Region 7 Community Information Guide
EPA Region 7’s Community Information Guide provides communities, nonprofits, stakeholder groups, community-based organizations, academia, tribes, state and local governments, and other partners with the latest information on funding and technical assistance opportunities, meetings, conferences, events, webinars, and other activities related to human health and the environment.
This guide is updated periodically, so be sure to check back for the latest information!
On this page:
To suggest content for this page, please send an email to: R7_Communities_Digest@epa.gov.
Region 7's "Granting Green: Growing a Greener Tomorrow"
Success stories and achievements of various projects funded by EPA grants are highlighted in EPA Region 7’s publication, "Granting Green: Growing a Greener Tomorrow" (pdf) . Region 7 includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine tribal nations. The publication's goal is to inspire and encourage ongoing and future efforts in environmental protection and community development, while demonstrating the impact of EPA funding on improving air, land, and water quality, along with human health. |
Funding and Technical Assistance
U.S. Department of Energy’s Tribal Energy Financing – $20 Billion
- Due date: Aug. 31, 2028
- Information: This program is supporting tribal investment in a broad range of projects and activities for the development of energy resources, products, and services that utilize commercial technology.
- Eligible entities: federally recognized Indian tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations.
EPA Emerging Contaminants (EC) in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant (SDC) – $2 Billion
- Due date: ongoing
- This noncompetitive program will provide states, territories, and tribes with grants to public water systems in small or disadvantaged communities to address emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
- Eligible entities: states, territories, tribes.
- Due date: ongoing
- EIR offers financing to support projects that retool, repower, repurpose, or replace energy infrastructure that has ceased operations or that enable operating energy infrastructure to avoid, reduce, utilize, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.
- Eligible entities: See program guidance.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) Program
- Due dates: vary depending on agency
- SECD supports projects that promote and implement strategic community investment plans. These plans use the unique strengths of rural communities to advance prosperity. USDA Rural Development helps finance these projects to build community prosperity by using community assets, identifying resources, convening partners, and leveraging federal, state, local or private funding.
- To be eligible for SECD, a project must:
- Be eligible for the covered program.
- Be carried out in a rural area.
- Support a multi-jurisdictional, multi-sectoral strategic community investment plan.
- Due date: none
- The ERIF Tribal Assistance Program provides funding and support to tribal governments to enhance their participation in the federal environmental review process for infrastructure projects. The FPISC has designated $15 million from the ERIF to aid tribal governments through the program. The ERIF Tribal Assistance Program supports tribal involvement in environmental reviews for projects covered under FAST-41, providing tribes with resources to support their meaningful engagement in consultations and reviews necessary for project approvals.
- Eligible entities: federally recognized tribes.
EPA Science Matters: Wildfire Smoke and More
- Smoke from wildfires can impact air quality across much of the U.S. EPA researchers have been working to address many of the issues wildfires present to health and the environment, including preparing communities and individuals on how to protect themselves.
- Listen to EPA's Jason Sacks and a panel of other experts discuss how wildfire smoke affects your health on NPR's 1A.
- EPA's Ana Rappold spoke to The Atlantic about the effects of wildfire smoke and particulate matter on brain function.
- EPA develops software models and tools to address a range of environmental issues. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system is EPA’s premier tool for studying air pollution from global to local scales. In June 2023, EPA celebrated the 25th anniversary of CMAQ’s initial release with a three-part story on the history and significance of this powerful computational tool.
- Read about what has made the CMAQ model so successful over the years and why it is still relevant today.
- Read about how CMAQ has been working toward a “one environment-one health” approach throughout its lifetime.
- Read about how CMAQ has continued to innovate, modernize, and address emerging environmental issues.
Environmental Finance Center Network
- The Environmental Finance Center Network offers free help on training and technical assistance to small wastewater and decentralized wastewater treatment works serving approximately 10,000 or fewer people. Request assistance here.
U.S. Department of Energy’s National Community Solar Partnership+
U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Coalition Network Technical Assistance
- To assist with alternative fuels, fuel economy improvements, and emerging transportation technologies.
- This update includes data provided by EPA Brownfields, Superfund, Abandoned Mine Lands, Landfill Methane Outreach, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act programs, and a pilot with Underground Storage Tanks, in addition to data from 22 state partners. Over 190,000 sites and nearly 40 million acres of land are included and screened for solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy potential. EPA partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) to provide up-to-date data and screening that reflects current trends in renewable energy development.
EPA Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Technical Assistance
- CSO Technical Assistance is available from EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management on monitoring/modeling; smart sewers and smart data; asset management; operation and maintenance; regulatory/ compliance questions; and small CSO community spreadsheet-based tools (CSO model, long-term control plan review checklist, post-construction compliance monitoring checklist). See flyer for more information.
EPA CSO Tools Available
- Check out the NEW CSO Tools for combined sewer overflow permittees and permitting authorities for planning and management of different aspects of CSO programs. Each tool consists of an interactive spreadsheet, fact sheet or user guide, and three recorded trainings. These tools, which are currently in Beta test version, do not present new or changed requirements; rather they attempt to help break down information in a more digestible and interactive fashion.
- Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) Review Checklist – Designed to help CSO permittees and NPDES authorities determine if LTCPs meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the CSO Control Policy and conform with EPA guidance on developing LTCPs.
- Post-Construction Compliance Monitoring (PCCM) Checklist – Designed to help CSO permittees and NPDES authorities develop and evaluate PCCM programs to meet the requirements of the CWA and CSO Control Policy and conform with EPA guidance on PCCM.
- Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Model for Small Communities – Planning tool for small CSO communities that want a reasonably simple approach to estimating a CSO occurrence, as well as treated or untreated CSO volume over a 24-hour period and have limited resources to invest in more advanced CSO monitoring and modeling.
Meetings, Conferences and Events
No items at this time.Please check back for new meetings, conferences and events |
Webinars and Conference Calls
No items at this time.Please check back for new webinars and conference calls. |
The information above is being provided by EPA Region 7 for informational purposes only. This page contains links to information, agencies, sites, and organizations external to EPA’s website. EPA is not responsible for third-party links. EPA does not endorse third-party organizations or agencies.
Related Information
- Want to tell EPA about an environmental violation? See “Report a Violation” link at top.