EPA Region 7

Communities Information Digest

September 16, 2016
Welcome to the latest EPA Region 7 Digest!
EPA Region 7s Communities Information
Digest provides communities with the latest
news about funding and technical assistance
opportunities, webinars, conferences, and
other activities related to human health and
the environment.
An * indicates a new item.
Jump to:
Headlines
Funding and Technical Assistance
Opportunities
Meetings, Conferences, & Events
Webinars and Conference Calls
To subscribe or unsubscribe from this
newsletter, or to suggest new content, email:

SepticSmart Week
September 19-23
EPA urges maintenance of septic systems to
protect health, environment, and save money.
For information on SepticSmart Week or tips
on how to properly maintain your septic
system, visit www.epa.gov/septicsmart.

E-Cycle Your Old Electronics This

School Year

Find out where to donate or recycle your used

electronics.

R7_POIS_Communities_Mailbox@epa.gov

Find us @
www.facebook.com/eparegion7
www.twitter.com/EPAregion7
www.scribd.com/eparegion7

Apply for Building Blocks for

Sustainable Communities technical
assistance
Read the 2016-2017 Request for Letters of
Interest for information on how to apply.

Headlines
National
*USDA Awards Grants to Preserve Affordable Rural Housing
USDA is awarding Housing Preservation Grants to 107 organizations in the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and in every state except Montana
and Washington. The grants can be used to remove health and safety hazards, make
homes more energy efficient, and modernize the units. Grant recipients distribute the
grants to homeowners and owners of multi-family rental properties or cooperative
dwellings who rent to low- and very-low-income residents.

*EPA Finalizes Rule to Reduce Smog-Forming Pollution Across State Lines

EPA recently announced final updates to the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. This action
will help protect communities in the eastern U.S. from smog-forming pollution that
crosses state lines and will help states meet the 2008 air quality standards for smog, or
ozone.
*New Rule Proposed to Help Children Exposed to Lead Paint Hazards
In an effort to immediately help young children with elevated blood lead levels living in
federally assisted housing, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
has proposed to lower the Departments threshold of lead in the childs blood to match
the one used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HUDs proposed new
reference level for lead in a young childs blood would be lowered from 20 micrograms
of lead per deciliter of blood to five, and continue to be aligned with CDC
recommendations.
*EPA Awarded Three GreenGov Presidential Sustainability Awards
The GreenGov Presidential Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in the pursuit of
President Obamas federal sustainability goals.
*USDA Announces Rural Water and Waste Infrastructure Investments
The investments are made through USDA Rural Development's Water and Waste
Disposal Loan and Grant Program, which provides assistance and financing to develop
drinking water and waste disposal systems for communities with 10,000 or fewer
residents.
*EPA Adds Sites to National Priorities List
EPA is adding 10 and proposing to add eight hazardous waste sites to the Superfund
programs National Priorities List (NPL). EPA adds sites to the NPL when
mismanagement of contamination threatens public health and the environment. EPA
typically initiates Superfund involvement at a site because states, tribes or citizens ask
for the agencys help.
*Rural America is Back in Business
The total number of people living in rural counties remained essentially unchanged
between 2014 and 2015, following rural net migration that began with the housingmarket crisis. This improvement coincides with rural economic recovery and, if current
trends continue, we will see gradual population growth in rural America in the coming
years.
*Identify Green Streets in Your Watershed and Filter and Slow Stormwater,
Revitalize Neighborhoods and Make Streets Safer
Green streets, like other green infrastructure approaches, can help replicate natural
processes like infiltration to capture and reuse precipitation to dramatically reduce the
volume, rate and temperature of runoff from impervious areas, while also providing
street features that slow traffic and provide increased walkability.
*New Resource: Green Infrastructure and Climate Change: Collaborating to
Improve Community Resiliency
In 2015, EPA convened charrettes in four cities, which focused on different issues
based on the most pressing climate change impacts they were facing and their current
level of green infrastructure implementation.

