Energy Cooperatives to support the National Coal Resources Data System (NCRDS) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This funding opportunity, titled "Energy Cooperatives to support the National Coal Resources Data System (NCRDS)," is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program (ERP) cooperative agreement designed to strengthen state-level research and public reporting on U.S. energy resources. It supports work focused on solid fuels (especially coal), conventional energy resources, and geothermal resources, with an emphasis on building consistent, high-quality datasets that can feed into national systems like the USGS National Coal Resources Data System. The agreement is structured as a five-year effort, but it is funded and renewed one year at a time depending on congressional appropriations and available program funds, so recipients should plan for annual continuation decisions rather than assuming guaranteed multi-year funding.

At its core, the program aims to help states do the kind of technical energy resource research that often requires specialized expertise, lab capabilities, equipment, or data infrastructure that may not be readily available at the state level. A key feature is the cooperative nature of the award: USGS is not only providing funds but also actively supporting recipients through technical expertise and, where applicable, access to scientific equipment and facilities. The statutory authority for the program is cited as 43 USC 36d and 30 USC 208-1, which underpins USGS involvement in energy resources data, research, and assessment activities.

The types of work funded are practical and data-driven, centered on generating and improving foundational information used in resource assessments and related environmental analysis. Funded activities include creating stratigraphic data (how rock layers are arranged and correlated), geochemical data (chemical composition relevant to fuel quality, emissions potential, and environmental behavior), geotechnical data (properties affecting mining, stability, and engineering considerations), and Geographic Information System (GIS) datasets that organize and map energy resource information. In plain terms, the program is paying for the careful data development that allows decision-makers, scientists, and the public to understand where resources are, what their characteristics are, and what the implications might be for extraction, land use, and environmental management.

The public purpose behind the program is framed as resource stewardship. By supporting state energy assessments and associated environmental impact analysis, the USGS and its partners help create credible, publicly accessible science that can inform public policy, regulatory discussions, and industry planning. The program also highlights that coal and other energy resource research is carried out in the context of environmental concerns and economic realities, meaning recipients are expected to consider both resource potential and the broader impacts or constraints associated with development and use.

A major expected outcome is publication and dissemination. Reports produced under these cooperative agreements are often co-authored with USGS staff and are distributed through multiple channels. The most prominent pathway is integration into the USGS NCRDS national databases, which serve as a central repository for coal-related resource data, along with other ERP energy assessment projects that operate at regional and national scales. This means the work is intended to be more than a standalone state study; it is meant to plug into national datasets and assessment efforts so that information is comparable across states and useful for larger-scale analyses.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant program using a cooperative agreement instrument. The funding opportunity number is G15AS00051, and it was posted March 10, 2015, with an application deadline of April 14, 2015 (archived May 14, 2015). The estimated total funding listed is $1,500,000 with an expectation of up to 20 awards, suggesting relatively small individual awards on average. The stated award floor is $1 and the award ceiling is $15,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowers the barrier for eligible applicants that may not have non-federal dollars available to pair with the award.

Eligibility is broad but targeted toward organizations positioned to do public-interest energy data and research work. Eligible applicants include state governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, and Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. The sponsoring agency is the USGS. For applicants needing help accessing the full announcement, the listed contact was Lillian Cephas, Grant Specialist (703-648-7202, lcephas@usgs.gov), and the opportunity was made available through Grants.gov.

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