Cooperatie Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Cooperatie Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU grant opportunity?

This opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 10HQPA0079) is a small, targeted U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research award issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. It is designed to support a single project that reviews and compares carbon-related policies and mitigation approaches across the United States.

What is the main purpose of this grant?

The project is intended to help the USGS better understand which carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies are working, what they cost, where they are feasible, and how those strategies can be represented in existing national assessment models used for analysis.

How many awards does USGS expect to make?

USGS anticipated making one award.

What is the estimated funding amount for this opportunity?

The estimated total funding amount is $20,000.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to partners already participating in the Great Plains CESU Program.

What kind of work is the recipient expected to perform?

The recipient is expected to synthesize national policy analyses related to ecological carbon sequestration and GHG emissions reduction, identify and evaluate mitigation strategies that have been considered or implemented, examine how their effectiveness is assessed, and compare costs and constraints across regions.

Is the project simply a general summary of carbon policies?

No. The description emphasizes that the work should go beyond general summaries by identifying mitigation strategies, evaluating how effectiveness is assessed, and comparing regional costs and constraints in a way that supports structured assessment and modeling needs.

What kinds of mitigation strategies are in scope?

The scope includes strategies related to ecological carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions reduction that have been considered or implemented across the United States, with attention to their effectiveness, costs, constraints, and regional feasibility.

What does the opportunity mean by "ecological suitability"?

Ecological suitability refers to whether a mitigation strategy makes sense biophysically or ecologically in a given place. The recipient is expected to propose workable definitions and approaches for quantifying this concept so it can be used in structured assessments.

What does the opportunity mean by "economic availability"?

Economic availability refers to whether a mitigation strategy is realistically adoptable based on costs, incentives, market conditions, and other economic factors. The recipient is expected to propose workable definitions and quantification approaches so the concept can be applied in an assessment context.

What are the expected deliverables or outputs?

Based on the description, a key implied deliverable is a clearer framework for describing mitigation options in consistent terms, especially for ecological suitability and economic availability, along with synthesized information on strategy effectiveness, regional constraints, and regional cost information that can support national assessment modeling.

How does this project relate to modeling efforts like FASOM GHG?

A central element is linking policy and mitigation information to modeling. The recipient will compile data sources used by the FASOM GHG effort and extract information on regional mitigation strategy costs, and also identify potential linkages between the broader assessment results and the FASOM GHG model.

What is meant by the "FASOM GHG effort" in this opportunity?

The notice refers to the FASOM GHG effort as commonly referring to the Forest and Agricultural Sector Optimization Model with greenhouse gas components. The work is expected to produce results that are directly useful for modeling and scenario analysis.

What specific data-related work is included?

The recipient is expected to compile the data sources used by the FASOM GHG effort and extract information on regional mitigation strategy costs, indicating a focus on producing model-relevant cost and linkage information rather than only narrative findings.

Why does the opportunity emphasize consistent definitions and quantification approaches?

The project aims to translate policy and mitigation knowledge into structured assessment inputs. To do that, concepts like ecological suitability and economic availability need workable definitions and quantification approaches so they can be applied systematically rather than remaining purely qualitative.

What geographic scope does the review cover?

The project focuses on reviewing and comparing carbon-related policies and mitigation approaches across the United States, including comparisons of costs and constraints across regions.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number is 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection).

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The notice was posted and created on June 28, 2010. The original and final closing date was July 8, 2010.

Is this opportunity still open?

No. The opportunity was archived on August 7, 2010.

Who was listed as the point of contact for questions or access issues?

Questions or access issues were directed to Faith Graves, Contract Specialist, at 703-648-7356.

What type of award mechanism is used?

It is issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement under the CESU Program.

What is the overall intended outcome of the funded project?

The intended outcome is a stronger evidence base for understanding how carbon policies and land-based mitigation strategies relate to emissions reductions and carbon sequestration potential, and to improve the usefulness of national assessments by connecting policy analysis, ecological feasibility, and economic cost information to modeling frameworks such as FASOM GHG.