*New Resource: America's College Promise Playbook

This Department of Education document provides practitioners with relevant information
about how they can offer more students access to an affordable, high-quality education
through which students can go as far as their talents and work ethic can take them.
*New Resource: Upper Mississippi River Harmful Algal Bloom Response
Resource Manual
The Response Resource Manual provides information to assist the states of the Upper
Mississippi River, federal partners and others, in addressing harmful algal blooms
(HABs) on the Upper Mississippi River. In particular, it is envisioned for use in larger
bloom incidents that may impact more than one state. However, the resources it
contains may also be valuable for smaller-scale blooms and for information sharing
purposes.
*New Tool: Deconstruction Rapid Assessment Tool
This EPA tool enables organizations to triage building stock slated for demolition and
prioritize structures for deconstruction and salvage. The assessment process identifies
candidates for deconstruction by examining information on the building's condition and
salvageable material inventory, and considering factors that affect the value of the
building.

Back to Top

Funding & Technical Assistance Opportunities

Mid-America Region Council Sustainable Success Stories Call for Projects
September 23
Future Cities Accelerator September 25
Applications for Climate Leadership Awards September 26
National Adaptation Forum Call for Proposals September 30
Safe Places to Play, US Soccer Foundation Grants Letter of Interest: September
30, Application Deadline: October 7
Fourth National Climate Assessment Author Nominations and Technical Inputs
September 30
EPA Fifth Annual Campus RainWorks Challenge Prize Competition September 30
EPA National Wetland Condition Assessment Campus Research Challenge
September 30
*Training and Technical Assistance to Improve Water Quality and Enable Small
Public Water Systems to Provide Safe Drinking Water September 30
*Strong Infrastructure Contest September 30
Build Healthy, Resilient Coastal Communities October 5

*Application for Smart Growth America Technical Assistance October 6

FTA and Smart Growth America free TOD Technical Assistance October 7
PeopleForBikes Community Grant Program October 7
Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards October 10
*Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals Request for Nominations October 11
*Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities technical assistance October 12
HUD Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program October 12
Asthma Empowerment Collaborations to Reduce Childhood Asthma Disparities
Letters of Intent: October 16, Applications due: November 16
EPA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) October 20
DOE First Steps Toward Developing Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency on
Tribal Lands Program October 20
National Science Foundations Environmental Sustainability Program October 20
EPAs Smart City Air Challenge October 28
*National Native Health Research Training Initiative October 30
Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth October 31
*Knight Cities Challenge November 3
*Culture of Health Prize, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation November 3
Agriculture and Natural Resources Science for Climate Variability and Change
Challenge Area November 17
*EPA FY 2017 Exchange Network Grant Solicitation Notice November 18
*FY 2017 USDA Farm to School Grant December 8
*NOAA Educational Partnership Program Undergraduate Scholarship January 31
*NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship January 31

Ongoing Opportunities
*River Network National Rain Barrel Program Through June 2017
POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic
Revitalization) Grants Applications accepted on a rolling basis
Tribal Climate Change Funding Guide Regularly updated grants and programs

EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Program

USDA Agricultural Conservation Easement Program Local USDA Service Center
Apply for a Fruit Tree Planting Foundation Orchard in Your Community
American Planning Association Community Planning Assistance Teams
Climate Solutions University Adaptation Plan Assistance
Back to Top

Meetings, Conferences, & Events

Climate Week in NYC September 19-25, New York City, NY
*Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Tribal Environmental Health Research
Progress Review Meeting September 20-21, Research Triangle Park, NC
ICMA Annual Conference September 25-28, Kansas City, MO
International Economic Development Council Annual Conference September 2528, Cleveland, OH
Designing Cities Conference September 26-29, Seattle, WA
*Solomon-Republican Regional Advisory Committee Meeting September 27,
Downs, KS
Smart Cities Week September 27-29, Washington, D.C.
National Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference September 28-30, Baltimore,
MD
EPA Region 6 Annual Stormwater Conference October 2-6, Oklahoma City, OK
Growing Sustainable Communities Annual Conference October 4-5, Dubuque,
IA
Rail~Volution Conference October 9-12, San Francisco, CA
*How to Create Successful Markets October 14-15, New York City, NY
*National Association of Development Organizations' Annual Training
Conference October 15-18, San Antonio, TX
AARP Livable Communities National Conference October 17-19, Chicago, IL
Managing Water Resources: System Losses, Auditing, Conservation, and
Drought Preparedness October 19, Emporia, KS
Green Business Engagement National Network Summit October 19-20, St.
Louis, MO

Toxic Release Inventory Conference October 19-21, Washington, D.C.

