Funding-2011 CIG --
Greenhouse Gas (GHG); February 11,
2011
Agency
Name
USDA
Description
Overview: The purpose
of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation
approaches and technologies, while leveraging the Federal investment in
environmental enhancement and protection in conjunction with agricultural
production. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation
technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as
market-based systems) into NRCS policy, technical manuals, guides, and
references or to the private sector. CIG does not fund research projects.
Projects intended to formulate hypothesis do not qualify. CIG is to apply proven
technology which has been shown to work previously. It is a vehicle to stimulate
the development and adoption of conservation approaches or technologies that
have been studied sufficiently to indicate a likelihood of success, and to be
candidates for eventual technology transfer or institutionalization. CIG
promotes sharing of skills, knowledge, technologies, and facilities among
communities, governments, and other institutions to ensure that scientific and
technological developments are accessible to a wider range of users. CIG funds
projects targeting innovative on-the-ground conservation, including pilot
projects and field demonstrations. For the purpose of this CIG funding, NRCS
seeks to stimulate the application of greenhouse gas benefitting practices on
agricultural land. The grantee would secure the participation of agricultural
producers, determine baseline values of greenhouse gas emissions and/or carbon
sequestration, verify the implementation and maintenance of GHG benefitting
practices, and determine GHG benefits (additionality)
so that these benefits can be successfully registered in a commonly recognized
carbon registry. Beyond this, successful applicants will develop linkages
between these registered carbon credits with existing or newly emerging market
structures. NRCS intends to make funding available through its regular EQIP
program to contract directly with participating producers to incentivize the
application of GHG benefitting practices. Such funds may be directed to
successful applicant project areas. Therefore, agricultural producers
implementing GHG practices in this CIG project must be eligible to receive
payment directly from the EQIP and all practices used must be approved practices
in the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG). A successful grantee would use
innovative approaches within the funding they bring to this project to enhance
the cost sharing of EQIP to stimulate the application of GHG benefitting
practices and identify new practices that NRCS can include in the FOTG as
interim practices for use within the regular EQIP component of an awarded project. NRCS will accept applications for single or
multi-year projects, not to exceed 3 years, submitted to NRCS from eligible
entities including federally recognized Indian tribes, State and local units of
government, and non-governmental organizations and individuals. Applications are
accepted from all 50 States, the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands), and the Pacific Islands Area (Guam, American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Applications will be screened for
completeness and compliance with the provisions of this notice. Incomplete
applications will be eliminated from competition, and notification of
elimination will be mailed to the applicant. Complete applications received by
applicable deadlines will be evaluated by a technical peer review panel based on
the Criteria for Application Evaluation identified in the application
instructions in section VI.B. Applications with technically-based
recommendations from the peer review groups will be forwarded to the Grants
Review Board. The Grants Review Board will make recommendations for project
approval to the NRCS Chief who will make the final selections.
Announcement Number:
USDA-NRCS-NHQ-11-02
Due Date:
Feb 11, 2011
Link to Full
Announcement
Contact
Information
Gregorio Cruz,
National CIG Program Mgr.
USDA, NRCS
P.O. Box 2890, Rm. 6175-S
Washington, DC 20013-2890
Tel. no.: (202) 720-8071
Fax no.: (202)
720-4839