BLM Utah Air Quality Modeling and Monitoiring Support for Rural Areas | Apply Online

FAQs: BLM Utah Air Quality Modeling and Monitoring Support for Rural Areas (L16AS00248)

What is the focus of this BLM funding opportunity?

This opportunity supports work to strengthen air quality monitoring and analysis capacity in rural Utah, especially on federally managed public lands where ambient monitoring coverage and technical tools are limited. The goal is to generate defensible data and improved analytical methods that help evaluate air quality conditions, trends, and potential impacts from permitted or ongoing activities.

Which agency is offering the award, and what type of award is it?

The award is offered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), within the U.S. Department of the Interior, and is structured as a discretionary cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement indicates the BLM expects substantial involvement and coordination with the recipient during project execution.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) and title?

The Funding Opportunity Number is L16AS00248, and the title is "BLM Utah Air Quality Modeling and Monitoiring Support for Rural Areas."

What problem is the BLM trying to address in rural Utah?

The BLM describes a significant gap in ambient air monitoring outside urban centers. Regulatory priorities and budget realities tend to focus monitoring resources in population-heavy areas, leaving rural regions with fewer monitoring stations and less modeling support even though those areas may experience air quality impacts from permitted or ongoing activities.

What are the main project components described in the notice?

The notice emphasizes two main components: (1) expanding and improving rural air monitoring, including operational support for an existing long-term station, and (2) enhancing the tools and datasets used to interpret air quality conditions, particularly through improved modeling inputs, forecasting (prognostic) methods, and emissions tracking.

Is there a specific monitoring station that must be supported?

Yes. A central near-term task is operational support for a long-term monitoring station located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

What pollutants and variables is the Grand Staircase-Escalante station intended to measure?

The station is intended to measure ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx), meteorological parameters, and potentially fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

What kinds of activities are included in "operational support" for the monitoring station?

Operational support is described as practical ongoing work such as data storage and publication, quality assurance activities, monthly site visits, and equipment repairs.

Does the opportunity fund the purchase of major new monitoring equipment?

The work is not framed as purchasing major new equipment. The notice emphasizes ongoing operations and maintenance, and it explicitly excludes capital asset replacement.

How will the monitoring data be used by the BLM?

The monitoring output is intended to complement the Utah Department of Air Quality (UDAQ) network and provide the BLM with usable data for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews, air quality modeling, and evaluation of impacts tied to BLM-authorized activities.

How does this effort relate to the Utah Department of Air Quality (UDAQ) monitoring network?

The BLM describes the monitoring output as complementary to UDAQ's network. Coordination with UDAQ is also highlighted for any potential additional stations or targeted field studies.

Could additional monitoring stations or field studies be added under this agreement?

The notice indicates that additional monitoring stations and targeted field studies could be pursued if funding and agency needs support it, and if those additions are coordinated with UDAQ and other federal land managers.

What modeling or analytical tool improvements are prioritized?

The opportunity places notable emphasis on strengthening emissions tracking and modeling inputs, including continued improvement of an emissions inventory tracking tool already under development and enhancements to forecasting methods used for planning and consistency in projecting emissions over time.

What specific emissions inventory enhancement is mentioned?

The notice calls for incorporation of the 2014 emissions inventory producer workbooks with detailed attributes such as company, equipment, location, and emission factors.

What does the opportunity say about price forecasting methods?

It calls for updated price forecasting methods, including an option to run scenarios using fixed pricing, to improve planning and consistency when projecting emissions associated with industrial activity and operations over time.

Why does the BLM describe this project as a public benefit?

The BLM frames the project as essential to protecting public health and air quality-related values on public lands. By improving monitoring datasets and analytical tools, the agency can better determine whether authorized activities are causing adverse impacts and respond appropriately when problems are detected.

How does this work support better land management decisions?

The BLM states that without these monitoring datasets and associated analytical tools, it cannot make well-reasoned management decisions or ensure air quality considerations in land-use decisions do not produce unintended consequences for nearby communities, visitors, and natural and cultural resources.

Who was eligible to apply, based on the information provided?

The opportunity was open to unrestricted applicants, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may have been included in the full notice.

How many awards were anticipated and what was the award ceiling?

The BLM anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $70,000.

When was the opportunity posted and what was the original closing date?

It was posted on July 8, 2016, with an original closing date of August 8, 2016.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity aligns with natural resources work under CFDA 15.236.

What does the cooperative agreement structure imply for the recipient?

It signals that the BLM expects substantial involvement and coordination with the recipient throughout the project, rather than a more hands-off relationship typical of some grant structures.

What areas are specifically targeted for impact?

The emphasis is on rural areas of Utah, particularly federally managed public lands, with a key early focus on the monitoring station in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Why is this work positioned as filling an unmet need?

The BLM notes that other agencies are not planning to expand monitoring in the targeted rural areas. This agreement is presented as filling a clear gap by creating datasets and analytical capability that are otherwise unlikely to be developed in those locations.