Alaska Office of Infrastructure, Weekly Email

May 8, 2024

Welcome to the Office of Infrastructure weekly newsletter. If you have items to share, please email us. Feel free to forward or reach out to be added to our list.

Click here to take the Anchorage Economic Development Committee (AEDC) Business Confidence Index Survey 2024

Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) Discretionary Grant Deadline Calendar (Updated 5/8/2024)

Upcoming Events:

If you have an infrastructure or workforce development event or website you would like us to share, please email us!

Mon-Wed, May 20-22, 2024: Alaska Telecom Association Annual Meeting, Harrigan Centennial Hall, Sitka, AK.

Mon, May 20, 2024, 12-5 PM, In conjunction with the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, “Connecting the Arctic – Joining Forces to Secure Energy Solutions.” Register here.

Tue-Thur, May 21-23, 2024: Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, Dena’ina Center, Anchorage, AK

Wed, June 5, 2024: CISA: Free Cybersecurity Summit, Egan Center, Anchorage, AK

Wed, June 12, 2024: Resource Development Council for Alaska (RDC)’s 49 ^th Annual Meeting & Membership Luncheon, Dena’ina Center, Anchorage, Alaska.

Last Thursday of the Month through June 27, 2024, 11 AM – 3 PM: Job Fair at the Fairbanks Jobs Center, Fairbanks Regional Office Building, 675 7th Ave, Fairbanks, AK

Tue-Thur, August 13-15, 2024: Global Autonomous Systems Conference, Dena’ina Center, Anchorage, AK

Tue-Thur, August 13-15, 2024: Alaska Municipal League Summer Legislative Conference, Kodiak AK

Wed-Fri, October 2-4, 2024: 2024 Rural Energy Conference, Westmark Hotel, Fairbanks, AK

Thur-Sat, October 17-19, 2024: Annual Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Convention, Dena'ina Center, Anchorage, AK

Wed-Thur, November 13-14, 2024: Resource Development Council for Alaska (RDC)’s 45 ^th Annual Alaska Resources Conference, Dena’ina Center, Anchorage, Alaska.

Mon-Fri, December 9-13, 2024: 74 ^th Annual Alaska Municipal League Local Government Conference, Dena’ina Center, Anchorage, AK

Grant Opportunities:

If you are applying or know of an entity applying for an infrastructure grant, please let us know!

BROADBAND

National Telecomm and Info Admin – State Digital Equity Capacity, Deadline May 28, 2024 (States) and February 7, 2025 (Tribes). Funds to implement digital equity plans.

CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT & RESILIENCE

EPA FY25 Pollution Prevention Grant , Deadline May 17, 2024. Eligible entities: States, tribes. Awardee will provide technical assistance to businesses to encourage the development and implementation of source reduction practices also known as pollution prevention or “P2”.
Dept. of Interior Fish & Wildlife Service – Refuge System Enhancement, Deadline May 17, 2024. Eligible entities: State; Local govts; Tribes; Institutions of higher education and school districts; Public housing authority; Non-profits. Goals are for communities to play a more active role in increasing outdoor recreation opportunities on refuge lands and waters, using partnerships to help Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) infrastructure repair and improvements, and to enhance wildlife habitat. Successful projects will address identified FWS priorities that enhance visitor experience, promote wildlife-dependent outdoor recreation, provide sustainable wildlife habitat, provide career training and mentoring opportunities, and engage the community in opportunities to participate in wildlife-dependent outdoor recreation on FWS lands and waters.
Dept. of Interior – Water SMART Planning and project Design FY23 and FY 24, Deadline May 21, 2024. Eligible entities: Partnership applicants of States, regional and local govts, tribes, irrigation and water districts. Collaborative planning and design projects to support water management improvements.
Bureau of Land Management – Alaska IIJA/IRA Good Neighbor Authority, Deadline May 24, 2024. Eligible entities: State, Local govts, Tribes and ANCSAs. The Good Neighbor Authority is intended to plan and implement forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration projects, specifically treating insect-and disease-infested trees; reducing hazardous fuels; any other activities to restore or improve forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including fish and wildlife habitat.
Dept. Of Interior – National Park Service, Land and Water Conservation Fund State Assistance, and Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Partnership Challenge Program, Deadline June 12, 2024. Eligible: States. Grants to Lead and Water Conservation Fund lead agencies and eligible subrecipients for projects that will provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public.
USDA – Tribal Access to Emerging Private Markets for Climate Mitigation & Forest Resilience, Deadline August 21, 2024. Eligible entities: Tribes. Funding will support the participation of underserved and small-acreage forest landowners in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience.
US Dept. of Interior - WaterSMART: Large-Scale Water Recycling Projects for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024, Deadline September 30, 2024. Eligible entities: States; Tribes; Boroughs/Municipalities; irrigation, water and wastewater districts and/or delivery authority. All applicants must be located in the Western United States.
EPA – Community Change Program, Deadline November 21, 2024. Eligible entities: Partnership between two community-based non-profit organizations (CBO); or partnership between CBO and one of the following: local government, tribe or institution of higher education. $2 billion dollars (total) available in Inflation Reduction Act funds for environmental and climate activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate challenges.
Dept. of Energy - Net Zero Federal Facilities , Deadline November 27, 2024.
Dept. Of Interior - National Fish Passage Program: Restoring River, Floodplain, and Coastal Connectivity and Resiliency, FY 24 and FY25, Deadline December 31, 2024. PLEASE SEE LINK FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Eligible: States, Tribes, Local govts, non-profits, school districts, public housing authorities, special districts, institutions of higher education. This voluntary program provides direct technical and financial assistance to partners to remove instream barriers, restore aquatic organism passage, and restore climate resilient aquatic connectivity in rivers, floodplains, and coastal habitats for the benefit of Federal trust resources.
FEMA – Swift Current Flood Mitigation Program, Deadline January 15, 2025. Eligible entities: States, Tribes. Program aims to better align delivery of FMA flood mitigation funding to the disaster survivor experience. The purpose of FMA Swift Current is to reduce or eliminate the flood risk to NFIP-participating communities and repetitive flood damage to structures and buildings insured by the NFIP following a flood-related disaster event, and to enhance community flood resilience within NFIP-participating communities.