National Training Conference on the Toxics Release Inventory and
Environmental Conditions in Communities October 19-21, Washington, D.C.
Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference October 20-22, Baltimore, MD
Rally 2016: The National Land Conservation Conference October 28-30,
Minneapolis, MN
American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition October 29November 2, Denver, CO
CitiesAlive: 14th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference November 1-4,
Washington, D.C.
*Governors Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas November 14-15,
Manhattan, KS
*Green Lands Blue Waters Conference November 29-30, Columbia, MO
*AGU Chapman Conference on Extreme Climate Event Impacts on Aquatic
Biogeochemical Cycles and Fluxes January 22-27, 2017, San Juan, Puerto Rico
New Partners for Smart Growth Conference February 2-4, 2017, St. Louis, MO
2017 Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference February 5-8, 2017, Lincoln, NE
Climate Leadership Conference March 1-3, 2017, Chicago, IL
*11th Annual Iowa Water Conference March 22-23, 2017, Ames, IA
2017 National Brownfields Training Conference December 5-7, 2017, Pittsburg,
PA
Back to Top

Webinars and Conference Calls

*Showcasing Native American Successful Business and Entrepreneurship
Development Projects September 16, 1-2:30 p.m. CST
USDAs Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is holding a series of informational
webinars to share success stories and best practices on how customers and partner
organizations have used RBS programs and resources to support businesses in rural and
Tribal communities.
*Healthy Cities in the Era of Climate Change September 19, 12:15-1:45 p.m. CST
Many of the actions we must take to mitigate climate change-reducing fossil fuel use;
promoting walkable, bikeable cities; supporting sustainable, local agriculture-offer
significant benefits for public health. This webinar will explore the possibilities for "win-win"
solutions to climate change and health.
*Portfolio Manager: Ask the Expert September 20, 11:00 a.m.-noon CST

This live webinar gives all users an opportunity to ask their questions directly to EPA
experts in an open forum.
*Addressing Environmentally Triggered Asthma in Tribal Communities September
20, 12:30-2:00 p.m. CST
Participants will learn about: Asthma basics, including environmental triggers, how
medical and environmental professionals can make positive changes together, the
importance of partnerships in addressing asthma, and successful efforts to manage
environmental asthma triggers in tribal communities.
*How to Apply for the Energy Star September 20, 1-2:00 p.m. CST
Learn about applying for the Energy Star Certification in Portfolio Manager. Understand
the value of the Energy Star Certification, see the step-by-step process of applying, and
gain tips to help your property get from application to award.
*City/Utility Partnerships: Minneapolis Case Study September 20, 2-3:30 p.m. CST
Cities can benefit from working with their utilities to achieve common clean power
objectives. On this call we will highlight the work that Minneapolis has done to partner with
its utility to achieve climate and economic goals.
*Food: Too Good to Waste - Community Results and Lessons Learned September
22, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
The Food: Too Good to Waste toolkit was designed and developed for local
governments and other community partners to help prevent wasted food in households.
During this webinar we will present results from an evaluation report on several campaign
implementations and hear from three of those communities who implemented this toolkit.
*Stronger Economies Together: Regional Planning & Business Development
September 22, 1-2:30 p.m. CST
USDAs Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is holding a series of informational
webinars to share success stories and best practices on how customers and partner
organizations have used RBS programs and resources to support businesses in rural and
Tribal communities.
State Resiliency Initiatives: From Issue to Action! September 22, 1:002:00 p.m.
CST
Two floodplain and resilience professionals will discuss how different statewide
approaches are being implemented to enable their communities to be more resilient.
*Cooperatives as a Tool for Community Solutions September 27, 12-1:30 p.m. CST
USDAs Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is holding a series of informational
webinars to share success stories and best practices on how customers and partner
organizations have used RBS programs and resources to support businesses in rural and
Tribal communities.
*Portfolio Manager 101 September 27, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
Learn about EPAs ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. Attendees will learn how to:
navigate Portfolio Manager; add a property and enter details about it; enter energy and
water consumption data; and generate template performance reports to assess progress.
*Mid-Market Solar Policy Webinar September 27, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
Learn about "Midmarket Solar Policies in the United StatesA Guide for Midsized Solar
Customers" during the webinar. The guidebook is aimed to help potential customers from

