repeatedly shown concern that the region is close to violating federal ozone standards, particularly after the EPA tightened those standards in 2008 and again in 2015. The basin also faces regional haze and visibility concerns that can affect nearby federally protected Class I areas.
What air pollutants are emphasized in the grant description?
The description highlights pollutants that contribute to ozone and haze/visibility impairment. For ozone, the emphasis is on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are key ozone precursors. For regional haze and visibility impacts near Class I areas, the description also notes NOx, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter, including PM-10.
How does oil and gas development relate to this grant?
The grant context is tied closely to emissions from oil and gas exploration and production sources. The Four Corners Air Quality Group developed a large menu of potential emission reduction measures (more than 200 mitigation options), largely aimed at oil and gas sources, because projected development is expected to increase emissions of ozone and visibility precursors such as VOCs and NOx.
What is the Four Corners Air Quality Group (FCAQG)?
The FCAQG is a long-standing collaborative group that was initially known as the Four Corners Air Quality Task Force and later became the Four Corners Air Quality Group. It has been involved in developing and reviewing emission reduction strategies and supporting technical work (including earlier modeling) intended to address ozone and visibility concerns in the Four Corners / San Juan Basin region.
What prior modeling work led to this grant's focus?
The technical gap arises from earlier modeling commissioned through the ENVIRON company. That work compared ozone outcomes under different mitigation scenarios using a 2005 baseline year and a 2018 outlook year. The modeling suggested boundary conditions could significantly affect local ambient ozone, motivating a follow-on sensitivity analysis to evaluate uncertainty in those boundary assumptions.
What will this grant-funded work produce?
The expected deliverable is a report resulting from the sensitivity evaluation. The report is expected to be delivered to the New Mexico Environment Department Air Quality Bureau (NMAQB) and shared with members of the FCAQG and BLM.
Who is expected to use the results of the project?
The results are intended to support regulators and stakeholders involved in air quality planning for the San Juan Basin, including NMAQB, members of the FCAQG, and BLM. The goal is to provide more defensible modeling that helps decision-makers understand the relative impact of mitigation strategies and the influence of transported pollution compared to locally controllable emissions.
How does this grant relate to federal ozone standards and non-attainment risk?
The grant is positioned in a regulatory context where New Mexico has shown repeated concern the region is close to violating federal ozone standards. NMAQB, operating under EPA-delegated authority (primacy), is responsible for managing these risks while coordinating with federal, local, and tribal partners to avoid a formal non-attainment designation. The modeling improvements supported by this grant are meant to strengthen planning and support strategies that prevent exceedances of federal standards.
Why does the opportunity mention Class I areas and visibility protection?
The San Juan Basin is close to federally protected Class I areas such as the Weminuche Wilderness, Mesa Verde National Park, and the San Pedro Parks Wilderness. The Clean Air Act provides strong protections for these areas against air quality degradation and visibility impairment. This proximity raises the stakes for controlling emissions that contribute to haze and visibility impacts, including NOx, SO2, and particulate matter.
What is BLM's role in this project?
BLM's role is to provide partial funding for the boundary condition sensitivity evaluation and to receive the resulting report (shared alongside NMAQB and FCAQG). The project is intended to strengthen the technical basis for air quality decision-making in a region where energy development and air quality compliance need to be balanced.
Is this grant intended to fund direct emission reduction projects?
No. Based on the description provided, the grant is positioned as a planning and analysis tool. It funds a technical modeling sensitivity evaluation to improve confidence in modeled outcomes and better separate transported contributions from local emissions. It supports the technical foundation that can inform later implementation of a mix of mandatory and voluntary emission reduction programs.
Who administers this grant and what program identifier is listed?
The grant is administered by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. The funding notice lists CFDA 15.236.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this grant?
The Funding Opportunity Number is L16AS00199.
Who was eligible to apply for this opportunity?
Eligible applicants were state governments. The information provided indicates New Mexico was the clear intended partner, working through the New Mexico Environment Department Air Quality Bureau (NMAQB).
How many awards were anticipated?
The funding notice anticipated a single award.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The listed award ceiling was $100,000.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on June 29, 2016. The original closing date was August 29, 2016.
What geographic area does the modeling effort focus on?
The effort is targeted to the San Juan Basin in New Mexico, within the broader Four Corners region, and is concerned with pollutant transport into and out of the modeling domain affecting ozone and haze outcomes.
What is the intended long-term benefit of the modeling sensitivity evaluation?
The intended benefit is more defensible air quality modeling that helps decision-makers: (1) understand how sensitive predicted ozone outcomes are to boundary condition uncertainty, (2) separate locally controllable emissions from transported contributions, and (3) prioritize mitigation measures that most effectively prevent exceedances of federal ozone standards and protect visibility in nearby Class I areas.
Why does the opportunity mention potential impacts like permitting complications or highway funding?
The description notes that a formal ozone non-attainment designation could trigger broader permitting complications. It also notes that federal highway funding can be jeopardized if adequate pollution controls are not implemented. This underscores why New Mexico and partners are focused on avoiding non-attainment through sound planning and effective emission reduction strategies informed by defensible modeling.
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