ECONOMIC & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Dept. of Energy – Industrial Training & Assessment Centers, Deadline May 16, 2024. Workforce training programs for clean energy jobs that do not require a four-year degree.
Alaska Energy Authority - Renewable Energy – Village Energy Efficiency Program (RE-VEEP), Deadline May 28, 2024. Eligible entities: Local govts and tribes in rural Alaska. Program will finance building-scale renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation projects in public buildings and facilities.
Dept of Labor – Senior Community Service Employment Training for Low-Income Older Adult Workers, Deadline June 10, 2024. Eligible entities States, local govts, tribes, school districts and institutions of higher education, non-profits, and public housing authorities.
Dept of Labor – FY 24 Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Tech Assistant, Deadline June 10, 2024. Eligible Entities: Nonprofits and labor unions. Technical assistance to employers and labor unions to encourage employment of women in both apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations.

ENERGY

Dept. of Agriculture – Rural Utilities Services ReConnect Loan & Grant Program, Deadline May 21, 2024. Eligible entities: States, local govts, tribes. Grants and loans and combinations for broadband deployment in rural areas that currently do not have sufficient access to broadband; will fund facilities required to provide fixed broadband; pre-application expenses; and acquisition of existing system that does not currently provide sufficient access to broadband (loans only).
BIA – Tribal Energy and Mineral Development Program (EMDP), Deadline May 24, 2024. Eligible entities: Tribes. Projects that conduct resource inventories and assessments, feasibility studies, or other pre-development studies necessary to process, use and develop energy and mineral resources. These resources and their uses include, but are not limited to, biomass (woody and waste) for heat or electricity; transportation fuels; hydroelectric, solar, or wind generation; geothermal heating or electricity production; district heating; other forms of distributed energy generation; oil, natural gas, and helium; sand and gravel, coal, precious minerals, and base minerals (lead, copper, zin, etc.)
Dept. of Energy – Tribal Clean Energy Projects, Deadline May 30, 2024. New funding will help tribal communities deploy clean energy technology, increase energy sovereignty and resiliency, and lower energy costs.
Dept. of Energy – Transmission Facilitation Program, Deadline May 31, 2024. Funding to connect remote and isolated microgrids to existing infrastructure.
Dept. of Energy – Local Govt Energy Program, Deadline May 31, 2024. Eligible entities: Local govts, tribes. Projects may span a range of geographic scopes and wide variety of technology areas including, but not limited to building efficiency and/or electrification, electric transportation, energy infrastructure upgrades, microgrid development and deployment, renewable energy, resilience hubs, and workforce development.
Dept. of Energy – FY24 Energy & Emissions Intensive Industries, Deadlines June 11, 2024 (full application). $83 million available to states for projects improving efficiency and decarbonizing the U.S. industrial sector, leverages resources across DOE applied research offices to invest in fundamental science, research, development, initial pilot-scale demonstrations projects, and technical assistance and workforce development.
Notice of Intent – Dept. of Energy – Aerodynamics for Extreme-Scale Offshore Wind Performance and Survival, Deadline September 27, 2024. The intended FOA would seek applications to fill a critical void in the development of multi-megawatt wind turbines for offshore deployment.