the mid-market PV segment (between 50 kW to 5 MW) to navigate through different kinds

of policy mechanisms in order to do preliminary assessment of project feasibility.
*Portfolio Manager: Ask the Expert September 28, 11:00 a.m.-noon CST
This live webinar gives all users an opportunity to ask their questions directly to EPA
experts in an open forum.
*Portfolio Manager 201 September 28, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
Continue to learn about EPAs ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool with a deeper dive
into more advanced functionalities such as: editing property data; correcting and updating
property use details; using the data quality checker; and sharing property data.
*Tribal Renewable Energy Webinar: Strategic Partnerships for Clean Energy and
Economic Development September 28, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
Learn how partnerships can help align economic development and clean energy
development strategies and policies, leverage resources, reduce or remove policy and
program barriers and silos, and identify the emerging opportunities and challenges clean
energy industries face in the near and long term.
*Farm to School Grant Program RFA Review September 29, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
This webinar overview the Farm to School Grant Program and application requirements.
*A Roadmap for Transforming Energy to 100% Wind, Water, and Solar September
29, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CST
Learn what communities and cities can do to help transform the United States energy
infrastructure for all purposes to 100% wind, water, and solar power.
*Portfolio Manager 301 September 29, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
With a good background on the basic functionality of EPAs ENERGY STAR Portfolio
Manager tool, learn about some advanced features including: using spreadsheet upload
templates to update property data; setting goals and targets to plan energy improvements
for properties; creating custom reports; and using the Sustainable Buildings Checklist.
*Local Food Financing and Cooperative Business Models September 29, 1-2:30 p.m.
CST
USDAs Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is holding a series of informational
webinars to share success stories and best practices on how customers and partner
organizations have used RBS programs and resources to support businesses in rural and
Tribal communities.
Responding To Drought and Water Challenges - National Kickoff Meeting October
4, 12-2:00 p.m. CST
This webinar will engage Forest Service employees and partners in planning for and
adapting to the impacts of drought and water challenges in the face of a changing climate.
*U.S. EPA's Webinar for Environmental Justice Communities and Tribes on How to
Engage in the Title V Petitions Process Rulemaking October 4, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing changes to increase the
transparency and understanding of the title V petition process.
*Protecting Endangered Species with Continuous Water Quality Data October 6, 12:00 p.m. CST pm

Discover how scientists analyze and visualize biogeochemicals cycling in local rivers.
Learn how automated red flags help them stay within acceptable deviation of historical
daily averages, and how modern technologies can help you achieve water quality goals.
2015 PET Container Recycling Rate Report Overview October 18, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
This webinar will serve as an Executive Summary, featuring data and analyses from the
Report on Postconsumer PET Container Recycling Activity in 2015.
2015 National Postconsumer Plastics Bottle Recycling Rate Report Overview
November 15, 12-1:00 p.m. CST
This webinar will serve as an Executive Summary, featuring data and analyses from the
2015 National Postconsumer Plastics Bottle Recycling Rate Report.

On-Going and On-Demand Webinars

Leveraging Resources for Brownfields Revitalization Webinar
This previously recorded webinar discusses available tools to assist communities in
leveraging resources to address community revitalization goals and challenges. It
includes a presentation on Dubuque, Iowa's efforts to leverage its own resources to attract
other federal, state, public and private sources of funding and technical assistance.
EPA Computer Training Helps Water and Wastewater Utilities Build Resilience
The training covers several topics including: identifying and funding potential hazard
mitigation projects, developing and updating an Emergency Response Plan (ERP),
coordinating mutual aid and assistance during emergencies, conducting damage
assessments, and many more.
EPA Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments 10-Part Webinar Series
Student Curriculum: Recipes for Healthy Kids, and a Healthy Environment
Each 45-minute lesson empowers kids to take steps in their everyday lives to improve
the environment for their communities and reduce their environmental risk.
LeanPath presents: Five Food Waste Myths to Debunk Now!
This webinar will explore five myths about food waste and the facts you need to debunk
them in your kitchen.
Back to Top

This digest is being provided by EPA Region 7 for informational purposes only.
This digest contains links to information, agencies, sites, and organizations outside of the
EPA website.
EPA is not responsible for third party links. EPA does not endorse third party organizations
or agencies.