Summary: EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) is soliciting applications from eligible entities for projects designed to assist state, local, and tribal air agencies in identifying and characterizing air toxics, also known as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), through work that falls into one of four categories. Those categories are: 1) characterizing the impacts of air toxics in a community (community-scale monitoring); 2) assessing impacts of toxics emissions from specific sources (near-source monitoring); 3) evaluating new and emerging testing methods for air toxics; and, 4) analyzing existing air toxics data and developing or enhancing analytical, modeling, and/or implementation tools. Air toxics of particular interest to EPA in this solicitation include ethylene oxide, chloroprene, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and metals such as hexavalent chromium, nickel, and arsenic. The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $5,000,000. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 10 to 20 assistance agreements from this announcement, subject to the availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

EPA will hold two information sessions on the 2020 competition February 19 and 20, 2020. Information about the sessions is available on the Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring website.