Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products | EPA R OCSPP OPPT FY2023 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA R OCSPP OPPT FY2023 001

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products" (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-R-OCSPP-OPPT-FY2023-001; CFDA: 66.721). The program is designed to strengthen and expand the EPA's Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) Assistance Program by improving the quality and credibility of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions information tied to construction materials and products across their full life cycle, meaning production, use, and end-of-life disposal. The central idea is that better, more standardized emissions data enables clearer disclosure, more reliable verification, and ultimately stronger market signals favoring lower-carbon construction materials.

At its core, this opportunity aims to make embodied carbon data more robust and usable. "Embodied" emissions generally refer to the GHG emissions associated with making and delivering a material or product (and sometimes its end-of-life impacts), as distinct from the operational emissions of a building once it is in use. EPA is trying to increase the amount of high-quality, verified environmental data available for the construction sector by helping manufacturers develop and verify Environmental Product Declarations. EPDs are standardized documents that report environmental impacts based on life cycle assessment methods, and they are often used by purchasers, designers, and public agencies to compare products and make lower-emissions procurement decisions.

EPA expects to make up to 40 awards in FY2024, using grants and/or cooperative agreements. The funding instruments listed are Grant and Cooperative Agreement, which indicates that some projects may involve more substantial federal involvement or collaboration (typical of cooperative agreements) depending on the nature of the work. While the exact award sizes can vary, the posted award ceiling is $10,000,000, signaling that some awards could be large, particularly those that support broader systems, networks, or pass-through subaward programs.

The opportunity is structured around two main types of awards. First, EPA plans to fund businesses that manufacture construction materials and products so they can develop and verify EPDs. This includes support for the technical work needed to generate credible life cycle emissions data and to complete EPD documentation in a way that meets accepted standards and verification expectations. In addition to directly supporting manufacturers, EPA also anticipates awards to States, Indian Tribes, and nonprofit organizations that will help those businesses complete EPD development and verification. This reflects the reality that many manufacturers, especially small and mid-sized firms, may need external technical assistance, coordination support, or resources to navigate EPD program rules and verification processes.

Second, EPA plans to fund cooperative agreements to "pass-through entities" that will collaborate with EPA to create and run their own subaward processes. In practice, these pass-through entities would build the procedures to solicit, receive, and evaluate subaward applications, then issue subawards to eligible manufacturers and also to States, Indian Tribes, and nonprofits that support those manufacturers. The notice references the regulatory definition in 2 CFR 200.74: a pass-through entity is a non-federal entity that provides a subaward to a subrecipient to carry out part of a federal program. This approach is meant to scale the program by letting intermediary organizations administer subawards, potentially reaching more manufacturers, tailoring assistance to specific sectors or regions, and speeding delivery of resources while still aligning with EPA program goals.

The expected outcome of the program is not only more EPDs, but better EPDs: data that is more complete, consistent, and trusted, which in turn helps buyers and policymakers differentiate products based on embodied GHG emissions. By increasing disclosure and verification capacity and by supporting the ecosystem around EPD development (manufacturers, technical supporters, and pass-through administrators), EPA is also trying to spur market demand for construction materials and products with lower embodied emissions. Over time, the program is intended to make low-carbon choices easier to specify and procure, helping shift construction supply chains toward lower-emissions production.

Key administrative details from the notice include the agency (EPA), the activity category (Environment), the opportunity category (Discretionary), the creation date (September 28, 2023), and the original closing date (January 8, 2024). Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which signals that eligibility likely spans multiple applicant types beyond standard categories, including manufacturers and supporting entities, and that applicants would need to consult the full announcement for the precise eligibility rules and any restrictions.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.721.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 28, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 08, 2024. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for EPA R OCSPP OPPT FY2023 001

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