TRANSPORTATION

EPA – Clean Ports Program, Deadline May 28, 2024. Eligible entities: States, local govts, tribes, port authorities, private entities (see qualifications). Aims to fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure and improve air quality.
USDOT Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC), Deadline May 27, 2024. Eligible entities: States, MPOs, local govts. Program provides funding for grants ($3MM ceiling) to test the feasibility of a road usage fee and other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms to support solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.
EPA – Zero Emission Tech Deployment, Deadline May 28, 2024. Eligible entities: States, local govts, tribes, port authorities, private entities (see qualifications). Aims to fund ZE port equipment and infrastructure to reduce mobile source emissions (criteria pollutants, air toxics, and/or greenhouse gases).
Federal Railroad Admin – Consolidated Rail Infrastructure a Safety Improvements, Deadline, May 28, 2024.
FHWA – Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment (ATIIP), Deadline June 17, 2024. Eligible entities: States, local govts, tribes. Funding for planning and design, and construction, to help improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of active transportation networks; will allow communities to identify, prioritize, and implement improvements to the largest barriers to safe, accessible, and equitable pedestrian and bicycle network connectivity through the development of infrastructure that will provide substantial additional opportunities for walking and bicycling.
USDOT – Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highways Rights-of-Way, Deadline June 18, 2024. Eligible entities: States, tribes, and federal land management agencies. Program aims to transform rights-of-way into pollinator habitat through the planting of native plants and wildflowers.
NEW USDOT - United States Marine Highway Grants, Deadline July 12, 2024. Eligible entities: States, local govts, MPOs, port authorities, tribes/ANCSAs, and private sector operator of marine highway projects. Marine Highway Transportation Projects or components of Projects that: 1) provide a coordinated and capable alternative to landside transportation; mitigate or relieve landside congestion; promote Marine Highway Transportation; or use vessels documented under Chapter 121; and 2) develop, expand, or promote Marine Highway Transportation or shipper use of Marine Highway Transportation.
US DOT – Safe Streets & Roads for All, Deadline August 29, 2024. Eligible entities: Political subdivision of state, MPOs, local governments, tribes, school districts and public/state institutions of higher education, or a group of up to three entities listed above. Program is for projects and strategies to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation, personal conveyance, and micro-mobility users, motorists, and commercial vehicle operators.
Federal Highway Administration Bridge Investment Program, Deadlines: August 1, 2024 (for FY 2025); and August 1, 2025 (for FY 2026).
NEW EPA - 2024 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Tribal and Territory Grants, Deadline December 6, 2024. Eligible entities: Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, and territory government agencies which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality. Program is to incentivize and accelerate the upgrading or retirement of the nation’s legacy diesel engine fleet. Eligible activities include the retrofit or replacement of existing diesel engines, vehicles, and equipment with the EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certified engine configurations and verified retrofit and idle reduction technologies.
USDOT - Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE), Deadlines: January 13, 2025 (FY25); and January 13, 2026 (FY26). Eligible entities: State; Local governments; Tribes; and Transit agency. Eligible project types: highway or bridge projects eligible under title 23; public transportation projects under chapter 53 of title 49; passenger and freight rail transportation projects eligible under title 49; port investments; certain airport projects; culverts relating to storm runoff to improve habitat of aquatic species; and other deemed necessary by secretary. Watch for Webinars here.

OTHER

Dept. of Agriculture – Farmers Market Promotion Fiscal Year 24, Deadline May 14, 2024. Eligible entities: Tribal govt, local govt, agricultural coops, producer associations, food council, local govt, non-profit, public benefit corp, economic development corp, regional farmers market authority. Funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand direct producer-to-consumer markets to help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products.
Dept. of Agriculture – Local Food Promotion, Deadline May 14, 2024. Eligible entities: Local govts, Tribes, Agriculture businesses/coops, producer networks/associations, CSA networks/associations, food council, non-profit corporations, public benefit corps, economic development corps, regional farmers markets authorities. Program aims to develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food business enterprises.
Dept. of Ag – Micro-grants for Food Security Program, Deadline May 21, 2024. Eligible entities: Agricultural agencies or departments. To fund agricultural marketing services.
Dept. of Interior – US Fish & Wildlife Services - Invasive Species Eradication Funding, Deadline May 27, 2024. Eligible entities: States, tribes. Projects to support the eradication of a newly introduced or established species in terrestrial or aquatic habitats.
Dept. Of Interior - Historic Preservation Fund, Annual Tribal Historic Preservation Office Grants, Deadline May 30, 2024. Eligible: Tribes. Grants to Tribal Historic Preservation Offices for the identification, evaluation, and protection of historic properties as outlined in the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) by such means as: survey, planning, technical assistance, physical preservation, review of Federal undertakings, education, listing in the National Register of Historic Places and Tribal Registers.
HUD – Supportive Housing for Elderly, Deadline June 20, 2024. Eligible entities; Non-profits or mixed-finance limited partnership. Program provides for development of supportive rental housing for Very-Low-Income persons aged 62 years or older and project rental subsidies in the form of a Project Rental Assistance Contract to maintain ongoing affordability.